Organizational leaders know that training improves worker performance, but training is often initiated without considering employees' work task requirements. This instrumental case study was conducted to understand the perceptions of employees who completed a skills training program and those of supervisors. The conceptual framework was andragogy, emphasizing self-efficacy and self-direction, motivation, and goal setting for adult learners. The guiding questions addressed the perceptions of employees about their self-directed participation in the skills training program and its relationship to work tasks and supervisors' perceptions of employees' participation in that program. Semi-structured interviews with 8 individual employees and a focus group with 5 supervisors were conducted to discover those perceptions. All study participants found the training program to be generally beneficial, but some findings were unexpected. Employees expressed disappointment that anticipated promotion opportunities did not result from completing the program. Supervisors stressed that the high organizational operations tempo prevented employees from performing what they learned in the program. The findings led to the proposal of an instructor development program for the study site with the intent of improving instructor abilities to create more effective training. Through the program, instructors would increase knowledge and skills in instructional and design skills. Through a performance-based mindset that focuses on whether the training participant has improved in trained work tasks, instructors would be enabled to better prepare employees to succeed in work tasks and career goals and provide leaders with the information and products that they require.

Transitioning from a clinical practitioner to an educator in the health sciences is a difficult task for many professionals. Although, clinically, these individuals have achieved a level of expertise, they are not necessarily trained to teach in a classroom setting and may find it difficult to transition into their role as novice. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine faculty members' preparedness during their transition to academia and their perceptions of the need for more support during the first 5 years of teaching. Vygotsky's and Dewey's theories of social constructivism and Knowles's assumptions of adult learning provided the framework for this research. The main research question focused on exploring perceptions about instructional preparedness and support for university educators, at a university in Detroit, Michigan, in health science fields. The data sources were interviews and observations from 9 health science faculty members. Interviews were coded based on perceptive categories such as experiences, knowledge, and opinions, whereas observations were coded using recurrent patterns of identified standards of university teaching based on teaching preparedness. Results showed 5 areas where the participants felt they needed more support: peer mentoring, administration support, institutional support, interaction with students, and instructional methodology technology training. Findings may provide insight to university administrators on strategies to provide more effective professional development to health science educators. Potential implications for positive social change include increased job satisfaction and retention for professionals who become health science educators.

With the wide adoption of mobile technologies, new opportunities exist with regard to how these technologies can be used to support teaching and learning. However, there is limited empirical evidence on the use of mobile learning (m-learning) frameworks that support adult students in online and blended learning environments and consider ways to support administrators, faculty, and students in the adoption of mobile technologies for teaching and learning. The goal was to develop and validate an m-learning framework capturing the administrative, communication, and instructional elements that must be considered when integrating m-learning technologies to support adult community college students. Using design and development research methods, an m-learning framework was constructed and validated. Based on the literature review and the results of the data analysis, the framework was developed and included three sections: major categories; needs within categories; and attributes of the needs. Each section is composed of at least one of those major categories: section 1 composed of Access and Security; section 2 composed of Applications and Instructional Materials; and section 3 composed of Control and Monitoring Systems. Combined, all three sections account for five major categories. The final m-learning framework was design to include specific guidelines to help administrators and faculty make decisions about the adoption of m-learning technologies to support teaching and learning in online and blended learning environments.

A new hospital in United Arab Emirates (UAE) plans to adopt health information technology (HIT) and become fully digitalized once operational. The hospital has identified a need to assess basic computer literacy of new employees prior to offering them training on various HIT applications. Lack of research in identifying an accurate assessment method for basic computer literacy among health care professionals led to this explanatory correlational research study, which compared self-assessment scores and a simulated actual computer skills test to find an appropriate tool for assessing computer literacy. The theoretical framework of the study was based on constructivist learning theory and self-efficacy theory. Two sets of data from 182 hospital employees were collected and analyzed. A t test revealed that scores of self-assessment were significantly higher than they were on the actual test, which indicated that hospital employees tend to score higher on self-assessment when compared to actual skills test. A Pearson product moment correlation revealed a statistically weak correlation between the scores, which implied that self-assessment scores were not a reliable indicator of how an individual would perform on the actual test. An actual skill test was found to be the more reliable tool to assess basic computer skills when compared to self-assessment test. The findings of the study also identified areas where employees at the local hospital lacked basic computer skills, which led to the development of the project to fill these gaps by providing training on basic computer skills prior to them getting trained on various HIT applications. The findings of the study will be useful for hospitals in UAE who are in the process of adopting HIT and for health information educators to design appropriate training curricula based on assessment of basic computer literacy.

