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- Genre: Doctoral Dissertation
Description
ABSTRACT Professional Development (PD) is an important tool in the field of education. Successful PD programs are those that include adult learning methods and opportunities for experiential learning and discussion. The university where this action research was conducted does not offer formal training to adjunct instructors. The adjunct instructors are hired based primarily on their content knowledge. This research was conducted to understand, if the application of a blended training model for adjuncts influences the adjunct's perception of meeting their student's educational needs and the student's perception that their personal education needs are met. The blended learning included the delivery of a framework that incorporated Andragogy, Content Knowledge and Technology (ACKT). The purpose of the ACKT framework is to supplement adjunct's content knowledge expertise with adult learning methods and technology. The effectiveness of the framework was measured by using a quasi-experimental, pre to post intervention assessment. The treatment group and control group each contained twenty-two adjunct instructors from the university. The treatment group received training on the framework prior to commencing the class and participated in two focus groups during the semester. In addition, the treatment group was observed teaching in their classroom. The control group did not receive training, or participate in focus groups; however they were observed teaching in their classroom. The results of the action research showed significant improvement for the adjunct instructors in the treatment group. Specifically, knowledge of and application of andragogy showed a large improvement. In addition, the social influence of the adjuncts in the treatment group showed a large improvement. Less significant was the improvement in the efficacy of the students in the treatment group classes compared to those in the control group classes. However, the data suggests that the students in the treatment group better applied the content learned and they were more aware of other's educational needs than their peers in the control group. The study supports the need for adjunct instructor PD. Through a PD program adjunct instructors increase their own efficacy and this improvement translates into increased content transfer for the students in the classroom. Based on the strong evidence for adjunct instructor improvement this research will continue by expanding the blended learning model to more of the adjunct instructors at the university, and continuing to evaluate the effectiveness of the model in meeting student's educational needs.
ContributorsSantos, Roberta (Author) / Wetzel, Keith (Thesis advisor) / Ewbank, Ann (Committee member) / Diggs, La Verne (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
This study examined the influence of perceived transfer of learning on student engagement, completion rates, and attendance hours of high school equivalency (HSE) students within a Wicked Problems Framework. Local research had shown that over 30% of HSE students stopped attending HSE classes prior to completing 40 instructional hours, and many students cited a lack of relevant, “real-world” application, and the need to pursue employment as the two most common reasons that they stopped attending.
To address this issue, an innovation was developed and deployed for one semester at the Rio Salado College Avondale location. The innovation identified the individual career interests of each student in a treatment group, then worked with industry experts in those career fields to develop PowerPoint slides explaining how each HSE math lesson would directly transfer to the student’s career of interest. In addition, hiring managers from each career field that the students expressed interest in visited the class to discuss the need for HSE math skills and to answer any questions about their career and the transferability of what the students were learning.
The treatment groups’ attendance hours, completion rates, and self-reported engagement were examined and compared all other HSE math classes at Rio Salado College that took place during the same semester, as well as compared to the instructor of the innovation’s previous math classes. The results showed that students who participated in the innovation had, on average, over 38 more attendance hours than students who did not receive the innovation during the same semester and over 44 more attendance hours than the instructor’s previous classes at the same location. In addition, students who participated in the innovation reported higher engagement and enjoyment in the class than in similar HSE classes that they had previously taken.
To address this issue, an innovation was developed and deployed for one semester at the Rio Salado College Avondale location. The innovation identified the individual career interests of each student in a treatment group, then worked with industry experts in those career fields to develop PowerPoint slides explaining how each HSE math lesson would directly transfer to the student’s career of interest. In addition, hiring managers from each career field that the students expressed interest in visited the class to discuss the need for HSE math skills and to answer any questions about their career and the transferability of what the students were learning.
The treatment groups’ attendance hours, completion rates, and self-reported engagement were examined and compared all other HSE math classes at Rio Salado College that took place during the same semester, as well as compared to the instructor of the innovation’s previous math classes. The results showed that students who participated in the innovation had, on average, over 38 more attendance hours than students who did not receive the innovation during the same semester and over 44 more attendance hours than the instructor’s previous classes at the same location. In addition, students who participated in the innovation reported higher engagement and enjoyment in the class than in similar HSE classes that they had previously taken.
ContributorsPereira, Greg (Author) / Henriksen, Danah (Thesis advisor) / Gee, Betty (Committee member) / Joyce-Kennedy, Rosary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Libraries provide a needed third place for students to engage with their peers and faculty, both academically and socially. Staff behavior, knowledge, and skills in providing an accessible and inclusive environment are key to helping students with disabilities feel that they belong in the libraries. This makes training in disability and accessibility awareness a necessary component of the overall program for the library. This study assessed a locally-developed, online training program for staff of all levels that was intended to improve staff knowledge and skills in disability etiquette, library services and spaces that support people with disabilities, and the policies that govern this work. The program used the four-part Deines-Jones (1999) model for its content and the core principles of andragogy for its instructional design. Assessment focused on changes in beliefs and knowledge using an adapted standardized scale, and evidence for learning from responses to training program questions, focus group discussions, and survey responses. Further development of the training program was informed by the principles of andragogy. Participants in the training program improved their scores in the knowledge domain but had no change in their beliefs domain. Learning was most evident in spaces where it engaged with previous knowledge and supportive customer service approaches. Participants identified and, in several cases, independently pursued new questions that were prompted by the training program. On the whole, participants found the training to be supportive and engaging, with minor changes to structure and focus recommended for the next iteration.
ContributorsVaughan, K.T. (Author) / Bernstein, Katherine (Thesis advisor) / Puckett, Kathleen (Committee member) / VanScoy, Amy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
This action research study, informed by qualitative critical bricolage methods explored immigrant-origin adult learners’ lived experiences around education. It examined a California community college’s practices and campus climate that hinder adult immigrant learners’ equitable access to and success in postsecondary education. In an attempt to humanize and decolonize the “traditional” research processes, six immigrant-origin adult students on the Central Coast of California participated as co-researchers in a cycle of Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR), which served as the innovation within the overall action research. The CPAR innovation aimed to raise immigrant-origin adult learners’ critical consciousness through their five-month-long participation in art-based autoethnographic inquiries and praxis. Through the exploration of their community cultural wealth, the goal of the CPAR innovation was to empower immigrant-origin adult learners to build local capacity for solutions. The CPAR team initiated collective action to improve campus climate and services by sharing their stories through an on-campus exhibit. The study revealed tremendous strengths and resilience of the participants and their communities. The study also found systemic barriers as well as personal and situational factors that affected their educational journeys. The barriers included past traumas, family and work responsibilities, as well as biases and inequitable practices in the education system. Recommendations for educational institutions include (a) training educators on trauma-informed approaches; (b) implementing culturally and linguistically responsive and contextualized instruction and knowledge assessment; (c) making support programs inclusive, adult-focused and stigma-free; (d) valuing students’ aspirational, familial, and social capital; and (e) expanding distance learning opportunities through improving technology access and academic support for online students. Study findings suggest that critical consciousness develops in a complex way and that collective efficacy and opportunity structures support student agency toward equitable academic access and success.
ContributorsOates, Sachiko Ozaki (Author) / Markos, Amy (Thesis advisor) / Hesse, Maria (Committee member) / Byrne, Roxane (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023