Education Commons^™

Interventions To Increase Prospective Teacher Candidates' Praxis Ii Content Exam Scores, Takara Hart

All Dissertations

Teacher shortages are a pervasive issue in South Carolina’s public schools. Some prospective teacher candidates have shown obstacles in meeting the minimum required Praxis II Content exam score. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and develop specific Praxis II Content exam interventions to improve scores for six prospective teacher candidates in South Carolina. All participants were trying to meet the licensure exam requirement for various alternative certification programs. Malcolm Knowles’ Andragogy Adult Learning Theory guided the study as a theoretical framework, and Lev Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Constructivism provided the conceptual frame. Descriptive coding and analysis, using Dedoose …

Does Self-Reference In Concept Mapping Influence Transfer?, Daniel A. Parker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Concept maps are a popular learning activity that have successfully demonstrated student learning outcomes. Research suggests that concept mapping has a positive effect on recognition, recall, and transfer. Likewise, researchers in cognitive psychology have shown the value of referencing oneself with a concept. Known as the self-reference effect, learners who connect their experiences or traits with new knowledge are more likely to remember that knowledge than if they used other mnemonic devices. Previous research suggests that integrating self-reference in concept mapping may improve recall. However, to date, no study has investigated the influence of this combination on higher order learning …

Considering Who Has Opportunities For Training And Advancement, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

The three working learners featured in this blog post represent contrasting experiences that help us to understand the level and quality of support from such mediators as has become evident in our research, and the resu Its on the careers of these learners. Al I names used are pseudonyms.

French As A Second Language Teaching: Identifying Methods That Improve Adult Learners’ Competencies, Nicole Moussallem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis illustrates the inventive methods used in teaching French as a second language(FSL) to adult learners, in conjunction with principles of the innovative methodology in second language teaching and learning. This study will also offer new methods and materials to teach adult learners French as an additional language (Myers, 2012). Moreover, the literature review identifies studies that have been conducted with French as a second language teaching. The new methodology for teaching a foreign language (FL) relies on acquaintance and know-how aims. Consequently, formal/traditional teaching has been modified due to a lack of adult learners’ interest in learning language …

Conducting Virtual Qualitative Interviews With International Key Informants: Insights From A Research Project, Nytasia Hicks, Roberto J. Millar, Laura M. Girling, Phyllis A. Cummins, Takashi Yamashita

The Qualitative Report

There is an increasing need for cross-cultural qualitative studies in an era of globalization. A focus group of five researchers, who were involved in a large international research project, identified effective strategies and challenges associated with five key domains of qualitative research with key informants: identification, recruitment, preparation, conducting the interview, and follow-up. Content analysis revealed nuanced tactics related to effective strategies and challenges associated with each domain. Examples of effective strategies include interview preparation to understand the specific expertise of the interviewee and allowing the informant to offer additional information beyond the questions asked. Challenges included technical difficulties with …

21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities Convening, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

No abstract provided.

Christian Graduate Programs: Transformational, Not Transactional, Steve Holtrop

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Critical Race Theory: Convening 2, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

We seek to identify the factors that incentivize frontline service workers to engage in workplace-sponsored learning activities that support development of 21st century skills, including specific workplace skills, digital literacy, English language and literacy, problem solving, and adult basic skills. Central to this study is elevating the voice of the working learner.

Overarching Themes Of Moocs: An Integrative Literature Review, Gregory Bunn, Doris Lee

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) represent a growing means of offering mass instruction to students separated across distances and countries. MOOCs provide a flexible platform for instruction across numerous disciplines via the Internet. By incorporating a variety of online environments and discussion formats, MOOCs enable learners to engage with content and instructions in new ways. As MOOCs continue to evolve in design and involve more students, it becomes important to determine overarching themes in the literature discussing MOOCs. Such an investigation offers the potential to reveal new connections and ideas pertinent to the successful design and running of online courses. …

Overcoming Learning Anxiety In Workplace Learning: A Study Of Best Practices And Training Accommodations That Improve Workplace Learning, Ann-Marie Piscitelli

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S. and affect 40 million adults, or 18.1% of the population each year. Anxiety plays an essential role in encouraging productive learning outcomes; however, uncontrolled anxiety could result in heightened emotions that create barriers to learning. Employees who have anxiety disorders may experience these barriers to learning when in traditional training programs and may require support or accommodations to boost their unique learning needs for development in the workplace. Human Resource Development (HRD) professionals’ challenge is how best to intervene when an employee exhibits behaviors of learning anxiety to nurture …

Understanding Learners Through Personna: Convening 1, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

We seek to identify the factors that incentivize frontline service workers to engage in workplace-sponsored learning activities that support development of 21st century skills, including specific workplace skills, digital literacy, English language and literacy, problem solving, and adult basic skills. Central to this study is elevating the voice of the working learner.