This companion dissertation reports the findings of applied case study research on four community college organizational units that consistently meet or exceed standard performance measures. In addition, prior ample evidence confirms that performance extended significantly beyond what might be explained by available tangible resources alone. The case study contexts are common in higher education in general: a) an external partnership, (b) an ad hoc team, (c) a traditional, cross-divisional service unit, and (d) a grant-funded student service unit. Emerging positive organizational theory and research show promise for revealing performance-influencing phenomena and behaviors that are not adequately represented in standard measures. Therefore, this collaborative case study research was designed to explore positive influences on the success of the four community college units. This companion dissertation contains four manuscripts. Chapter 1 presents an introduction to the study. Chapter 2 contains a collectively written synthesis of the findings from the four individual case studies. Chapter 3 reflects individual research on a partnership that serves as a national model for adult education. Chapter four offers an alternative perspective to developing authentic leaders in community colleges. Key findings across the units suggest the influence on performance of: (a) a people-first culture, (b) authentic, trusting, inclusive leadership, and (c) resource richness beyond constrained tangible resources. Practical recommendations for scholars and practitioners are offered.

The purpose of this study was to determine students' classroom social environment needs by identifying characteristics of actual and ideal classroom environments as perceived by students taking developmental math or English courses in Virginia community colleges, characteristics of the actual classroom environments as perceived by their instructors, and characteristics of actual and ideal classroom environments as perceived by subgroups of students. The subgroups were formed by gender, race, age, type of developmental course, size of college, and whether students were first generation college students. The Adult Classroom Environment Scale was administered to students and instructors in developmental studies classes in Virginia community colleges during the Fall, 1993, semester. The statistical procedures used to analyze the data were t-tests for independent means, t-tests for dependent (correlated) means, analyses of variance, and the Newman-Keuls Post Hoc Multiple Comparison Procedure. Findings indicated that students and instructors viewed Teacher Support and Organization and Clarity as the two most prevalent dimensions in the classroom environment. Students' preference for an ideal classroom environment indicated a desire for increased attention to Involvement, Affiliation, Personal Goal Attainment, and Student Influence, but not to Task Orientation. Special ideal classroom environment needs were identified for subgroups. Younger, Asian, and American Indian students expressed a need for emphasis on Personal Goal Attainment and Student Influence. Teacher Support was especially important to women and men; white, Asian, and Hispanic students; younger and older students; both math and English students; first-generation and non-first-generation students; and students in large and small colleges. Instructors' views of the dimensions in the actual classroom environment were higher than students, except for Personal Goal Attainment and Student Influence.

The problem of this study was to identify and describe the individual learning activities of caregivers of people with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and to develop an analytical description of the patterns of learning of these adults. An instrument was not available for use; therefore, a focused interview guide was developed. The interview guide was developed through consultation with several spouses or adult children caring for Alzheimer's patients, professionals in the health care field, and a review of the literature. The major analysis procedure for the study was the constant comparative method, an inductive method that has been used most systematically by Glaser and Strauss (1967). Grounded theory is discovered or generated from data. It is developed by entering the field work phase without a hypothesis, describing what happens, and formulating explanations as to why it happens. Five research questions were explored dealing with the caregiver's support system, reasons for seeking medical help, learning at the time of the diagnosis, learning activities, and learning patterns. Caregivers, as adult learners, showed the capacity to conduct self-directed learning activities. While the content was greatly determined by the patient's progression of the disease, caregivers identified six learning processes: (a) professionally guided, (b) informal conversation, (c) observation, (d) solving problems, (e) change in perspective, and (f) facilitating understanding for others. The informal support system was significant in providing information to caregivers. Sixty percent of the friends and 50.5% of the family provided information, resources, and discussion. An extensive informal support system showed a greater use of a problem solving process.

