This primary goal of this study was to compare the levels of importance, satisfaction, and perceived engagement between adult learners and Tennessee Reconnect adult learners at two Tennessee community colleges. A two-group comparison research design using existing data from two survey instruments was used for this study. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics based on the scales and subscales of the two surveys: Adult Learner Inventory (ALI) and Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE). Because Tennessee Reconnect is a new program, very little literature has been conducted targeting this specific population. Therefore, this study attempted to add to this body of literature and fill the gap in literature in regard to the Tennessee Reconnect population. Sixteen statistically significant differences in importance and six statistically significant differences in satisfaction were found between adult learners and Tennessee Reconnect adult learners. These were found over all subscales, except learning process. In all these differences Tennessee Reconnect adult learners had higher mean importance and satisfaction levels. These findings show changes that have been implemented since Tennessee Reconnect (i.e., professional advisors, career counselors, extended hours of operation for student services, etc.) have led to an increase in the mean satisfaction rate among Tennessee Reconnect adult learners. Statistically significant differences were also found between adult learners and traditional college students in the areas of perceived engagement with student services and faculty. Adult learners showed higher mean scores for engagement with faculty inside the classroom and with student services such as tutoring and skills labs. However, adult learners also showed the lowest mean satisfaction scores with these same student services. These findings show there are areas that need improvement to better serve the Tennessee Reconnect population, including changes to tutoring services and skills labs. This study provides support for literature findings that adult learners are a different population of students with different needs and requiring different or modified accommodations for success.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study aims to determine the functionality of two adult literacy programmes (ALFA-REGULAR and ALFA-RÁDIO) provided by the Mozambican government, in Boane and Pemba. The prevailing popular conviction is that acquisition of literacy by individuals leads to positive and unproblematic social outcomes – the autonomous view of literacy (Street, 1984). This study forms a critique of this view, arguing, based on empirical evidence, that literacy is ideologically and culturally embedded in social practices and as such varies according to the social context. This is the ideological view of literacy (Street, 1984). This research employs an interdisciplinary approach constructed from the key notions of New Literacy Studies, Multiliteracies and Critical Literacy. The empirical research uses a qualitative research methodology based on a critical literacy ethnography informed by data gathered through interviews (with facilitators, learners, technicians and local leaders), classroom observations and document analysis. The empirical research seeks to determine the concept of literacy underpinning the literacy programmes in Boane and Pemba, addresses the profile of the programme facilitators and learners, examines the extent to which the literacy programmes respond to learners’ needs, motivations, expectations and access to technology, and explores the extent to which the literacy programmes address issues of development and citizenship.

Research shows that educators working in General Education Development (GED) preparation classes lack research-based instructional practice. Current research further implies that using research-based instructional practices is beneficial to adult learners. The location of this study was a local public community college and satellite locations in a U.S. state on the East Coast that did not assess whether educators were using the research-based cooperative learning methods in GED prep classes. There was no known information to identify research-based instructional practices in GED prep classes. Therefore, the types of instructions educators used and whether educators were producing successful outcomes were both sought to be researched. This qualitative study explored instructional practices and successful GED outcomes. Johnson, Johnson, and Smith's cooperative learning method served as the conceptual framework for this study. Research questions addressed educators' experiences in facilitating and integrating cooperative learning and their need for supports to improve GED outcomes. Purposeful sampling was used to select 8 educators experienced in GED prep class to participate in interview questionnaires. Five of the 8 participants also completed face-to-face interviews. Data were collected from interviews and documents to determine a plan to construct a research-based tool for educators. Qualitative data were coded manually to extract themes. Findings of the study showed that educators working with adult learners did not report standard use of cooperative learning methods in GED prep classes. A workshop was created in order to help educators redesign instructional practices and provide a research-based tool to enhance adult learners' participation and improve GED outcomes.

