Browsing by Subject "adult education"
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Item Adult education, popular culture, and women's identity development: self-directed learning with The Avengers(2009-06-02) Wright, Robin RedmonThe purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of popular culture, especially prime-time television, on women learner-viewers? identity development. More specifically, this study explores one specific television show, the 1962-64 Cathy Gale episodes of The Avengers as a portal to adult learning. It further explores the ways in which television, as a form of public pedagogy, can help facilitate the formation of a critical or feminist identity among adult learner viewers. The research questions guiding this study were: 1) How and what did women learn from watching The Avengers? 2) How did women incorporate that learning into their lives and into their identities? and 3) How did women interpret and accommodate the feminist example of Cathy Gale? Data for this study was collected over a two-and-a-half year period. Data consisted of interviews with contemporaneous viewers of the Cathy Gale Avengers episodes, interviews with scriptwriters and the actor who played Cathy Gale, Honor Blackman, numerous documents from statistics obtained at the British Film Institute, fanzines, and newspaper articles of the period. Analysis revealed that in particular historical times and situations television viewing can become a form of public pedagogy, facilitating transformational learning in adult viewers that produces lasting, life-changing effects. The investigation revealed that not only did biologically-born women incorporate Cathy Gale?s feminist example into their identities and actions, but biologically born males whose core gender identity was female did also. This dissertation is written in article format. Each of the six sections has been designed as stand-alone pieces to aid accessibility and enhance readers? engagement with the study.Item Adult Female English Language Learners: Investment, Identity and Benefits(2013-07-31) Wharton, AnnaELLs are a growing community in the United States and their learning needs are significantly different from younger learners, collegiate ELLs or Adult Basic Education students. Additionally, adult female ELLs have their own needs and motives for investing in the English language. This study explores the self-recounted experiences of three adult female English language learners? (ELLs) motivation for investing in English language learning, their identities and the benefits gained in a nonacademic learning setting in Texas. Data for this study was gathered using a background questionnaire, individual interview, group interview and in-class observation using an instrument that looks for visible markers of investment. First, each participant?s investment and identity are analyzed with regard to how the two intersect and influence each other throughout the language learning experience. Second, investment and benefits are examined and presented to demonstrate before and after pictures of the participants? experiences learning English, asking, ?Have the learners gained what they sought to gain?? and ?Is it worth it?? Findings substantiate prior research on the influence that investment and identity have on each other in language learning, while also clearly demonstrating the explicit relationship between investment and benefits. The study concludes with an understanding that adult educators must recognize the individuality of each adult learner and her circumstances.Item ?My Work is My Future?: A Case Study of an NGO?s Educational Programs for Women Entrepreneurs in West Africa(2014-06-24) Zarestky, JillThis study investigated the educational programs of an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) operating in a developing region. The purpose of this study was to examine the exchange between an international NGO and the women entrepreneurs enrolled in that NGO?s educational programs. Specifically, I explored the ways the NGO and program participants influenced one another. The study?s conceptual framework drew from Vella?s principles of effective adult learning and global feminist theory. Using a qualitative case study approach, the single-case design focused on an international NGO operating in a West African country. In its tenth year of operations, this fair-trade organization provided training and educational programs for an extensive network of women entrepreneurs and facilitated the export of their products abroad. Data consisted of documents, observations, and interviews. Documents included extensive training and course materials, NGO publications and reports, and internal planning memos. Observational data were collected from training events, NGO staff and strategic meetings, and daily interactions with employees, volunteers, and the local women entrepreneurs. Fifteen women participated in this study, including two full-time permanent NGO employees, two short-term student volunteers, and 11 local entrepreneurs. All participants had engaged with the NGO?s educational programs in one of three possible roles: learner, instructor, or program manager. Findings were developed using a thematic analysis of the qualitative data set. Although the present case centers on an NGO that would generally be regarded as successful, findings indicated opportunities for increased efficacy and collaboration. Five major themes emerged from the analysis, including gendered work, ongoing cultural and communication barriers, a precarious balance between the goals of economic justice (e.g., living wages and reasonable work hours) and social justice (e.g., empowerment and education), limited educational program resources as a barrier to success, and pride. Findings from this study highlighted challenges and opportunities for NGOs working in developing regions. The ways in which this NGO?s educational programs addressed aspects of the UN?s MDGs and UNESCO?s agenda of international adult education have implications for both theory and practice. The present study can inform the educational agendas of others in similar circumstances or with similar social justice mandates.Item Occupational stress and coping mechanisms as perceived by the directors of adult literacy educational programs in Texas(Texas A&M University, 2005-08-29) Austin, Melinda WeatherfordThe purpose of this study was to identify and assess the stressors and coping mechanisms related to job performance as perceived by directors of adult literacy education programs in Texas. This research also attempted to determine whether there were relationships between: specific demographic variables and job related stressors; and those same demographic variables and coping mechanisms of adult literacy education program administrators in Texas. A survey instrument was sent to all adult literacy education program directors in Texas in June, 2002. Demographic information, as well as information regarding types of stressors, and coping strategies used by those program directors was collected and analyzed. Major findings for the study indicated: 1. A majority of adult literacy education program directors in Texas experienced a significant level of occupational stress and a high overall general stress level. 