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Browsing 2004 Conference (Indianapolis, Indiana : IUPUI) by Subject "Adult Education"
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Item 2003-2004 Fall Training Evaluation For Graduate Assistants(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) Robinson, Jennifer LeeThe Literacy/Reading program for Graduate Assistants teaching developmental reading students at a large, state university currently provides one week of teacher training prior to the beginning of the Fall Semester. The small group of graduate assistants in this program (including the program coordinator) are primary instructors and teach one or two sections of developmental reading, test taking, time management, and learning strategies. The main purpose for evaluating the training program was to determine the effectiveness of the training. Data was collected through a Likert survey, which included some qualitative questions, and person-to-person interviews. The results of the Likert survey are that the high quality of the training sessions, the presenters, and the strategies that were presented helped graduate assistants to better do their jobs. The results of the qualitative questions and person-to-person interviews also conclude that the fall training was very helpful and should definitely be continued. However, the results of the qualitative portion of the study also yielded additional, unexpected insights into the perceptions of graduate assistants who feel they are marginalized graduate students, teaching marginalized college courses (Reading and Study Strategies), and serving a marginalized population of students—developmental university students.Item Access Barriers Experienced By Adults In Distance Education Courses And Programs: A Review Of The Research Literature(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) Zirkle, ChrisDistance education in the American education system continues to expand. However, despite technological improvements and nearly universal accessibility to the Internet, adult learners continue to experience barriers to accessing distance education courses and programs. Building on prior work by Cross (1981) and Darkenwald and Merriam (1982), this literature review focuses on the institutional and student barriers experienced by adult learners. Institutional barriers consist of program costs, resource availability, lack of equipment and infrastructure, scheduling, instructional concerns and technical assistance. Student barriers include costs and motivators, feedback and teacher contact, alienation and isolation, student support and services, and a lack of experience and/or training. Recommendations for addressing institutional barriers include continual evaluation of noninstructional areas, faculty training, and adoption of new technologies. Recommendations for alleviating student barriers include providing opportunities for distance students to interact with faculty, other students, and other parts of the campus, providing toll-free phone support to all areas of the campus, requiring faculty to have online office hours, and developing electronic tutorials for new distance students. The use of distance education in the United States continues to grow. A recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics (Waits & Lewis, 2003) documented the increased use of distance education in a multitude of academic and technical disciplines in postsecondary institutions. Private industry and business, along with governmental agencies, have also recognized the attraction of learning “any time and any place” in providing education and training opportunities for their employees. Relieving adult learners of the time and place constraints of a traditional classroom, distance education can present a new set of constraints, or barriers, to accessing educational opportunities. These barriers can be significant for adult learners, many of whom are “non-traditional” students, i.e., older, employed, needing job skill updates, seeking career change, or returning to college after a long absence. These students may also be single parents or transfer students, who, because of family responsibilities, work commitments or geographic limitations, are seeking to access educational opportunities at their convenience. Distance education offers the promise of unfettered access for these individuals; however, at present, the promise remains unfulfilled.Item Adult Education And Faculty Development: Expanding The Reach In The Academy(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) Glowacki-Dudka, MichelleThis evaluation study examines how faculty development courses on teaching and learning (OTLA) contribute to the “learning community” at a Midwestern University that promotes engagement “in the discovery of knowledge, the integration of learning experiences, and [faculty’s] applications through civic and professional leadership.” The study has three objectives: 1) Investigate how participation in the courses promotes collegial relationships across campus. 2) Understand the impact of the courses on faculty participants in establishing a collaborative culture around teaching. 3) Recognize the components of OTLA courses that contribute to the collaborative culture around teaching. Through this study, I seek to find ways that collaboration around teaching and learning occurs interdepartmentally at the university.Item Adult Education In The Urban Context: Serving Low Income Urban(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) Martin, Larry G.A review of the literature on “urban education” reveals that the urban context is considered an important determinant of practice for K-12 teachers and administrators located in urban schools. Several professional journals, such as, the Journal of Urban History, the Urban Education Review, Urban Education, and others routinely publish articles that address research, theory, policy, and practice concerns of K-12 urban professionals. Yet there is a dearth of literature that addresses the issues and concerns faced by adult education professionals in urban communities.Item Adult Learning Following Job Loss in Mid-Career Workers(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) Benway, Robert F.Critical theory, social