The United States has experienced historically low graduation rates in public and private 2-year, degree-granting institutions. Many of these institutions are community colleges, which account for 60% of all student enrollment. This study was conducted to explore supports and services that may be helpful to working adult students over the age of 25 enrolled in a 2-year associate degree nursing program in a community college. Tinto's interactionalist theory of student persistence and retention and constructivist theory were the conceptual frameworks for this qualitative case study. The two guiding questions were focused on the types of support that would be helpful for degree completion and service improvements that would most effectively assist students to graduate. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and observations with 10 participants who volunteered from a bound system. Requirement for participation included being over the age of 25 and enrolled in the 2-year associate degree nursing program. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological reduction process and cross-sectional analysis to identify convergent and divergent themes in the data. The findings of this study highlight 5 overarching themes as described by the participants: support system, barriers to education, effect of work, engagement in school services, and recommendations for college improvement. The findings of this study could be helpful to administrators and policy makers in developing supports and services that promote retention and degree completion of students in the 2-year associate degree nursing programs. Completion of a 2-year associate-degree nursing program promotes financial viability and meets the workforce needs of the community.

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to investigate the meaning, structure and essence of the lived experiences within a Bachelor's degree completion cohort of adult learners. This study focused on adult learners who are matriculating into a postsecondary institution. The central question of this study was: What are the meaning, structure, and essence of the lived and shared experiences within a Bachelor's degree completion cohort of adult learners? The following research questions were used as a guide in the study: (1) In what ways have these shared experiences within a Bachelor's degree completion program contributed to the transformation of adult learners on the pathway to academic success? (2) In what ways do adult learners define success in higher education? (3) How have the life events of adult learners influenced their decision to return to higher education? Based on the phenomenological research design, the goal was to describe the meaning for several individuals of their lived experiences of a concept or a phenomenon (Creswell, 2007). To achieve such a goal, a phenomenological method of inquiry involves a mode of data collection and analysis that will present the participants' experiences precisely from their particular perspective. From the organization and analysis, six major themes emerged from the participant's educational journey: (1) The Catalyst, (2) Peer Support, (3) Faculty Support, (4) Family Support, (5) Beliefs of Success, and (6) The Future. Along with those six major themes were sub-themes that surfaced such as, learning communities, peer collaboration, parental roles, spouse roles, children's roles, self-awareness, and self-worth.

This phenomenological study investigated the experiences and perceptions of eight female adult Native Americans distance learners. To understand the complex issues of Native American education and distance learning, the literature review included the history of the educational policy directed towards Native Americans, Tribally Controlled Universities and Colleges, distance learning, the Digital Divide, Vygotsky and socio-cultural learning, and the indigenous pedagogical paradigm. This study has a two-fold purpose: 1) to add to the body of knowledge on adult Native American distance learners by using qualitative methods to explore the experiences and perceptions of those learners, and 2) to introduce a Standard Model of Indigenous Learning and document if the five model threads are an important component of the participants' learning processes. With the accelerated implementation of distance learning platforms in the higher education arena, it is important to understand the experiences and perceptions of adult Native Americans. In addition, it is vital to determine if distance learning poses an underlying threat to their cultural values. Furthermore, determining which components of the learning process are important to adult Native Americans is a critical step in understanding and implementing the appropriate teaching methods and curriculum. The results of this study centered on the experiences and perceptions of the participants in various distance learning environments. Components and practices deemed necessary for learning to occur in the distance learning environment and the face-to-face classroom were discussed and defined. Respect, meaningful interaction, relevancy, and life-long learning were important themes found in the study. Several conclusions were drawn from the results of this study. The participants definitely differentiate between the meaning of education and learning. Building on that concept, most perceive distance learning environments that do not contain a face-to-face component as a tool to accomplish an education. However, respectful, meaningful, face-to-face interaction along with understanding the relevancy of the learning material is perceived as a real [indigenous] learning experience. Comments about the relationship between learning and life, made by the participants, clearly indicate support for socio-cultural learning. In addition, all participants indicated that the five threads of the proposed model are important factors in the learning process and should be incorporated into classrooms. The implications of the study are numerous. Without a face-to-face component, distance learning will not provide the learning experience desired by many Native Americans, thereby creating a possible barrier to education. The five threads of the Standard Model of Indigenous Learning were substantiated by all participants, who vary in age, tribal affiliation, educational background and blood quantum. Thus, the model can serve as a solid foundation for developing curriculum throughout the Native American community, rather than for just one tribe. Recommendations for further study include conducting this study with adult male Native Americans, indigenous peoples of other countries, and other ethnic groups to determine if the model can be generalized to other populations. The teaching practices of Native American instructors and the curriculum at Tribal colleges and universities should be examined to determine if, and to what extent, the five model threads are being used. Implementation of the Standard Model of Indigenous Learning has the capability of transforming the current educational system into a truly learning environment, rather than an environment of acquiring knowledge to satisfy educational requirements.

