The purpose of this study was to determine the demographic characteristics, instructional approach, perceptions toward inservice training, and awareness and use of adult education theory/principles of public-school affiliated GED instructors in Virginia who teach writing skills for the essay component of the GED Writing Skills Test. An additional purpose of the study was to compare student performance on a sample of GED essays to determine the relationship of student performance with teacher demographic characteristics and teacher instructional approach as identified by the product and process scale scores. The GED teachers who participated in the study were identified through the cooperation of the Office of Adult Education of the Virginia Department of Education. Of the 169 teachers identified, 113 of them returned survey questionnaires which could be used for data analysis. Only GED programs that were offered through Virginia public schools and reimbursed through state General Adult Education Funds of the Office of Adult Education were used for this study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data on teacher demographics, instructional approach, scale scores, students' essay test scores, and perceptions toward inservice training for the essay component and the awareness and use of adult learning theory/principles in the GED classroom. Inferential statistics were used to determine significant relationships between groups of teachers in terms of their demographic variables, and between groups of teachers classified as scoring high or low on the scale scores in terms of students' mean essay scores. Also, inferential statistics were used to compare teachers' product and process group membership as defined by scale scores with their self-report classifications and to determine which teacher demographic variables were useful to predict product and process scale scores and student averaged essay test scores. Among the results indicated by the study were: many teachers who identified themselves as using a combination of the product and process approaches to the teaching of writing skills to adults were not categorized as such by the scale scores; respondents from the surveyed population of GED instructors appeared to be more product oriented in their approach to teaching writing; teachers appear to move away from a strictly product-orientation toward more of a process-orientation as they gain more years of GED teaching experience and as they spend more time with the students; it was inconclusive whether or not any of the approaches to teaching writing skills for the essay component (product, process, or combination) as identified in this study were any better than any of the other approaches: these GED teachers want inservice training to address the addition of the essay component to the Writing Skills Test: and, these teachers appear to have a good understanding of adult education theory/principles and they appear to employ these principles in their classrooms. Recommendations for future research are presented: these involve conducting a state-wide needs analysis to explore what GED teachers need to become more comfortable about teaching writing skills for the essay component: examining more closely the classroom practices of GED teachers who teach writing skills: and, using larger samples and different sampling techniques.

This study examined how satisfied nurse anesthesia faculty are with their jobs. In addition, this study identified factors that influenced a nurse anesthesia faculty member's job satisfaction level. A total of 304 nurse anesthesia educators from across the United States participated in this questionnaire survey study. A researcher developed personal data form (PDF) collected demographic information. The 1967 version of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) provided job satisfaction measurements. There was a statistically significant correlation between the general satisfaction scores measured by the PDF and MSQ. Analysis of demographic data provided a CRNA educator profIle. Job satisfaction data indicated that nurse anesthesia faculty job satisfaction levels were weakly associated with the sex of the CRNA educator, anesthesiologists' recognition for work well·done, assistance in upgrading clinical skills, teamwork, and program responsibilities. Age, marital status, years of experience both as a CRNA and CRNA educator, highest education degree completed, employed by anesthesia alma mater, primary practice setting, number of hospital beds, and number of hours worked per week provided no statistically significant effect on job satisfaction. The 20 "MSQ" subscales mean scores were tabulated. Respondents were most satisfied with Social Service, Moral Values, Achievement, Ability Utilization, Activity, and Variety. Respondents were least satisfied with Company Policies and Practices, Recognition, Advancement, Supervision-Human Relations, and Compensation. The conclusions reached by this study are that nurse anesthesia faculty were somewhat satisfied with their jobs. Anesthesiologists' recognition for work well-done, assistance in upgrading clinical skills, and teamwork were identified as possible job satisfaction factors. Male respondents had higher mean satisfaction scores for the 20 "MSQ" subscales than their female counterparts. Program responsibilities of CRNA educators also possibly influenced their level of job satisfaction. The areas of future research include: (1) an analysis of the possible interactions of this study's demographic variables, (2) an examination of the nurse anesthesia educator's gender effect on job satisfaction, (3) a more detailed analysis of nurse anesthesia faculty program responsibilities, and (4) a re-examination of anesthesiologists' recognition for work well-done, teamwork, and assistance in upgrading clinical skills to ascertain the degree of effect these variables have on nurse anesthesia faculty's job satisfaction.

