Education Commons^™

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Secondary Teachers' Rapid Implementation Of New Instructional Technology During Covid-19 Pandemic, Caledon A. P. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experience of secondary teachers’ rapid implementation of new instructional technology during the COVID-19 pandemic for faculty located in an urban area in southeast Georgia. The central research question for this study is: What are the experiences of secondary teachers who have participated in the rapid implementation of instructional technology during the COVID-19 pandemic? The theory guiding this study is Knowles’s adult learning theory (1968), as it pertains to secondary teachers’ lived experiences with implementing instructional technology into their classroom routines and how they approached mastering the technology. Purposeful …

Exploring Time Management Decisions On Persistence Among Non-Traditional Learners: A Phenomenological Study In Online Learning, James Dale Lawrence

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to understand the time management decisions of persistent non-traditional online learners over 30 at large institutions offering online programs in the United States. The central research question is: What are the shared time management experiences of persistent non-traditional online students over 30 enrolled in large institutions in the United States? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, journal prompts, and focus groups. The sample comprised 12 participants. Saturation began to visualize after the ninth interview. Data collection continued until all 12 participants were interviewed and their journal prompts were completed. The study was conducted in a …

Great Leader, Great Learner: Shepherd-Teachers, Self-Directed Learning, And The Preaching Moment In Small Southern Baptist Churches, Matthew Thomas Gowin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the influence of the shepherd–teacher’s learning attributes, informed by adult learning theory, on the preaching moment within a conservative Southern Baptist congregation. Malcolm S. Knowles offered the theory guiding this study in his concepts of andragogy and self-directed learning. Knowles introduced an educational model that emphasizes adult learning and primarily self-directed learning. The study observed whether being a self-directed learner impacts the shepherd–teacher’s instructional activities, including preparation and delivery. The study addressed an identified gap between adult learning theory and homiletics. The multiple-case study started by surveying pastors with the …

Gamified Ungrading: Playing With Andragogy And Feminist Instructional Design, Stefani Boutelier

Feminist Pedagogy

This article explored an original graduate-level teaching activity of gamification and ungrading through a feminist instructional design lens. We can understand outcomes of gamified equitable grading experiences by de-centering adult interpretations and habits of colonial educational structures–not only for the learners but as current and future leaders. These strategies were evaluated with student self-evaluations, feedback loops, and reflexivity through modeling and co-reflection. The outcomes and potential for replication of a gamified ungrading experience bring forward a humanized curriculum for all levels of learners and designers.

Asynchronous Online Learning Motivation Experiences For Community College Degree-Seeking Non-Traditional Adult Learners: A Qualitative Study, Tomie L. Gartland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to discover the asynchronous online learning experiences that support learning motivation for community college degree-seeking non-traditional adult learners in the United States. The theoretical framework guiding this study is Knowles’ andragogy adult learning theory. The utilization of Moustakas’ analysis of transcendental phenomenology utilized epoché, or the removal of personal bias, and the focus of Moustakas’ bracketing of the central research question. The central research question is: How do community college degree-seeking non-traditional adult learners experience motivation in the asynchronous online learning environment? The study consisted of 10 degree-seeking non-traditional adult learners who …

Examining Teacher Leadership: Phenomenology Of The Perceived Challenges Of Being A Teacher Leader, Noelle H. Green

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning Infographics

Today’s school leaders recognize that one person, mainly the principal, cannot adequately address the needs of all members of the school community. Many principals rely on teacher leaders to lead alongside them to further school improvement, knowing that the traditional way of thinking of school leadership as being the sole role of the principal is no longer effective or efficient. While K-12 teachers typically have a strong background in child development, psychology, and pedagogy, many lack experience in leading and facilitating adults and have little background in adult learning theory.

