Browsing by Subject "Reentry Students"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Adults Learning To Reflect: A Study Of The Assessment Of Private Learning
    (Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Geerling, Falinda; Dirkx, John M.
    Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is a process used by many postsecondary institutions to award academic credit to adult learners for knowledge derived from life experiences. For the most part, PLA has focused on occupational or work-related experiences. A few institutions have extended this assessment process to significant life experiences not related to work, such as divorce, job loss, or drug and alcohol recovery. However, we know relatively little about adult learners’ experiences in these programs. The life events that are often the focus of this process represent powerful, emotional experiences in the learners’ lives. For this reason, we sought to develop a deeper understanding of their experiences with such a process. In-depth interviews were conducted with six learners enrolled in an accelerated, degree-completion program at Covenant College. The adults’ experiences in the assessment module reflect a preoccupation with meeting its technical and instrumental challenges. While they describe strong emotions and feelings associated with this process, there is less evidence that the process facilitates a reworking of their prior experiences or greater self-awareness as learners.
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    Experiences Of Undergraduate Reentry Males During Times Of Perceived Psychological Stress
    (Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2004) West-Anderson, Elaine
    The research question that served as the basic guide for inquiry in this study was: How do undergraduate reentry males navigate through academic coursework, especially during times of perceived psychological stress? Using a semi-structured interview technique, eight Caucasian undergraduate male students, ages 43 – 52, were interviewed. Findings revealed three major themes: a) the psychological stress encountered did not emanate so much from the academic experience as it did from personal struggles, relationship and/or family obligations, and/or work demands; b) when discussing strategies utilized to facilitate engagement in academic coursework, the men reported use of goal setting/planning and seeking social assistance to regulate the academic environment to some extent and compartmentalization as a way of being able to focus on the learning task at hand; and c) for some men there was a perceived difference in self over time with regard to academic coursework. While it has been suggested (Home, 1997; Senter & Senter, 1998) that returning female students may experience more stress than do returning males, findings from this study have shown that some reentry men, report similar needs and concerns related to life demands while engaged in academic coursework.
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    Grounded Practice: Exploring Criticalities In A Job Re-Education Setting
    (Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Boxler, Heather M.
    The author uses an interpretive ethnographic method to study criticality as a classroom phenomenon within a job-reeducation program. Two central ideas used include criticality as multiple, intertwined criticalities and the notion of working in spaces. Focusing on critical reflection and ideology critique, the author examines spaces in which criticality can be fostered, forms it might take, and pedagogies that reflected classroom practices. Finally, she discusses the challenges involved with working in an institution, ethics, and the strategic nature of teaching for criticality.