The Appalachian region has long been regarded as an economically disadvantaged area, with a lower percentage of individuals pursuing higher education than in the nation as a whole . Improving the educational status of residents of Appalachia may foster some economic transition in the region, shifting the employment focus from an unskilled labor emphasis to more professional and career opportunities. Better understanding of the influences in the decision processes of Appalachian students is needed in order to design and implement intervention programs to increase enrollment in higher education. The concept of possible selves is introduced as a way to examine individuals' goals and beliefs about themselves in future contexts. Other factors (academic preparation, family, and culture) influencing the decision regarding college attendance were considered and evaluated in relation to possible selves. A model was developed to examine the influences of academic preparation, family, and culture on Appalachian students' educational goals and aspirations, as they are mediated by possible selves. It was hypothesized that the mediated influences model sufficiently predicts students' plans for college attendance. Statistical analysis and a revision of the original model were conducted, and results indicate that the model was adequately supported. Interpretations for these results were offered, and implications and limitations of the study were discussed.

A thesis submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg , 2017 / This thesis is premised on the notion that the perceived lack of quality of curriculum delivery in the vocational education sector in South Africa is probably due in part to the weaknesses of content knowledge selected for inclusion in the curriculum of various programmes offered in the vocational education sector. The thesis examines the nature of knowledge specified in the English subject offered in the Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET) Colleges. Drawing on Basil Bernstein’s notion of the pedagogic device, the study follows the English curriculum as it starts from the production field where new ideas are created and modified, to the recontextualization field where curriculum designers and textbook writers produce written curriculum documents, to the reproduction field where the students are taught and examined. The study further examines the English lecturers’ insights about their perceptions and understanding of the curriculum they teach from. My findings indicate that the English curriculum follows an outcomes-based design structure, and displays a lack of conceptual integration, knowledge sequence and progression. The approaches to the teaching of English which inform the construction of the intended curriculum display characteristics of a generic horizontal nature. The intended curriculum does not incorporate features that encourage a mastery of technical terms which are appropriate for different occupational fields followed by the TVET College students. The design structure of the curriculum fails to guide the lecturers in terms of unpacking approaches to the teaching of English and how to use them in their teaching, as well as clarify the progression process and ways of aligning lesson planning to the occupational needs of the students. An analysis of this curriculum identifies strengths and weakness, highlights accomplishments, and focuses on realistic policy alternatives for the TVET sector, curriculum design, pedagogical and assessment practices. / MT 2018

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The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of change in corporate colleges between 1985 and 1989 and to examine the evolution of these institutions to structures and programs which more closely resemble traditional institutions of higher education. A random sample of three institutions was selected for analysis from the first of corporate colleges identified in the Carnegie Study, Corporate Classrooms: The Learning Business, conducted in 1985.;Data collection instruments were sent to 17 of the institutions identified in the Carnegie Study. of the institutions contacted, 11 responded which represented a return rate of 64.7 percent. All of the institutions, including non-respondents, were contacted by phone for the information or to clarify and refine data. A case study approach was applied as a methodology to analyze and compare the institutions. In order to determine if these institutions were becoming more like traditional institutions, a degree from one of the 18 institutions was compared with one offered in a traditional postsecondary institution.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the claim that nursing students in nontraditional curricula achieve program outcomes consistent with nursing students in traditional generic curricula. Clinical decision making and clinical judgment are essential components of critical thinking in nursing. Self-perception as a decision-maker was measured by the Clinical Decision Making in Nursing Scale (CDMNS) and clinical judgment was measured by the Clinical Judgment in Nursing Series #1: Emergencies in Adult Client Care Test (CJS:EACC).;Participants were recruited from three regional universities. One curricular group consisted of a generic (traditional) BSN group. One nontraditional curricular design was RN-BSN Completion programs designed for RN's to return for degree completion. The second nontraditional curricular group represented an Accelerated BSN program designed for adult learners with a previous baccalaureate degree to achieve a career change to nursing.;No significant outcome differences in self-perception as a clinical decision-maker as measured by mean scores on the CDMNS or in the decision making process as measured by subscale scores on the CDMNS were found between Traditional and nontraditional student groups. The hypotheses that there would be no differences in either self-perception as a decision maker or the decision making process were supported.;A significant difference was found between group scores related to clinical judgment as measured by the CJS:EACC. The nontraditional curricular groups, primarily adult learners, achieved higher scores than the generic group. The attributes of age, work experience, self-directedness, and readiness to learn may have influenced the adult learner's ability to achieve, through nontraditional program structures, at the same level or higher as traditional students. Age was an influencing variable on CJS:EACC scores. The instrument measures nursing assessment and intervention related to adult medical/surgical clients. The hypothesis that there would be no difference in clinical judgment could not be supported.;Interview responses representative of each curricular group were consistent with previous studies of the goals, barriers, learning needs, and characteristics of the adult learner.

