University of Technology, Sydney. / The study critically examines definitions of "informal learning", focussing on the term's application in workplace training contexts. Drawing on Foucault, Heidegger and Habermas, it is argued that we cannot understand ourselves (and thus our informal learning) without challenging the assumptions of modernity and coming to terms with what Lyotard has termed "the postmodern condition". Industry trainers are at the forefront of implementing "designer" corporate cultures which, in the rhetoric of "work-based learning", make enterprises more innovative and competitive. This study challenges that rhetoric, showing that the implicit philosophy of contemporary workplace learning and training is framed by an economistic "human capital theory". The "stories" of industry trainers from several multinational corporations challenge assumptions about what is learnt through competency-based training and about corporate uses of informal learning. It is argued that being at work entails far more than simply performing the tasks one is required to do, which, in turn, effects the links between informal learning and formal education. The final chapters are directed towards expanding and realigning interpretations of "informal learning" away from the narrow and instrumental purposes for which the term has been appropriated. Equity, respect for the dignity of others, and a philosophy of ethics have a place in "workplace learning". Informal learning is shaped by our deepest ethical and moral responses. It does not follow that measurable tasks, what one can be observed doing at work, represent one's learning.

The purpose of this study was to improve instructional system design at Small Business Development Centers by developing a best practice model for assessing client training needs. Two research questions were addressed: 1. Is self-directed learning an appropriate framework for instructional system design at Small Business Development Centers? 2. What are the components of a self-directed learning-based model for assessing the training needs of Small Business Development Center clients in Small Business Management programs? The theoretical framework that guided the research was constructivism. METHODS: Data collection included: 1) reviews of self-directed learning, instructional system design, needs assessment and Small Business Development Center literature; 2) preliminary interviews of Small Business Development Centers clients and instructors and university professors; 3) facilitation of a Delphi Method (using email); and 4) final interviews of the Delphi panelists. Analysis included qualitative and quantitative techniques. Findings included the compatibility of self-directed learning with Small Business Development Center educational practices and Delphi panel consensus on 34 training needs assessment items. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The conclusions were: 1. Self-directed learning is an appropriate framework for instructional system design at Small Business Development Centers. 2. Knowles' Andragogical Process Model is an appropriate foundation upon which to design instructional systems for Small Business Development Centers. 3. A self-directed learning-based training needs assessment model that incorporates the components of Knowles' Andragogical Process Model serves the needs of clients enrolled in the Small Business Management program at Small Business Development Centers. 4. Self-directed learning-based instructional systems for graduate programs in business and adult education will prepare personnel qualified to improve Small Business Development Center and other adult education programs. A model for assessing client training needs at Small Business Development Centers was developed from this study. The model illustrates the integration of self-directed learning with instructional design in Small Business Management programs. Recommendations were made for program development and further research. Self-directed learning-based instructional designs were recommended for Small Business Development Center and adult education program developers. Research is needed to test the model and to conduct action research that includes Small Business Development Center instructors and clients and university professors. / Graduation date: 1997

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2006. / Vita. Appendices: leaves 192-211. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 212-227).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-154). Also available on the World Wide Web.

The present study tested the hypothesis that humor directly integrated with targeted material positively impacts memory retention and recall. The rationale underlying the hypothesis is based on findings of neurological studies and behavioral research on humor. Participants were 56 students in three online Freshman English classes at a local community college. Building on the information learned from previous empirical research and incorporating evidence revealed by neurological inquiries, this project provided each class of students with one of three different versions of declarative grammar material presented as an interactive pronoun instruction module: without humor, with non-integrated humor, or with integrated humor. Assessments included a pre-test to determine prior knowledge. Following review of the module, the recall of students’ memory of the targeted material was tested through an objective exam. After a longer period of time (five weeks), which included using the newly learned material in writing assignments unrelated to the study, students were tested again to evaluate their longer-term retention. The analysis of the scores was a two-way 2X3 analysis of variance (ANOVA). A significant difference in improvement of memory with a 95 percent confidence level was shown for participants in the Integrated Humor condition as compared to those in either the No Humor or the Non-Integrated Humor conditions in both the Immediate Post-Test (0.00, 0.02) and the Delayed Post-Test (0.00, 0.00). Although the sample was small, the results support the hypothesis that humor integrated with learning material can beneficially impact memory and recall.

Thesis (MCur (Nursing Science))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. in Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2004. / Thesis advisor(s): Alice Crawford. Includes bibliographical references (p. 53). Also available online.

The purpose of this research paper is to explore and examine the nature of learning within the context of and situated within a social movement. Based on an exploratory qualitative study of learning within the Jyoti Jivanam Movement of South Africa, this research explores the nature and purpose/s of learning within a social movement. Accordingly, this study is guided by the research questions: How and why do adults learn as they collectively participate in social movements; and what factors facilitate, contribute, hinder and influence learning within social movement? This study confirms that social movements are important sites for collective learning and knowledge construction. For this reason, social movements need to be acknowledged as pedagogical sites that afford adults worthwhile learning opportunities. Furthermore, social movements, as pedagogical sites, not only contribute to conceptions of what constitute legitimate knowledge(s), social movements also contribute to the creation of transformative knowledge(s). / Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL)

No description available.

The initial intention of this arts-informed research study was to implement art classes for people with Alzheimer‟s disease, and to examine its impact upon new learning at cognitive, procedural and affective levels of experience. While these goals persist – indeed adult educational theory and quality of life are central to this thesis – the research focus gradually shifted from a constructivist view of the Alzheimer‟s learner to a phenomenological view of the relationship between teacher and student. Its power to facilitate the growth of reciprocity and bolster identity within the learning context, whether one-to-one or in small group settings, became more apparent as the research progressed. This revealed the potential of arts-based educational programs to build mutual trust and reciprocity with and among the participants. In turn, these qualities contributed to the expression of positive feelings, improved self-esteem,and communication in people with Alzheimer‟s.