The purpose of this research is to determine how K-12 …

Learning Professionals That Leverage Learner Agency As An Asynchronous Instructional Design Strategy: A Phenomenological Study, Misha A. Mixon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand asynchronous online professional learning for adults that maximizes learner agency through non-linear instructional design strategies by the lived experiences of Learning and Development professionals. The theory guiding this study is Malcolm Knowles’ theory of andragogy, as it speaks to the unique characteristics of adult learners and is the lens by which the creation of asynchronous learning experiences that maximize learner agency can be viewed. The central research question investigates the lived experiences of learning professionals who create asynchronous online professional learning for adults that maximizes learner agency through non-linear instructional …

A Study Of The Perceptions Of Professional Development Programs For K-12 Teachers In Transition, Kimberly S. Alfred

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The global pandemic of 2020–2021 forced many K-12 schools across the world to require the ability to teach both in a traditional setting and also in a virtual environment. While many leaders thought the transition from traditional to virtual instruction would be easy, it actually proved to be more difficult than first imagined. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how K-12 traditional teachers in Texas describe their professional development experience after moving from a traditional setting to a virtual environment and then back again, pre- and postpandemic. Three research questions guided this study: (a) How do …

Enhancing Production Efficiency And Farm Profitability Through Innovative Extension Programming, Nathan W. Conner, Matt Stockton, Daran Rudnick, Charles Burr, Tessa Burford

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Cooperative Extension strives to provide agricultural producers with non-formal educational opportunities designed to positively impact agriculture (NIFA, 2021). Therefore, a team of Extension professionals at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln developed and facilitate an ongoing professional development program designed to enhance the engagement of agricultural producers in farm management, especially in the areas of input use efficiency and profitability. Andragogy was used as the framework to help ensure the Testing Agricultural Performance Solutions (TAPS) program provided agricultural producers with non-formal education that aligned with andragogical principles. Knowles (1980) refers to andragogy as the “art and science of helping adults …

A Causal-Comparative Study Of Learner-Centeredness Among Assemblies Of God Clergy By Credential Level, George Rexaville True Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This non-experimental, causal-comparative study sought to evaluate the learner-centeredness of Pentecostal ministers in the Assemblies of God. Building on the foundations of Adult Learning Theory and Pentecostal epistemology, this study examined the instructional practices of Pentecostal clergy. Utilizing the Principles of Adult Learning Scale [PALS] and a survey of basic demographic information, the instructional methodologies of certified, licensed, and ordained clergy in the Northern New England, Pennsylvania-Delaware, Arkansas, and Northwest districts of the Assemblies of God were examined. A Welch’s ANOVA analyzed the relationship between clergy credential level and scores on the PALS. The results of this study revealed a …

Addressing The Need For An Appropriate Adult Learning Environment To Increase Student Retention And Success, Karen L. Morgan-Bowyer

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to transform a learning environment for adult learners who have faced trauma and have had negative educational experiences. The OIP seeks to identify barriers to learning and well-being for this group and develop effective strategies to create a supportive and inclusive environment that promotes learner retention, engagement, and empowerment. Through the lens of transformational and servant leadership, the OIP incorporates actionable steps, including the development of trauma-informed andragogy into daily practices and interactions with adult learners, the provision of training and support for faculty and staff to understand the needs of this group of …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Into International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Teachers' Lived Experience Of Professional Growth, Rosamund Whaley

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program provides an inquiry- and concept-driven approach to teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools around the world. This educational philosophy is often different to teachers’ previous training and experience, yet little research has been done into how continuing professional development addresses the challenge of understanding and implementing the IB program. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the professional learning experiences of IB Diploma Programme (DP) teachers in international schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven teachers from five different schools and all six IB subject groups who had severalyears’ experience …

K-12 Teachers’ Retention Of Arts Integrated Professional Development, Roxane Mcwilliams

Dissertations

Arts integration is an interdisciplinary teaching model in which the arts become a conduit for the contextualization and understanding of non-arts content. Research has shown this approach increases academic engagement and content retention (Rinne et al., 2011). The use of arts integration also provides gains for teachers. Teachers perceive their practice more innovative and better able to reach the needs of diverse learners (Bellisario & Donovan, 2012). For the benefits of arts integrated learning to be achieved, teachers must acquire the knowledge and techniques of this teaching model. This requires knowledge in both arts content as well as the pedagogical …

Beliefs Of Higher Education Online Faculty Regarding The Integration Of Multimedia, Kimberly Diane Hoyt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Integration of multimedia resources in higher education curricula continues to be a concern for today’s teachers, especially in identifying effective, efficient, and engaging resources that provide individualized instruction and meet a variety of learning needs. However, there was a gap in the literature regarding teachers' beliefs about multimedia integration within the context of adult learning in online higher education. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the benefits and challenges higher education online teachers experienced when integrating multimedia resources into their courses. The research question explored the beliefs of higher education online instructors about their experiences when …