Naomi: Learning For Future Possibilities, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

We've published 5 blog posts that present different personas of working learners. These personas are drawn from our interviews with frontline worker learners across the country who are participating in employer-supported learning opportunities. The personas characterize aspects of a set of real people - capturing and blending them in order to create one story that illustrates a broader representation of a participant in an employer-supported educational program or course.

Global Research On Andragogy: A Bibliometric Analysis, Shakil Ahmad, Saghir Mehar, Nadeem Siddique, Muhammad Ajmal Khan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study presents an overview of the published research in the field of andragogy using bibliometric methods. Scopus database produced a list of 698 manuscripts that were cited 2383 times with an average of 3.41 citations per publication. More than 89% of Scopus-based research on andragogy was published in the English language while 61% of this research was published in form of journal articles. Proceeding papers followed the journal articles in preferred types of publication that researchers opted to published their research in. The University of Ottawa was the most active institution publishing the highest number of publications followed by …

21st Century Learning Ecosystem For Working Learners, Kathy Harris, Jen Vanek,, Jill Castek, Gloria Jacobs

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

• What are the experiences of working learners in employer sponsored learning?
• What motivates frontline service workers to participate in employer sponsored learning opportunities, many of which are offered online?
• What factors support working learners’ continued participation and their success?

A Journey Towards Cultural Proficiency: Lessons Learned From Africa, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This autoethnography tells my story as a French American woman who lives in the United States and worked with hundreds of school leaders in five African countries over a period of six years. Using a cultural proficiency continuum, I illustrate my learning and changing frames of references pertaining to cultural differences. Movement along the continuum indicates an alteration in thinking that progresses from marginalization to inclusivity. My experiences, mistakes, and lessons learned contribute to the discourse on cultural difference. For six years, I spent more time on the African continent than in my American home. These extended stays allowed me …

Teaching In A Global Society: Considerations For University-Based Educational Leadership, Penny L. Tenuto

Journal of Global Education and Research

Those who work in university-based programs are in a unique position to positively influence teaching, leading, and learning in the 21st century—whether in traditional face-to-face classrooms or online. To ensure culturally responsive practices, postsecondary faculty and administrators must be proactive about critically reflecting on their own professional praxes related to adult learning. This paper offers a mini-review of concepts derived from the literature for promoting inclusive postsecondary learning communities in a diverse and global society. This conceptually based paper blends current practices with traditional adult learning theories and includes considerations for those who work in university-based programs that prepare educational …

Identifying Effective Teaching And Recruitment Strategies Used By Efnep In Reaching Limited Income Audiences In The United States, Alexandria Mcleod

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The two articles presented in this thesis used a researcher-developed literature-based survey instrument to collect data on the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in the United States. Data was collected on methods of teaching, communication technologies used, recruitment strategies, barriers to attending classes, and program assistant demographic data. There were 803 program assistants working during the 2018-2019 program year. There were 346 program assistants who completed the 35-question survey instrument during data collection.

The first article focused on identifying effective teaching strategies used to increase program engagement by collecting data on program characteristics, methods of teaching, and educational …

So, Why Persona?, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

A colleague asked us a thoughtful and compelling question - why did we create the personas and how do these personas help employers, human resources staff, people working in workforce education, and those in adult education? We wrote this blog post to address those questions.

Dani: Front-Line Supervisor Paid Hourly Seeking Certification For Advancement, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In our final two blog posts we offer personas based on people who are working to earn a degree or certificate, including Regina: Healthcare worker seeking to establish a career and, here in our final persona to date, Dani, an hourly frontline supervisor who wants to earn a certificate and advance her career.

Regina: Healthcare Worker Seeking To Establish A Career, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In this post, we share our fourth persona, this one based on people who are working to earn a degree or certificate.

Elise: Juggling Work, Required Training, And Long-Term Goals, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In past posts we talked about how we are using persona as a research tool and our process for creating personas. In our last post we described Neberu, who is working to feel comfortable interacting with English speakers. In the next several posts we will continue to present the personas we have created.

Neberu: Working To Feel Comfortable Interacting With English Speakers, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In the next several biogs we will continue to present the personas we have created based on our interviews with working learners.

