Through history popular education has evolved against the backdrop of social movements engaged in the struggle for social change in a variety of contexts. During the past forty years some of these movements have found expression in a wide range of participatory processes with a particular focus on community empowerment. In 1993, in the village of Renton, Scotland, local people created their own housing association, Cordale Housing Association (CHA) and from its inception declared that it would not build houses “for people to live their poverty in” (CHA Mission statement, 1993). Since then the community has acquired local physical assets and created the Renton Community Development Trust (RCDT) focused on eradicating poverty in the village. Based on data collected in the period 2009 – 2011, I examine the community’s claim to social change in the village over the past twenty years. I also discuss the community’s claim to local peoples’ active participation in the process of social change and whether the Renton community experience can be considered a process of popular education. This research is a contribution to the body of knowledge identified with critical social-educational research. It is also a contribution to the debate about the creation of a new socio-economic and cultural model of society based on the values of equity, solidarity and justice.

<p> As a consequence of an aging workforce, electric utilities are at risk of losing their most experienced and knowledgeable electrical engineers. In this research, the problem was a lack of understanding of what electric utilities were doing to capture the tacit knowledge or know-how of these engineers. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the tacit knowledge capture strategies currently used in the industry by conducting a case study of 7 U.S. electrical utilities that have demonstrated an industry commitment to improving operational standards. The research question addressed the implemented strategies to capture the tacit knowledge of retiring electrical engineers and technical personnel. The research methodology involved a qualitative embedded case study. The theories used in this study included knowledge creation theory, resource-based theory, and organizational learning theory. Data were collected through one time interviews of a senior electrical engineer or technician within each utility and a workforce planning or training professional within 2 of the 7 utilities. The analysis included the use of triangulation and content analysis strategies. Ten tacit knowledge capture strategies were identified: (a) formal and informal on-boarding mentorship and apprenticeship programs, (b) formal and informal off-boarding mentorship programs, (c) formal and informal training programs, (d) using lessons learned during training sessions, (e) communities of practice, (f) technology enabled tools, (g) storytelling, (h) exit interviews, (i) rehiring of retirees as consultants, and (j) knowledge risk assessments. This research contributes to social change by offering strategies to capture the know-how needed to ensure operational continuity in the delivery of safe, reliable, and sustainable power.</p>

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Exploring emancipatory and transformative paradigms towards lifelong learning in the new millenium confront facilitators of adult learning to reflect critically on their own paradigms and practices of learning. Transformative learning occurs in this process of revision and reflection and when it leads to transformed meaning perspectives or change, emancipatory learning takes place. This implies that the process of critical reflection can be seen as a key to adult learning. Out of this background the broad question arises of how facilitators of adult learning can be prompted to engage in reflection on their own learning journeys to playa role in uplifting the status of adult learning and to become lifelong learners themselves. This study, in the form of a personal learning journey, in the short term addresses this question by focusing on three levels namely: ~ Exploring more relevant and alternative research approaches to the field of adult learning ~ Exploring adult learning theory in a dialogical and reflective manner ~ Developing integrated and holistic models for adult learning and lifelong learning in a constructivist and reflective manner. In the long term the learning journey aims to effect a framework for the narratives of other facilitators of adult learning in constructing meaning-making in their processes of transformative and emancipatory learning. A constructivist, biographical and dialogical approach is followed to engage reflectively with my inquiry and aiming at creating emancipatory and transformative challenges for facilitators of adult learning. It invites facilitators to respond in a critical, dialogical and reflective manner to their changing environments and practices. Adult learning theory is explored in a dialogical manner and an integrated and holistic model for adult learning is developed. My learning journey thus challenges other facilitators of adult learning to provide leadership in their practice by developing the ability to reflect critically resulting in alternative ways of engaging with the challenges facing us towards a learning millenium. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Transformatiewe en Emansipatoriese Uitdagings vir Fasiliteerders van Volwassene Leer: 'n Lerende Reis Deur emansipatoriese en transformatiewe paradigmas op pad na lewenslange leer in die nuwe millenium te eksploreer word fasiliteerders van volwassene leer gekonfronteer om krities oor hul eie paradigmas en praktyke van leer te reflekteer. Transformatiewe leer vind plaas in die proses van revisie en refleksie en wanneer dit lei tot getransformeerde betekenis perspektiewe of verandering, vind emansipatoriese leer plaas. Dit impliseer dat die proses van kritiese refleksie as 'n sleutel tot volwassene leer gesien kan word. Vanuit hierdie agtergrond ontstaan die breë vraag van hoe fasiliteerders van volwassene leer geïnspireer kan word om te reflekteer oor hulle eie lerende reise en daardeur 'n rol te speel in die opheffing van die status van volwassene leer en om hulself lewenslange leerders te word. Hierdie studie, in die vorm van 'n persoonlike lerende reis, spreek die vraag op die korttermyn op drie vlakke aan, naamlik: ~ Eksplorering van meer relevante en alternatiewe navorsingsbenaderings in die veld van volwassene leer ~ Eksplorering van volwassene leer teorie op 'n dialogiese en reflektiewe wyse ~ Ontwikkeling van geïntegreerde en holistiese modelle vir volwassene leer en lewenslange leer op 'n konstruktivistiese en reflektiewe wyse. Die lerende reis beoog om op die langtermyn 'n raamwerk vir die narratiewe van ander fasiliteerders van volwassene leer daar te stel in konstruktiewe betekenismaking in hul prosesse van transformatiewe en emansipatoriese leer. 'n Konstruktivistiese, biografiese en dialogiese benadering word gevolg ten einde reflektief om te gaan met my ondersoek met die doelom emansipatoriese en transformatiewe uitdagings aan fasiliteerders van volwassene leer te stel. Fasiliteerders word uitgenooi om op 'n kritiese, dialogiese en reflektiewe wyse te reageer op hul veranderende omgewings en praktyke. Volwassene leer teorie word geeksploreer op In dialogiese wyse en In geïntegreerde en holistiese model vir volwassene leer is ontwikkel. My lerende reis konfronteer dus ander fasiliteerders van volwassene leer met die uitdaging om leierskap daar te stel in hulle praktyk deur die vermoë te ontwikkel om krities te reflekteer. Die resultaat hiervan is om oorweging te skenk aan alternatiewe maniere van omgaan met die uitdagings wat ons in die gesig staar op pad na 'n lerende millenium.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

