Browsing by Subject "Gender Issues"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    CLAIMING A SACRED FACE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF THE ROLE OF SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE IN CLAIMING A POSITIVE CULTURAL IDENTITY
    (2005-09-27T17:44:53Z) Tisdell, Elizabeth J.
    This paper discusses the results of a qualitative study where the purpose was to examine the role of spirituality in developing a positive cultural identity among a multicultural group of 31 adult educators, and then considers what the finding suggest for the further development of culturally relevant teaching practices within adult and higher education settings. In recent years, there has been much discussion about dealing with culture, race, gender, class, sexual orientation in teaching for social change and greater equity in society (Guy, 1999; Hayes & Colin, 1994; Hayes & Flannery, 2000; Johnson-Bailey, 2001). There has also been some discussion of the role of spirituality in adult development and learning (English & Gillen, 2000; Tisdell, 2000), and some limited discussion on the connection between spirituality and teaching for social justice related to cultural issues ( Hart & Holton, 1993; Tisdell, Tolliver, and Villa, 2001; Tolliver & Tisdell, 2002). Most of these discussions have been conceptual in nature, and there has been only limited discussion of the role of spirituality in developing a positive cultural identity from a data-based research perspective. Thus, the purpose of this paper is (1) to discuss the results of a qualitative study where the purpose was to examine the role of spirituality in developing a positive cultural identity among a multicultural group of 31 adult educators; and (2) to discuss the implications the findings of the study have for the further development of culturally relevant teaching practices within adult and higher education settings.
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    Evaluating A Diversity Program: Describing The Impact Of Gender Communication Training In A Large Multicultural Work Environment
    (Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Suessine, Mary; Cseh, Maria
    The purpose of this evaluation study was to assess the impact of a gender communication program on employee learning, understanding, and application of its concepts in a large, multicultural Midwest utility company. The program was initially implemented by the organization when supervisors raised the need for better communication between genders in their departments. A mixed quantitative and qualitative research design was used to glean information related to the participants’ knowledge, understanding, and application of the program content. Content analysis and descriptive statistics of company documents, observation, and survey data led to the following major findings: (a) significant positive communication changes in and outside of the workplace, (b) a general consensus that respect for the opposite gender culture holds an important value, (c) increased awareness of program content as pertinent to situations in participants’ lives, (d) a high degree of motivation to use what was learned, and (e) the need for additional training, session follow-ups, and refresher learning aides. Based upon the findings, several recommendations were made that address pre and post program support for the participants.
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    TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING:INSIGHTS INTO WOMEN SEMINARIANS’ DECISIONS TO PURSUE ORDINATION
    (2005-11-21T18:27:49Z) Fewell, Jilaine
    The purposes of this study were (1) to discover and investigate the factors that influence women seminarians to alter their programs in order to pursue ordination, (2) to explore the connections between the emerging factors and Mezirow’s theory of perspective transformation, (3) to critique the theory on the basis of the emergent factors, (4) to explore the connections between the emergent factors and other strands of thought regarding transformative learning: consciousnessraising,development, and extra-rational/spiritual, and (5) to explore the impact of gender and traditional gender roles as a factor. Twenty-four women participated in this qualitative study. The data are presented through the stories of three composite women—Ella, Lily, and Sadie (pseudonyms). Telling the stories through composites made it possible to view the data through the lens of the four strands of thought regarding transformative learning and the impact of gender. The women had experiences related to the four strands of transformative learning to various degrees. All were impacted by gender. The study suggests four conclusions: (1) a new model for understanding the women’s decisions, (2) the importance of gender to the women’s decisions, (3) the importance of context and (4) power to the women’s decisions.