Alimayu: College-Educated Retail Worker Learning English, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

In past blogs we talked about how we are using persona as a research tool and our process for creating personas. In the next several biogs we will present the personas we have created based on our interviews with working learners.

Was It A Dream Or Nightmare? A Narrative Exploration Of Adult Refugee Learners’ Experiences In A Community College, Patricia J. Higgins, Mitsunori Misawa

Adult Education Research Conference

Refugees enter the United States seeking a safe place to rebuild their lives after surviving life-threatening situations. In this journey, education is seen as a bridge from instability to self-sufficiency. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to better understand the experiences of adult refugee learners as they navigate higher education in the United States. The research questions were: How do adult refugee learners’ prior life experiences influence the transition to higher education? How does the intersection of ethnicity and immigration status influence the higher education experience? and What strategies do adult refugee learners employ to navigate higher education?

Flop To Flip: Integrating Technology And Team-Based Learning To Improve Student Engagement, Diana A. Veneri, Elizabeth M. Mongillo

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The first attempt to develop and instruct a new course in evidence-based practice in a physical therapy curriculum proved problematic. The purpose of this paper is to describe the method of revising this traditionally taught course using a combination of flipping the classroom, team-based learning, and technology. Methods: Working with an Instructional Design Specialist, a weekly online preparatory module was created for each content topic using a variety of multimedia learning provisions including micro learning videos (PowerPoint with voiceover), transcript of the PowerPoint, a list of vocabulary words, reading, Quizlet, Flipgrids and Concept Checks. Each week’s module was introduced …

Paraprofessionals’ Perceptions Of The Need For Professional Development In An Afterschool Program Setting, Terry Chapman Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractAfterschool workers often lack the training and formal education that would help them perform their jobs effectively. There is little research on professional development available to such paraprofessional workers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore afterschool workers’ perceptions of needed training. The central question focused on the perceptions of paraprofessional workers in afterschool programs regarding how professional development supported their work. Subquestions included what paraprofessional workers in afterschool programs identified as their primary learning needs and what approaches to professional development supported their work. The conceptual framework centered on Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and Knowles’s model …

Using Critical Race Theory As A Lens To Understand Employer-Supported Education, Jill Castek, Kathy Harris, Gloria E. Jacobs, Jen Vanek

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

This work is part of a larger project focused on understanding a changing and dynamic learning ecosystem

● frontline service workers participate in workforce or employer supported learning opportunities.

● includes data from 45 interviews with worker learners and individuals who provide support to them, such as teachers, managers, and career navigators.

● Interviewees come from all parts of the United States and work in retail, healthcare, hospitality, transportation, and other industries.

21st Century Learning Ecosystem Opportunities Member Spotlight, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Presentations and Publications

Background & Our Study

Understanding a changing and dynamic learning ecosystem

● 45 interviews with worker learners and individuals who provide support to them

● Focus on the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)

● Multiple Advisory Group Convenings of diverse group of stakeholders: working learners, educators, researchers, employers, workforce development practitioners

● Ongoing dissemination of our work in over 20 blog posts reporting on our research as its unfolded

Identifying Characteristics That Lead To Better Academic Performance For International Students In U.S. Colleges, Hadi Rajabbeigi

Theses and Dissertations

A large proportion of students in the United States is international students. Thus, educational leaders need to facilitate the learning process for this population. This study investigated the characteristics of international students that affect their academic performance. The purpose of this study was to determine how individual characteristics of international students affect the learning strategies they choose and how it affects their academic performance. For this purpose, the survey was designed according to the literature, which measures characteristic variables based on VIA character strengths (Peterson & Seligman, 2004), learning strategies (MSLQ) developed by Pintrich et al. (1991), and academic performance …

A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis For A Theory Of Interfaith/Interreligious Learning Through Dialogue, Elizabeth M. Pope, Nadira K. Charaniya, Jane West Walsh

Adult Education Research Conference

Interfaith/interreligious (IF/IR) dialogue offers a context through which individuals within various religious communities can learn from and with each other. There are unique aspects to this learning environment. First, learning through conversation. Second, learning through conversation about a difficult topic. And third, learning from and with a religious other. To best understand what learning through IF/IR dialogue is, researchers would benefit from a nuanced understanding of the complexities of the learning environment and the participants within it. In this qualitative meta-synthesis, we examine current research on IF/IR dialogue to outline a theory of dialogical IF/IR learning.