2. The top stressors identified by the program directors were: Data Collection/Analysis, Statewide Accountability System, Development/ Maintenance of School Budget, Funding Related Issues, Student Achievement, Technology Related Issues, Administration of Programs for Special Students, Selection of Faculty and Staff, Dealing with Unsatisfactory Performance by Professional Staff, Dismissal of a Teacher or Staff Member.3. The major stress-coping mechanisms employed by the program directors were Planning ahead for stressful events and Communication with significant others or peers. 4. Program directors with greater adult education experience have a lower level of occupational stress compared to less experienced program directors. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made: 1.To address the sources of stress related to data collection, statewide accountability, and program budgets, training should be made available for administrators to improve their understanding and competencies to handle these demands. 2. Implementation of a system or network in which program directors could share problems, insights, and help one another address problems similar to what they may encounter in their jobs would strengthen the whole adult literacy education system in Texas. 3. Communication and leadership in long range planning is necessary from the state office to assist program directors in planning ahead for stressful events.Item Perspective Transformation: Analyzing the Outcomes of International Education(2012-10-19) Tacey, Krista DianeThe purpose of this dissertation was to analyze the impact of international experiential education on life choices, specifically those related to career and educational goals. This was accomplished through two main phases of research. In the first phase, a web-based survey was used to explore the question of whether international experiential education did, in fact, impact life choices. Responses from this initial phase were used to identify a purposive sample of eight respondents with whom telephone interviews were conducted in the second phase of the study. The goal of the interviews was to determine, for those who indicated that their life choices had been impacted by the abroad experience, when and why it had happened. The evaluation was done by applying Mezirow?s transformative learning theory to the analysis. The self-reported responses indicated that there was an impact on life choices related to educational and career goals in almost 80 percent of the 74 survey respondents. These data were used as the foundation for the second phase of the study, which examined the catalysts for, and the process of, transformation through the lens of transformative learning theory. Almost all respondents indicated that the international experience had transformed their perspectives on their identity and purpose in life. Seven out of eight respondents discussed how they had gained an understanding of the fact that where one is born defines his or her perspective. One?s sociocultural environment defines who one is and how he or she sees the world. The international experience allows a person to see themselves through the eyes of others. While the timing and specifics of the catalysts varied, each of these seven had gone through the phases of transformation--disorienting dilemma, critical reflection, changed frame of reference--with some relation to the abroad experience.Item The factors in completion, non-completion, and non-participation in farmer field schools in Trinidad and Tobago(2009-05-15) Goff, Samuel NealThe purpose of the study was to identify and analyze factors affecting completion, non-completion, and non-participation in five Farmer Field Schools (FFS) administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, and Marine Resources (MALMR) of Trinidad and Tobago. The research objectives used to accomplish the purpose of this study focused on the relationship between participation status and 1) personal characteristics, 2) individuals? motivations for participation, 3) perceptions about selected farming practices, 4) individuals? priority rankings of their sources of information regarding farming practices, 5) the deterrents to participation, and 6) perceptions of the usefulness of competitions as a means for increasing the popularity of FFS. This study employed an ex post facto, causal comparative research design. Three instruments were developed. The sample population (N=109) consisted of farmers classified as FFS completers (n=56), non-completers (n=15), and non-participants (n=38). Data were gathered from late May to late September 2007. Individuals with a greater number of participating friends are more likely to complete the program FFS completers 1) were more driven by social reasons to participate in FFS than were non-completers, 2) possessed a greater concern for the environment than did non-completers, 3) had higher expectations than did noncompleters that participation in a FFS would improve their occupational performance and status, 4) more likely than non-completers to be willing to take on the financial risks involved in the adoption of IPM on their farms, 5) believed more strongly than did noncompleters that IPM is compatible with agricultural practices and the market in Trinidad and Tobago. Completers most highly value the information received from MALMR whereas the non-completers and non-participants most highly value information received from the agro-shops. Completers vs. non-completers and non-participants held widely divergent views on the deterrents to participation in FFS. The contribution of this study to the field of agricultural and extension education is that policymakers and practitioners may use the information herein to employ strategies that impair or eliminate the factors leading to attrition and non-participation, thus making programs more accessible, prevent attrition, and may decrease farmers? expenditures on pesticides, and increase income.