This research explores the learning experiences of three mature students studying for a Foundation Degree – a two-year qualification, introduced in England and Wales in 2001, that uniquely spans the academic-vocational nexus within higher education. Data collected through interviews and journal entries were used to construct accounts of each of the students’ learning experiences, forming a longitudinal case study that spanned two years. This material is used in three ways to give insight into learning through a Foundation Degree. Firstly, the accounts stand by themselves as detailed descriptions of what it is like to learn through a Foundation Degree. Secondly, the accounts illustrate ways in which particular learning theories and models are helpful to understanding the students’ learning experiences, and also the areas in which some theories and models fall short. Thirdly, a new conceptual model has been developed which identifies six factors that significantly impact upon the Foundation Degree learner’s experience. Each of these factors has the potential to influence learning positively or negatively, depending on where it lies upon a continuum that polarises learning inhibitors and enablers. This model is used to scrutinise Foundation Degree teaching and learning practice, using the accounts as reference points, and more effective approaches to Foundation Degree delivery have been suggested.

This descriptive study was undertaken for the primary purpose of identifying attitudes and beliefs of secondary teachers toward staff development. Participants in the study included the total population of teachers in two high schools in a southwestern school district. The objectives of the study were to identify the attitudes and beliefs of teachers toward staff development as an important part of their professional growth, and toward the organization, processes, and personnel involved in staff development. Also to be identified were the level of knowledge and interest teachers have of specific topics for staff development programs, and similarities/differences in teachers' attitudes based on school, department, number of years teaching experience, education level, participation in a career ladder program, and gender. The data was collected using a two-part, modified Likert scale questionnaire. The findings of the study suggest that the teachers from the school itself should plan staff development, including the content which should be based on the teachers' needs as determined from an open-ended questionnaire, and that the instructors should be teachers from the school or the school's administrators. Staff development programs should incorporate a variety of teaching methods, although lecture was rated as the least desirable single method by the teachers. Staff development should be regular and on-going, with quarterly sessions receiving the most agreement from the teachers. It should be held at the school itself, during released time, and job-related. The teachers agreed that staff development should be evaluated throughout the school year, by the teachers, assessing whether its objectives had been met. Participation should not be mandatory, but depend upon the content of the program and the needs of the individual. Incentives to participate should include the intrinsic value of improved teaching ability, salary increases, university credit, and increased student achievement. Finally, over seventy percent of the teachers agreed that staff development is an important part of their professional growth.