In the United States, as the Hispanic population continues to grow, persistently low mathematics achievement among Mexican Americans continues to exist, particularly among girls. Low mathematics achievement places this group in a disadvantaged position. As such, a multistage mixed method study was implemented to investigate possible factors associated with mathematics achievement and the probability of taking mathematics courses beyond Algebra 2 among Mexican American female high school students. The Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS:2002) database provided the quantitative sample (n = 710) of respondents who self-identified as Mexican American, female, and had a math IRT score. A parallel sample (n = 5), of college age women attending a public university in the southeast United States, provided qualitative data through face-to-face interviews. Inclusion criteria for the parallel sample was female, Mexican descendent self-identifying as first, second or third generation and completion of high school math credits beyond Algebra 2. Methods for analysis were the three-dimensional space narrative structure for the qualitative data and multilevel analysis for the quantitative data. Outcome variables were mathematics achievement and math credits beyond Algebra 2. Explanatory variables included in the model for the student level were social economic status, generational status, sense of belonging, parent expectation to earn at least a Bachelors degree, homework rules, a measure of math self-efficacy, number of advanced placement math credits, and seeing school counselor for college advice. Explanatory variables for the school level included teacher encouragement, percentage of Hispanic teachers, and percentage of minority students. Findings indicated significant student effects for math self-efficacy, seeing the school counselor, and advanced placement math credits, when using the imputed model with math achievement as the outcome variable. Parental expectation to graduate college was significant when using math credits earned beyond Algebra 2 as the outcome variable. Qualitative data provided insights about participants enjoying opportunities for hands-on projects, working in groups, and solving math problems. Participants shared that teachers served as role models and that parents expected them to graduate from college. The qualitative data provides guidance for including sense of belonging and parental educational levels with further research relative to Mexican American female students.

Amidst growing pressures of budgetary constraints and an era of downsizing, the Naval Postgraduate School must seek alternative ways of delivering quality education to its customers. NPS has turned to various forms of distance learning to provide education to officers unable to attend its resident programs. A particular challenge NPS faces in developing distance learning programs is determining their cost. While there have been numerous studies attempting to provide some insight into the costs of delivering distance education programs (i.e., Technology, Open Learning and Distance Education by Dr. Tony Bates of the Open Learning Agency in British Columbia, etc.), there are still many unanswered questions. This thesis analyzed available educational literature on costing distance education programs to assist NPS policy makers in making better decisions. This thesis identified numerous variables that should be considered when developing a cost model for delivering distance education programs that use a combination of web-based instruction, video teleconferencing and traveling instructors. At a minimum, these variables should include: faculty, administrative, technical support, equipment, course development/delivery, consumable, infrastructure and maintenance costs. Of course, terminology and definitions will vary among researchers. We quickly learned from our research that costing distance education programs is an extremely difficult task, specifically when considering web-based instruction. In an increasingly commercial environment, cost information is a very sensitive matter. Many institutions are not willing to release cost information for proprietary concerns and competition. / US Marine Corps (USMC) author

<p> The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine and describe the lived experiences of seven students with intellectual disabilities (ID) participating in two postsecondary education (PSE) settings in Southern California that were aligned to the Think College Standards-Based Conceptual Framework for Inclusive Higher Education.</p><p> Through a qualitative approach of ethnography, the researcher examined various stakeholders&rsquo; awareness and ability to support students with ID in higher education settings in an effort to support future development of PSE programs for students with ID. Methodology tools included classroom observations, individual interviews, and examination of artifacts from the sample of PSE settings in Southern California supporting students with ID. </p><p> Through triangulation of the interviews, observations, and artifacts, the researcher found 13 themes that emerged as substantial stories related to the lived experiences of students with ID in PSE. The findings included that the experiences of the students with ID in PSE were associated with new opportunities, meaningful experiences through independence and teamwork, development of self-advocacy, community acceptance similar to experiences of nondisabled peers, confidence to raise the bar of expectations, and an understanding of the impact on others through the lived experience of the students with ID in PSE.</p><p> As a result of inclusive higher education, the experiences of students with ID in PSE programs focused on developing life skills beyond the classroom through impacting the culture of the college and community, increased acceptance amongst nondisabled peers, and created parallel adult development that led to more fulfilling adult lives and deepened relationships with others.</p><p> Recommendations from the research include PSE teams&rsquo; need to create interdisciplinary groups that design inclusive, innovative classroom environments that promote community acceptance, acknowledgment of individual ability, and increased relationships; create assessment tools to determine individual strengths and needs; and offer additional scholarships to increase the opportunity to access higher education environments.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to conduct qualitative interviews of 10 Human Resource Managers to determine their perceptions of the soft skills necessary for successful employment, to determine the primary causes of involuntary turnover, and to determine their perceptions of the proposed Smart Start Pathway to improve potential employee success and employment retention.</p><p> 10 businesses located in a 9-county region in central Mississippi were purposively selected to participate in this study. 2 of the businesses were service sector employers, and 8 were manufacturers. Interviews were scheduled with the Human Resource Manager for each business, and the manager was supplied with a copy of the interview questions and a copy of the career pathway curriculum to review. Interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed to determine results.</p><p> Human Resource Managers revealed that communication skills and dependability were the most frequently cited soft skills important for employee success; the most frequently cited causes of employee dismissal were attendance, rule violations, and behavior problem; and finally, the managers interviewed were positive in their perceptions of the efficacy of the proposed career pathways model.</p><p> The study showed that soft skills identified by Human Resource Managers and those skills contained in the training modules of the career pathway model are similar. The managers were in agreement that these skills might be better learned and retained at an earlier age than those who will be taking this training to enter the workforce. Additional research is recommended to quantify career pathways program outcomes upon implementation, to determine the causes of employee attendance issues, to determine the practices of employers who demonstrate low turnover rates, and to determine the viability of offering this training as part of the secondary education process.</p>

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