Beliefs Of Higher Education Online Faculty Regarding The Integration Of Multimedia, Kimberly Diane Hoyt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Integration of multimedia resources in higher education curricula continues to be a concern for today’s teachers, especially in identifying effective, efficient, and engaging resources that provide individualized instruction and meet a variety of learning needs. However, there was a gap in the literature regarding teachers' beliefs about multimedia integration within the context of adult learning in online higher education. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the benefits and challenges higher education online teachers experienced when integrating multimedia resources into their courses. The research question explored the beliefs of higher education online instructors about their experiences when …

Instructional Perspectives Of Ymca Fitness Instructors, Christinia M. Scott

Adult Education Research Conference

The study seeks to determine the amount of andragogical principles used by adult fitness instructors at the Greater Louisville YMCAs. The Modified Instructional Perspectives Inventory (MIPI) will measure the level of andragogical principles used by Greater Louisville YMCAs fitness instructors.

Revisiting The Assumptions Of Adult Learning, Trevor Cox, Ed Cunliff

Adult Education Research Conference

This roundtable suggests expanding adult education principles would benefit practitioners and lessen generational divides created by the assumptions of “adult” education as a process distinct from learning in younger individuals.

Why Our Words Matter: Promoting A Growth Mindset In Online Graduate Courses, Elodie Jones

Advanced Education Programs Faculty Publications

In the research concerning the growth mindset utilized when evaluating academic persistence, Yeager states, “... to achieve, we need more than inborn ability—we need the right mindset. He [Yeager] studies how students and adults feel they belong and are respected, that their work is relevant and purposeful, and that they can overcome setbacks and continue to improve” (Mills). Through Yeager's combined research with other growth mindset researchers such as Carol Dweck and Angela Duckworth, their findings point to the idea that students must be allowed to explore, reflect, and create a level of self-awareness in their abilities to flourish while …

Leadership And Instructional Coaching: A Synthesis Of Approaches And Practices That Promote Change, Katie L. Perkins

Essays in Education

The aim of this educational essay is to provide a literature-based synthesis of the leadership approaches and practices of instructional coaches that best support teacher development. The essay is grounded in transformational leadership theory (Bass & Avolio, 1990) and synthesizes three main constructs for effective instructional coaching. These constructs include: andragogical practices (Knowles, 2015), the ethics of care (Beck, 1994), and organizational change (Burke, 2014). Incorporating these leadership practices may encourage effective teacher-coach relationships, promote teacher development and retention, and ultimately increase student success.

The Difference In Self-Efficacy Scores Among Students Who Participate In Work-Based Learning And Those Who Do Not Based On Their Disability Status In Community College, Kimberly Elaine Bowen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students with disabilities are attending higher education institutes at an increasing rate due to the programs and retention practices developed in k-12 classrooms. A concern for community colleges is the student’s ability to transition into the workforce after graduation. A high percentage of students with disabilities are unemployed. It is essential to study factors that can contribute to a student’s ability or inability to successfully transition into employment after matriculation. Self-efficacy has been associated with academic success and could be a determinate for employment status. The purpose of this study was to determine if self-efficacy levels differ between students with …

The Effects Of Using Adult Learning Principles In Sermons, David Pierre

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental study was to assess the effects of adult learning principles (ALP) in sermons on parishioners’ spiritual growth. Sermons have been central to the spread of Christianity. Given the significant role sermons play in parishioners’ spiritual formation and growth, examining sermons’ effectiveness is crucial. One-hundred-and-twenty participants responded to the researcher-created research instrument. An initial screening was first conducted with the study's data; as a result, 13 participants were removed from the data set for complete non-response to the 15 survey items. Three research questions and hypotheses were formally stated to address the study’s topic. Over …

Andragogy: The Common Thread In The Teaching Of Adults In Colleges Of Education, Criminal Justice, And Health Management, Grant J. Shostak, Larry Acker, Vanessa Vandergraaf

Faculty Scholarship

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought dramatic changes to higher education. Students and educators face challenges never anticipated, including switching classes from on-ground to online and back again, mental fatigue, stress, and burnout. Faculty across disciplines may turn to Andragogy to best teach college students to inform their teaching practices. This paper demonstrates how professors from education, criminal justice, and healthcare management have used andragogical techniques in their classrooms.

