The workforce of today is a far cry from the workforce of yesteryear. Not only have there been changes in who works, but how one works as well. The traditional nine-to-five work day has been replaced by a plethora of flexible work options, including flextime, telecommuting, and part-time employment. Until recently, most part-time workers were those who worked in low-level, low-paying jobs. However, with the influx of women in the workplace, as well as the desire for more leisure time and the need for retraining and updating of skills, more people than ever before desire professional part-time jobs. Although considerable research exists comparing full-time to part-time workers, little research is available which examines the experiences of the professional part-time employee. The central question of this study concerned which factors exist within an organization, as well as within the part-time professional and supervisor, to influence levels of job satisfaction and commitment. A questionnaire was mailed to 805 members of the Association of Part-Time Professionals which gathered demographic characterics about the employee and supervisor, and the provision of benefits for employees. Additional questions concerned attitudes of co-workers, anticipated effects on career advancement, access to staff training, and provision of space, equipment, and clerical support. The final sample included 319 part-time professionals across the career spectrum. A variety of statistical techniques was used to examine the relationships among organizational and supervisor characteristics and the individual characteristics of the participants. Factor analyses were employed to identify the different participant attitudes. The bivariate relationships between attitudes and respondent and organizational characteristics were used to develop multivariate models. Participants generally had high levels of job satisfaction and relatively neutral levels of commitment. Part-time professionals felt positive about their access to equipment, clerical assistance, and office space, but less so about their economic compensation. They were generally satisfied with the work they were asked to do and their treatment by supervisors and co-workers. Access to benefits was variable. Implications for the Adult Educator/Human Resource Specialist are discussed with recommendations made as to how both can promote and advance the needs of the part-time professional. Areas for future research are also presented. / Ph. D.

Höjd pensionsålder och ökad livslängd har medfört att fler personer arbetar allt högre upp i åldrarna. Detta faktum tillsammans med snabbare samhälls- och teknikutveckling, samt en ständig efterfråga på ny kunskap och personlig utveckling, förstärker behovet av ett livslångt lärande. Denna bakgrund ramar in studien vars syfte varit att undersöka den seniora studentens upplevelser och erfarenheter av att vara äldre i en lärsituation där normen och lärandet är utformat efter yngre studerandes situation, behov och inlärning. Metod som använts för insamlandet av data har utgjorts av semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju individer som har erfarenhet av att vara seniora studenter. Ur intervjuerna utkristalliserades teman som sedan analyserats genom Interpretativ Fenomenologisk Analys i relation till tidigare forskning och teorier. Resultat som motivationens betydelse, utbildningsmöjligheter och omgivningens påverkan visade på olika faktorer som fått individen att ta steget in i ett seniort lärande. Gemensamt är att detta steg är stort och visar på en bredd av individuella faktorer som styr, med den gemensamma nämnaren av att ha genomgått ett inre och yttre förändringsarbete. Baserat på tidigare forskning visas att det finns en växande grupp av seniora studenter. För att möta det kommande behovet bör det tas ett helhetsgrepp på hur utbildningsväsendet ska uppnå Europeiska unionens direktiv på det livslånga lärandet i praktiken vilket även gäller äldre studerande med en tidigare högre utbildning.

This work deals with anxiety being involved in ESL teaching to adult students. Its causes and negative consequences are discussed. Its aim is to reveal whether anxiety is a real issue in ESL that should be acknowledged and if it is, what can be done in order to prevent it or at least identify it and be able to work with it. The theoretical part deals with the delimitation of the term anxiety and puts anxiety in the psychological and pedagogical context. The development of research in this area is described and the relevant findings are presented. Practical part consists of mixed research dealing with the extent to which anxiety impacts foreign language learning in the first part. The second part based on interviews with anxious learners brings into light the specific causes of foreign language classroom anxiety which allows the conclusions in the form of practical recommendations to be drawn for English teachers. Key Words: Anxiety, adult learners, ESL classes, recommendations

Effective communication is crucial for successful behavior change. However, despite much research in training and development, instructional communication, and public health surrounding communication, it is still unclear what constitutes such effective delivery behaviors, especially for an adult learner population (those over 25 years old). Using cognitive load theory and cognitive-affective theory of learning with media as theoretical frameworks, this dissertation proposes a quality of delivery scale for measuring effective communication across instructional settings with an adult learner audience. Informed by public health, training and organizational communication, as well as adult education and instructional communication, the final valid and reliable QD scale consists of seven communication characteristics that are associated with reduced cognitive load, increased motivation, and increased compliance. Ultimately, this three-phase study consisted of: (a) developing the QD scale, (b) confirming the factor structure, as well as convergent and predictive validity, and (c) testing a theoretical model of QD.

The retention of adult learners in rural educational settings throughout the United States is challenging for adult education instructors. Adult learners in rural areas encounter internal and external barriers, including lack of self-efficacy and minimal transportation. Research exists regarding the retention of adult learners, but little is known about the barriers to persistence among adult learners in rural areas, or the motivations experienced by students and instructors. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify perceived barriers to retention at a rural adult learning center in Georgia and to provide suggestions to improve adult education and literacy initiatives. Knowles' theory of andragogy was used to guide this investigation. The research questions examined instructors' and students' perceived and experienced barriers, motivations, and recommendations for better strategies. Responses were recorded from semistructured interviews with 3 instructors and 9 adult students who represented the various levels of Adult Basic Education or General Educational Development within the rural setting. Data were coded and sorted by themes using inductive thematic analysis. The participants' detailed narratives indicated that situational hardships were a perceived barrier and personal investment was a motivator. Based on participants' recommendations to improve time management and incorporate technology-based instruction, a professional development training program for learning center instructors was created. The training may promote positive social change by providing research based techniques, which may increase retention and graduation rates at the local site.