Because most academic advisement programs were established to accomodate traditional student populations, it was the purpose of this study to compare the effectiveness of these systems as perceived by traditional and non-traditional undergraduate students at three of Tennessee's regional universities. Traditional and non-traditional students were also compared on the extent to which they exhibit self-directed learning. A comparison of mean scores was made for responses made to items contained in the American College Testing (ACT) Survey of Academic Advising, including the total mean score for the Oddi Continuing Learning Inventory (OCLI) between traditional/non-traditional students, full-time/part-time students, students at the three universities, males/females, students of different races, and married/unmarried students. There were no significant differences found as to the perception of overall advisement effectiveness between traditional/non-traditional students, full-time/part-time students, students at the three universities, males/females, students of different races, or married/unmarried students. However, differences were found among the groups. Part-time students were more satisfied with the performance of their advisors in relation to various questions than full-time students. Non-traditional students were generally more satisfied with their personal relationship with their advisors and also obtained a higher mean score on the OCLI than traditional students. Significant differences were found among students responding from the three universities to questions regarding advisor availability, referrals by advisors, and the initiation of meetings on the part of the advisor. It is recommended that academic advisement programs be evaluated on a continuing basis and that advisors be made available to meet the needs of various groups represented in each college, especially part-time and non-traditional students. It is also recommended that more research be conducted relative to the various groups that presently make up student populations as to possible correlation between various individual and group characteristics that might impact academic advisement. Included in those additional studies could be examination of differences of perceived advisement between students at various types and sizes of institutions as well as a comparison of perceived advisement effectiveness between institutions having various student/advisor ratios. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)

The purpose of this study was to examine the preferences, impact, and attitude of respiratory care practitioners toward continuing education. A review of demographic characteristics was conducted to develop a professional profile of practitioners in Tennessee. An assessment of continuing education practices provided information concerning types of courses, preferences, and methods used to meet continuing education requirements. Data collection was made possible through the use of a questionnaire. A stratified random sample was drawn from the 1,966 respiratory care practitioners in Tennessee. Based on the practitioner's residence, 150 practitioners were selected from rural and urban communities. A total of 300 self-administered questionnaires were mailed to practitioners to comprise the sample. Data collection was conducted over a 4 week period with a second mailing occurring after the first 2 weeks. A total of 120 surveys were returned for a response rate of 40%. The findings in this study demonstrated that rural and urban respiratory care practitioners in Tennessee have similar preferences toward continuing education. Respiratory care practitioners felt mandatory continuing education was beneficial and should be retained in Tennessee. This study indicated no differences in the impact of mandatory continuing education on the attitude of rural and urban practitioners. Both groups reported that mandatory continuing education had impacted the attitude of respiratory care practitioners in a positive manner. The study produced findings that revealed differences between rural and urban practitioners most preferred and used methods of continuing education. Urban practitioners indicated an increase involvement of physicians as a method most preferred and used for continuing education when compared to rural respondents. Comparison of rural and urban respondents found both groups preferences for course content were the same. The need for continuing education in various content areas transcends geographical boundaries. The typical respiratory care practitioner tended to be a female between the ages of 26-45, while working as a full-time practitioner in an acute care hospital. However, differences were identified between the two populations when comparing professional characteristics. Most rural practitioners were credentialed as certified respiratory care technicians with urban practitioners identified themselves as registered respiratory therapist.

Educators have a moral imperative and job-embedded expectation to effectively teach all students, which requires a commitment to continued personal growth. The purpose of this instrumental project study was to explore the lived experiences of first-year teachers and their mentors who teach in a culturally-diverse school district. The conceptual framework was based on supporting adult learning methods through the theories of critical thinking, constructivist perspective, the theory of mentoring, and culturally-instructional teaching. The guiding research questions addressed the perceptions of 5 first-year teachers and 5 mentors regarding individual and shared learning as a result of mentor-mentee relationship. A constant comparison method provided a process for analyzing the semi-structured interviews, observations, and field notes to determine a unit of data. Triangulation of the units of data then informed possible categories that were noted in words and statements. This process continued until saturation of categories was reached. Spreadsheets provided a structure to organize the data along the way and chart tables and taxonomic representation were used to display results. The mentees' results encompassed 19 themes such as feeling valued, safe, supported, trusted, and believed. The recommendations include the development of long-term solutions for supporting beginning teachers during the first 3 years of their profession with mentoring as an essential component. These findings illustrate that formal and informal beginning teacher professional learning is critical to produce high quality instruction, and to ensure that students graduate with globally competitive skills.