Andragogy And Leadership Development In Entry-Level Doctoral Occupational Therapy Education, Tracey Elaine Recigno

Dissertations and Theses

Leadership development is critical for occupational therapy practitioners to be effective in their varied roles and ultimately is necessary for the sustainability of the occupational therapy profession. Occupational therapy education needs to be the starting point for developing a leadership identity. Best practices in leadership development require that experiences are contextualized and provide opportunities for active learning and reflective practices, yet there is minimal research to understand how occupational therapy educators teach this concept. This dissertation sought to first describe leadership development in occupational therapy and then describe how occupational therapy educators approach leadership education using adult learning principles. The …

Checking The Box: Evaluating Professional Development Evaluations, Cristin Young

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This mixed-methods study aimed to examine questionnaires as an evaluation tool for professional development. The study measures the extent to which questionnaires reflect teachers' reactions to and learning in professional development sessions, how teachers view the use of questionnaires to evaluate these sessions, and how to improve that evaluation process. Data from a district-mandated professional development evaluation questionnaire was collected and analyzed from a sample of 825 teachers. Their experiences completing the questionnaires were measured by collecting survey and focus group data. The theories of satisficing and andragogy were used to frame the data analysis. I find that questionnaires do …

Examining Teacher Leadership: Phenomenology Of The Perceived Challenges Of Being A Teacher Leader, Noelle H. Green

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Today’s school leaders recognize that one person, mainly the principal, cannot adequately address the needs of all members of the school community. Many principals rely on teacher leaders to lead alongside them to further school improvement, knowing that the traditional way of thinking of school leadership as being the sole role of the principal is no longer effective or efficient. While K-12 teachers typically have a strong background in child development, psychology, and pedagogy, many lack experience in leading and facilitating adults and have little background in adult learning theory.

The purpose of this research is to determine how K-12 …

The Blaeser Training Taxonomy, Timothy Blaeser

Doctorate in Education

This research was undertaken to determine the efficacy of using andragogy, assessment, and quality control for training in a modern industrial workplace, with findings indicating that these modern training techniques can be implemented with success in this context. While andragogy, pioneered by Knowles, has been used in many areas of adult education, it has not been found to be commonly used in the industrial workplace. The study focused on Finnish trainers using the Blaeser Training Taxonomy – a training program utilizing elements of andragogy and assessment wrapped into quality control. Using a mixed methods questionnaire, trainers reported their training results, …

The Connection Between Pre-Literacy Development And Parent Use Of Strategies, Jhay-Lah Kennell

Honors Projects

The topic of this senior project is to research and develop strategies that parents of preschoolers can use to facilitate development of pre-literacy skills. The outcome will be a set of facilitation strategies embedded in a children's book focusing on phonological awareness skills. Additional, the book includes a method for training parents to use strategies to help their child(ren) develop skills regarding rhyming and blending. The book will be annotated with the specific parent coaching ideas. Overall, the children's book will include a developmentally appropriate storyline with underpinnings of the rhyming and blending skills of phonological awareness. The book will …

Online Learning In Graduate Health Programs: Andragogy, Lecture Preference, And The Effectiveness Of Synchronous And Asynchronous Participation, Adam Ladwig

Dissertations and Theses

Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, graduate health programs have undertaken greater utilization of online learning, employing synchronous and asynchronous online lectures as a replacement for traditional face-to-face instruction. Although supported in previous literature as a method at least equally effective to traditional learning, online learning has been a source of frustration for students and instructors expecting face-to-face instruction. This dissertation project seeks to explore (1) the ways in which principles of andragogy have been implemented in graduate health programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) the factors that contribute to preference for online method of lecture participation (synchronous or …

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 …

Plus 50 Students And Their Experiences With Technology In Undergraduate Classes, Jamillah L. Boyd, Nykea T. Watts-Edwards

Dissertations

As adult learners over 50 continue to pursue higher education, postsecondary institutions should have resources and services available to support this demographic. Previous research often combines Plus 50 students with all nontraditional students 24 years and older, making it difficult to understand the unique needs and learning experiences of older adult students in the academic environment. The use of technology for curriculum has increased significantly over the years and may present challenges for Plus 50 learners as they are introduced to it and learn to navigate it. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Plus 50 …