<p> Learning English as a foreign language (EFL), a highly valued skill in the Chilean marketplace, is an arduous and complex personal endeavor requiring high student motivation. Reflecting this challenge is the heightened anxiety among EFL students, whose work has been associated with historically meager results. Blended learning, the fusion of face-to-face and online content delivery and assessment, offers a promising solution to EFL learner reticence. Evidence suggests that an active online teacher presence in a blended EFL course can enhance student engagement. The purpose of this study was to discover the perceptions of EFL instructional specialists concerning (a) student involvement and engagement in online portions of blended courses, (b) marginal teacher presence in the online portions of blended courses, and (c) ways to improve student involvement in the online portions of the blended courses. Results of a systematic qualitative analysis, employing constant comparative data analysis of individual interviews with a sample of 10 voluntary EFL instructional specialists, indicated teachers need to take part in design of blended EFL courses to address these issues. The findings, coupled with theoretical frameworks of social-constructivism, transactional distance, diffusion of innovation, and universal design for instruction, served as the background for a proposed teacher training project resulting from this study. The study can contribute to positive social change by inviting EFL teachers to become more involved in blended course design, increasing their sense of ownership, sharing best practices for blended EFL teaching and learning, and creating conditions for more successful upward social mobility opportunities for Chilean university students who have acquired certifiable English language skills.</p>

<p> Much attention has been paid to the current state of graduate business education, specifically the MBA degree, and the seeming disconnect between industry needs and what business schools are preparing MBA graduates for. A comprehensive study on the state of MBA education was completed in 2010 by Datar, Garvin, and Cullen (2010), the goal of which was to document the forces reshaping business education and the institutional responses to them, as well as provide suggestions on a path forward for MBA education. This research picked up where Datar et al. (2010) left off: the purpose of this study was to identify criteria for a new model MBA. The Datar et al. (2010) study defined the unmet needs, but what remained undefined were the (a) skills; (b) capabilities; and (c) techniques that are central to the practice of 21st century management, and the (d) values; (e) attitudes; and (f) beliefs that should be part of a 21st century leader's world-view and professional identity. This study used a qualitative approach to add meaning to the variables defined above; specifically interviews with 14 participants were used to gather perceptions of 21st century leadership and management from MBA stakeholders as part of an in-depth and detailed inquiry. This study also reviewed five Southern California business schools in order to identify best-practices curricula. Based on the data gathered in this study a new model MBA was posited. A discussion of the findings and the implications for MBA education was included in <i> Chapter 5.</i></p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes toward creativity and leadership characteristics according to the agency context for extension agents in Uruguay. Extension agents come from the three different agency contexts in Uruguay of the University, government, and private institutions. Leadership characteristics are those that combine to describe leadership approaches or styles. Attitudes towards creativity concerns the values one holds about using creativity in work situations. The link between these variables is important due to the diverse challenges that agriculture extension agents face in a small country like Uruguay whose economy depends on agriculture. There are three major conclusions based on the findings of this study. First, factor analysis performed in the scales related with leadership did not cluster as Bass and Avolio (2000) suggested. Rather, results show a different combination of the traits (Motivating demanding, Compliant, and Charismatic controller). The second conclusion is that attitudes and values to promote innovation likely expected to be one of the values of the university group were not shown in the results. One possible explanation could be the philosophy of the university, while the government and private institutions showed an attitude that tends to promote creativity and innovation which in their case is aligned with their jobs goals, which has to do with a model of extension that provides regulation and provision of inputs and also emphasize National production goals and productivity. Third there is a difference between working contexts for agricultural extension agents in Uruguay. The results of the study were able to discriminate between the university context and government and the private contexts which showed a similar behavior. Both the government and the private contexts showed a positive approach to creativity and a compliant leadership behavior.</p>

The aim of this thesis is to study lifelong learning policy development in the Republic of Ireland and its translation into practice in Third Level Institutions. The specific purpose of the study is to map the development of policy and investigate the influences on this development including the changing socio economic and political context within Ireland and its membership of the European Union. The focus of the research is also Learning for Life, the Irish government's major White Paper on adult education and lifelong learning, published in 2000. The research also begins to investigate how Third Level Institutions in Ireland have interpreted Learning for Life and other policy documents in their own policies and practice. I was also interested in investigating the barriers that were perceived to exist by people, in both government and educational institutions, to the successful implementation of lifelong learning policy in Ireland. The thesis also explores the approach that has been taken to lifelong learning in Ireland analysing whether this approach has taken a predominantly human or social capital approach or a mixture of both. Although a number of studies have investigated the impact of lifelong learning policies on national and institutional practice in other countries, very little research has been carried out on Ireland. This thesis makes a valuable contribution by providing a case study based analysis of policy development within a changing economic and social context. It also provides an insight into the approach taken by one individual country and the influences on that approach. Although the study is clearly and deliberately a case study I have included reference to two other European nations who have high adult participation rates in education, Denmark and Sweden, as comparators with the experiences of Ireland.