This study examined adult students' perceptions of satisifaction levels within specific areas of the ETSU campus. The population surveyed included 106 undergraduate adult learners aged 25 years and older. The Noel Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory, 4-year College and University Version was the survey instrument used to share feedback about the adult learners' collegiate experiences thus far. Responses received would give campus leadership feedback about the satisfaction levels of adult learners at ETSU. The purpose of this study was to determine if the adult learner at ETSU is satisfied with his/her overall learning experience. Adult students were asked to rank programs and services offered at ETSU and how they felt they may or may not have contributed to their overall learning experiences. Age was the determinant for the sample. Survey data from adult learners, 25 years and above, was included in this study. This study employed descriptive statistics using frequency distributions to analyze the data. Because this was a cluster sample, frequency distributions were used to report the number of times the value occurs and the percentage of respondents in each category. In order to analyze data received, questions were broken down and placed into one of seven categories used to answer the research questions. The seven categories were overall learning experience, bookstore services, food service, academic programs and services, administrative programs, caring campus, and campus commitment to student learning. Results of the data revealed that the majority of adult learners at East Tennessee State University were satisfied with all aspects surveyed on the campus and the institutions's commitment to adult learner programs and services. Although all aspects surveyed on campus received high satisfaction levels, areas such as food service, counseling staff, financial aid, and creating a sense of belonging indicated lower satisfaction levels. These areas could be researched further in order to increase adult learner satisfaction levels at East Tennessee State University.

The outbreak of COVID-19 forced the world population to find new ways to improve their productivity. It also significantly changed the course of education and instruction entirely. Like many students worldwide, adult English as a Second Language (ESL) students have been dramatically impacted by the sudden switch to online courses due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Blended Online Learning (BOL) was considered an innovative transition for adult ESL students due to the fact that it allows the learner to view the classroom as a social learning environment, thereby strengthening their connection to the language. This dissertation aimed to investigate the online learning experiences of a group of ESL students and their instructor through online zoom classes during COVID-19. The study employed a qualitative case study research methodology. This case study utilized purposeful sampling to focus on the experiences of adult ESL students and their course instructor with learning and teaching online during the pandemic. The target population for this study was a group of 8 international adult students and their respective course instructor. Data were collected from ten field observations, nine semi-structured interviews through Zoom, field notes, and document analysis. Findings revealed that participants showed positive experiences with online learning as it had provided students with new communication forms. Breakout rooms, group discussions, and discussion boards were methods the majority of students agreed were helpful for participation while facilitating social interaction. Students preferred to communicate with each other through online platforms as they feel safer and less shy to express their opinions. Conversely, participants showed negative experiences with the lack of reliable internet connectivity, especially in rural areas, which affected the students' ability to access online courses. Based upon the dissertation's findings, there are several practical implications for students, instructors, institutions, and administrators. Recommendations for additional research are needed to provide various observations and solutions to promote online platforms, including offering instructors training to guide students through these platforms expertly and merging synchronous and asynchronous learning to ensure a holistic learning environment for adult ESL learners.

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