constructivism and transformative learning were used to examine how and in what ways mid-career workers who experience job loss learn how to acquire new passion forlife through their work. Findings of this study were that participants who lost their jobs found new passion in life through work because they were able to construct their identities independent of the hegemonic influences of corporate managers. The implication of this study is that adult education can be used to help people redefine their self-concepts and social concepts, following job loss, and that both of these can lead to positive social change.Item Applying Science-Based Research To Teaching Adult English Language Learners(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) Orem, Richard A.The purpose of this paper is to examine the research base on which rests the current best practices of teaching reading to adult English language learners. My focus is on reading because that is the skill most closely correlated to student academic success or socioeconomic improvement in the United States. The definition of science-based research is taken from Title VIII of the No Child Left Behind legislation (P.L. 107-110) of 2001 and is considered by the U.S. Department of Education to represent the “gold standard” in educational research. This definition identifies five critical qualities of acceptable research: application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures; reliance on empirical evidence; experimental design with testable hypotheses; ability of the study to be replicated; peer-reviewed or otherwise approved by independent experts. Five factors are found to be significant for affecting literacy development in English language learners across the lifespan: level of literacy proficiency in the first language; level of attained formal schooling in first language; second language proficiency; learner motivation; and professional development of instructors. This paper will include a discussion of best practices based on current knowledge, and conclude with implications for further research. Further research is needed to examine the role of first language proficiency and its transferability to learning literacy in English. We need to investigate the variability of time needed to attain proficiency in second language literacy. Finally, we need to examine the role that professional development plays in influencing teacher effectiveness.Item A Comprehensive Literature Review Of Research On The GED Diploma To Clarify Conflicting Conclusions Arising From Asynchronous Hypotheses And Study Designs(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) Vanderloo, Patricia CaseyAn initial literature review of 23 published studies on the GED diploma program over its successful life span of nearly 60 years yields inconsistent conclusions through analyses conducted at different times with different populations and different methods. Inasmuch as an hypothesis, an epistemological inquiry into what one wants to know, is a "dictatorship of the research question" (Tashakkori & Teddie, 1991, p. 21), it appears conflicting conclusions may result from an asynchrony between a research question and the study design. To serve as a guide to sort out whether a conflict exists in a study, this researcher collated the a) experiential; b) theoretical; and c) data dimensions of a study into quantitative and qualitative research paradigms. Use of time as a unifying element in this review divides the GED research into its 4 editions/generations. This device prompts the notion of time elements surrounding each hypothesis-- a fourth dimension. Thus, in addition to a personal learning time for the researcher, each hypothesis occurs in an historical time; a theoretical time; and a contextual or societal time. The scope of this paper is to briefly highlight the research reviewed according to its generation, research paradigm, notions of time, and future hope for the field.Item Creating Social Capital Though The Deliberative Discussion: A Case Study Of Community Dialogue.(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) Stein, David; Imel, Susan; Henderson, ThyroneWhen citizens come together to inquire about issues that matter to the community, learning may occur in these temporary learning communities. Active engagement with issues of social and political importance may increase the adult’s sense of commitment to action and further the development of a community’s social capital. Using a social capital development framework, this case describes one community’s attempt to promote and encourage citizens to engage in deliberative discussion. The case also highlights one citizen’s struggle to link discourse with community action.Item The Culture Of Poverty And Adult Education: Challenges And Lessons Learned(Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) Perrin, Jean E.Abstract: This study explored the experiences of adult education students from poverty in a grant-funded project designed to train them in a quality early childhood education curriculum and the barriers and lessons learned from project beginning to implementation of the curriculum in their classrooms.Item Distance Education Learners’ Perceptions In Learning Computer Technology: Implications For Practice(Midwest Research-to Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) Atchade, Pierre JacquesDistance education demand explosion since the 1990s is expected to continue over the next ten years. As technology gets better, distance education courses will increase both quantitatively and qualitatively and will eventually compete with the largely text- and instructor-based courses taught in all institutions. Using online questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and lab and class observations to explore the perceptions of twelve K-12 teachers and administrators as they learned computer technology (QuizEditor JS, and WebQuest Generator) taught in two ways: Audio-video conferencing and online, four categories of learners emerged: (1) the mentor,(2) the mentee, (3) the illiterate, and (4) the “context bound (Atchade, 2002).” This study suggests alternative ways learner-learner interaction could be organized to maximize student learning and minimize teacher’s work.