There has been limited research on the benefits nurses' derive from participation in continuing nursing education (CNE). Researchers have investigated sociodemographic and attitudinal characteristics of CNE participants or the effects of CNE on nursing practice.;The purpose of this study was to determine what factors influenced registered nurses in the Southeastern region of Virginia to participate or not to participate in CNE. Specifically, this study investigated the relationship of socialization (defined as level of nursing education, reading of professional nursing journals and professional nursing memberships), benefits (defined as either personal or social/professional type) derived from CNE attendance, the importance or non-importance of these derived benefits and participation or nonparticipation in CNE. Respondents' socialization was characterized as either high or low for the purposes of this study.;The theoretical framework used in this study was the Expectancy Valence Model of Participation (Rubenson, 1977). Valence was described as anticipated satisfaction (i.e. the benefits accrued); it was viewed as the positive and negative values of the effects of participation. Expectancy was defined as an expectation that particular actions would lead to certain outcomes; it related to individuals' perceptions of themselves as successful participants.;Data for the study were collected through the use of two questionnaires which were mailed to a sample of 400 registered nurses selected by systematic sampling. One hundred and fifty-five responses were received (38.75%). Data were analyzed by Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) software using descriptive statistics, Chi square analysis and log linear analysis.;Findings indicated that level of socialization and participation in CNE were positively related. The importance of benefits derived from CNE participation and participation in CNE were not related. Level of socialization, importance of benefits derived from CNE participation and participation in CNE were positively related. High levels of socialization were related to participation in CNE while benefits of CNE were not related.

One of the tasks of the adult school administrator is that of planning the program to be offered to the public. Is it well balanced academic and vocational areas; does it satisfy the needs of the home-maker, the student, the apprentice; does it offer something for each to fulfill his educational needs? These and a number of other questions must be answered before an adult school program will satisfy the educational needs of the adult community it is to serve. Damon stated it well when he wrote that: Although adult education is assuming a more important place in the public school system, the problems of the adult school administrator are not solved when the term's program has been established. One of the next steps is to publicize it. For adult education, motivation must begin outside of the classroom. Adult education has no compulsory education laws to assure attendance in its classes. The adult school administrator must recruit his student body by setting up a worthwhile program. . .8 The determinants of the adult public high school program are one problem of the public adult high school administrator, and this study was concerned with discovering what these determinants are. It was the purpose of the study to identify the determinants affecting the curricular offerings of selected public adult high schools in California for the 1969-70, the 1970-71, and the 1971-72 school years. The relationships among the ancillary data derived from the questionnaire will also be considered.

Stewardship, a trust that we have been given to pass our Earth on to future generations so that they may benefit from its wealth as we have, is a powerful concept. The more that people can begin to understand it and harness it in order to set a course for action, the greater will be our cause for hope, and perhaps even optimism, about the future of the Earth and the lives our children will enjoy. Increasingly over the past fifteen years or so, a number of small, community-based environmental groups have embraced stewardship as a core component of their mission. While their approaches to advocacy and action are diverse, and while the foci of their work may vary, these groups hold in common a deep sense of responsibility to preserve and protect the natural resources of their home place. People engaged in the work of these groups, whether as volunteers, paid staff, or affiliates, come from a range of educational and professional backgrounds, as well as life experience. As a result, there may be a number of different reasons why they initially got involved, why they remain involved over a period of several years, and how they address any personal learning needs that arise from their involvement. Nevertheless, patterns may be discerned for all of these dynamics, across educational and professional backgrounds, as well as within and across different groups. Further, there is a potential for meaning perspective transformation from engagement in community-based environmental stewardship. This takes many forms, with the end result a significant change in one's worldview. Through a review of primary source literature produced by each of the three groups included in the study, a series of short, structured interviews with thirty participants (ten from each group), and a series of nine longer, unstructured second interviews with nine of the original thirty (three from each group), data was collected for the study. Data was analyzed first by creating profiles of the three community-based environmental stewardship groups, using the primary source literature and interview responses. Categories within the four dynamics of personal involvement (patterns of initial involvement, patterns of sustained involvement, patterns of ongoing learning, and patterns of transformation) as well as organizational dynamics (patterns of community building, group dynamics) were discerned from the data and analyzed. The results of the analysis offer a number of suggestions for stewardship educators working with community based environmental groups. However, it should be noted that findings from this research are not generalizable—the study was qualitative, and participants were not randomly selected. A number of suggestions for further research are therefore offered.

The purpose of this dissertation in practice was twofold; The first purpose was to design a Professional Development (PD) program for a specialized group of civilian employees working in a large military organization, and the second purpose was to evaluate and refine that PD program using mixed-methods empirical research. The study focused on a group of approximately 100 Instructional System Specialists and Research Psychologists. These employees are highly educated, with the majority holding advanced degrees in their respective fields, yet they lacked a clear path to career development within their organization. Following the tenets of design-based research, a PD program was developed for these employees based on design principles drawn from a review of extant literature. The program artifacts included a set of assessment rubrics to assess the employees' knowledge and skills, a curriculum design plan to inform curriculum development efforts, and a policy manual to guide program implementation. Once these artifacts were drafted, they were refined through several cycles of formative evaluation. Throughout each phase of the research, quantitative and qualitative data showed strong, positive stakeholder support for the program. Qualitative findings contributed substantially to formative evaluation and revision of the program, although quantitative data did not show a statistically significant improvement from initial draft to final revision. These findings are interpreted to indicate that the program was well-design, even at initial draft, and there was little need for measurable improvement. The methods described in this study resulted in a sound, research-based PD program, and these design-based research methods can be generalized to be used in similar situations. As such, this study adds to our body of knowledge in the areas of curriculum and instructional design, and it serves as an applied example of design-based research in an authentic setting.

The purpose of this study was to identify how well Modesto Junior Colleges were meeting specific needs of its continuing education students. This study was organized to develop a monitoring system for the Modesto Junior College which would provide information to the administration and community on which decision could be based for changing or continuing present policies and courses. A questionnaire was devised to gather data on the effectiveness of the various components of the school, including the administration, instruction, and student personnel services. A process by which this data could be fed into the decision-making system was also included so that the data could be used to improve the continuing education program at Modesto Junior College.