This Study is concerned with the problems arising from the application of new ideas in communicative language teaching for EFL adult learners in Vietnam, and the solutions to these problems. The Study argues that to learn to communicate effectively in a foreign language does not mean merely to master the linguistic forms of the language, but also to be able to use them in an appropriate way: to acquire what is called communicative competence. The Study also suggests that in Vietnam, the structural system of the language cannot be neglected if teaching/learning is to be successful. Accordingly, the Study attempts to search for an appropriate approach to develop communicative competence in the EFL adult learners of Vietnam. In order to achieve this aim, the Study enters into consideration of the relevant literature with reference to the development of the concept of communicative competence, and communicative language teaching. Then the Study makes a survey of some communicative-approach-based textbooks pointing out the practical values of different syllabus design models and teaching strategies discussed in the literature. Finally the Study proposes a communicative-structural approach to syllabus design for the target group, the teaching strategies as well as some techniques and activities associated with the suggested approach.

This thesis is a part of a project, “Interactive Learning in Distance Education”, funded by The Swedish Research Council. The overall purpose was, from adult distance learners’ perspective, to describe, analyse and understand factors influencing studies and interactive learning in asynchronous computer-mediated learning environments. Da¬ta were collected in 2003; from 62 students (56 women and six men) attending an undergraduate and a supplementary distance cour¬se within the teacher training program. The study was based on questionnaires, diaries, portfolios, interviews and transcriptions of students’ postings to the computer conferences FirstClass and Web¬Board, respectively. The courses included campus meetings and individual studies accompanied by study guides containing reading instructions, timetables and individual as well as group-related assign¬ments. Asynchronous text-based, computer-mediated commu¬nication (CMC) was used for dialogue among the participants. The results indicate that difficulties to combine studies with commitments in the students’ everyday lives and lack of familiarity with higher education and computer mediated distance education constituted learning obstacles. Almost everyone emphasised the importance of communicaion with peer students for feeling satisfied in the study and learning situation. They appreciated the asynchronous text-based CMC because it increased the flexibility of the studies. The students´ online behaviour and statements also indicate feelings of social presence and solidarity with peer learners, despite using a medium with relatively low capacity to convey social cues. Female and male students described similar difficulties of combining family, work and study. Women sho¬wed lower self-esteem in terms of computer skills and coping with their studies. They highlighted the social importance of the studygroup to a higher extent than the men did. The ideal course design in terms of structure, dialogue and autonomy altered depending on students´ perceptions of benefits. They wanted flexibility and autonomy to be able to combine the studies with commitments in their everyday life, at the same time they appreciated elements of structure and governance in situations when these involved saving of time. The communication in the computer conferences was extensive but the analysis of the learners’ contributions provides little evidence of effective collaborative learning activities. Several reasons to this were discussed, e.g. students´ lack of time and knowledge to form functioning learning communities, as well as insufficient course design to promote and support collaborative distance learning. It was concluded that there is a gap between teachers' ambitions to create an interactive learning environment on the one hand, and students´ skills, attitudes to collaboration and need to share their time between studies and other commitments on the other. Also, teachers´ ambitions to develop distance education aiming at collaboration and interactive learning are often hampered by their limited skills and time frames to design and implement such courses. / Interactive Learning in Distance Education

The perceptions of Southern and East African learners of their experience in a continuing education were examined using select dimensions of Khan’s e-learning evaluation framework as a theoretical one. This framework provided an evaluative frame in which to examine attributes of e-learning in the context of globalization, internationalization, and massification of education. This research provided a baseline of student perception about the utility and suitability of online education to meet the growing international demands for education. Technology has played a role in the delivery of education, such as that of recent emerging technologies, notably social media. Data included learner reflections and survey responses. A qualitative analysis methodology was used to analyze responses to the research questions. The findings from this research provided insight about student perceptions, engagement, and acceptance of social media as complementary tools in the delivery of educational programming for Southern and East African learners taking blended learning courses from Canadian universities with a proficient African facilitator. These findings permitted some understanding of the technological, social, cultural, and motivational challenges (Dimensions of Kahn’s framework) associated with distance education for African adult learners to permit more nuanced course design and delivery.

The perceptions of Southern and East African learners of their experience in a continuing education were examined using select dimensions of Khan’s e-learning evaluation framework as a theoretical one. This framework provided an evaluative frame in which to examine attributes of e-learning in the context of globalization, internationalization, and massification of education. This research provided a baseline of student perception about the utility and suitability of online education to meet the growing international demands for education. Technology has played a role in the delivery of education, such as that of recent emerging technologies, notably social media. Data included learner reflections and survey responses. A qualitative analysis methodology was used to analyze responses to the research questions. The findings from this research provided insight about student perceptions, engagement, and acceptance of social media as complementary tools in the delivery of educational programming for Southern and East African learners taking blended learning courses from Canadian universities with a proficient African facilitator. These findings permitted some understanding of the technological, social, cultural, and motivational challenges (Dimensions of Kahn’s framework) associated with distance education for African adult learners to permit more nuanced course design and delivery.

For a distinct portion of Canadian youth, completing a high school diploma with their same-age peers is not a reality. Fortunately, opportunities exist for these individuals to later return to educational institutions to continue their formal education, thereby increasing their job prospects, wages, and quality of life. Barriers faced by these so-called “non-traditional” learners are examined through the data gathered from an anonymous survey and from focus group interviews with students who currently attend a college in western Canada. The purpose of this thesis is to illuminate the experiences and beliefs of “non-traditional” students, including how they were able to enrol in post-secondary education without a high school diploma, what barriers they actually did, or continue to, face, and what strategies and supports have been, or would be, most helpful to them as they navigate the many challenges and transitions to find their path on their educational journey. / Graduate