The purpose of this study was to survey selected existing facilities and to develop guidelines for planning facilities for the adult learner. The following subproblems were identified in order to adequately treat the problem: (1) To describe selected facilities for the adult learner; (2) To identify those elements considered essential, highly desirable, and significant in planning a facility for the adult learner. Four research questions were considered to be relevant to this study: (1) What were the most prevalent needs of the adult learner? (2) What facilities for the adult learner are in existence now? (3) What recommendations are given for planning a facility for the adult learner? (4) Will the total responses obtained by on-site visitations be consistent with the total responses of the mailed questionnaire? Through the review of literature, a list of thirty selected existing facilities was compiled. The participants in the study were limited to twelve randomly selected facilities for the adult learner. In addition, three selected facilities were visited. A questionnaire was developed and field tested to assess those guideline elements considered essential, highly desirable, and significant in planning facilities for the adult learner. A total of thirteen sources responded to the questionnaire. Three directors of facilities where on-site visitations were conducted participated in the study. Ten directors of facilities for the adult learner in various geographical locations in the United States participated in the study. From the analysis of the data from the questionnaire responses, ninety-six elements were found to be essential, highly desirable, or significant. These elements were arrayed from essential through significant and presented as guidelines for developing facilities for the adult learner. Recommendations based on the findings were given.

The problem of this study was that no data existed on characteristics of life style management as related to persisters and dropouts among adult high school students in the state of Tennessee. The purpose of the study was to determine the characteristic life style approaches most prevalent among persistent enrollees, graduates, and dropouts of selected adult high school programs in Tennessee. Five hundred fifty-nine persisters and 868 dropouts were surveyed by mail, by telephone, or by school site visits. There were 419 participants in the study, 311 persisters and 108 dropouts. The research was descriptive in nature and utilized data gathered from a survey instrument entitled, Life Style Approaches (LSA) Scale. The instrument was developed by Williams and Long (1991) based on a collection of self-management strategies. Six self-management strategies were identified in the 22 item instrument, and respondents were asked to report to what degree each item was or was not similar to their life styles. The instrument was piloted on 50 adult high school students in Hamblen and Greene Counties who were not in the study sample. Pilot results indicated that reading and comprehension levels were adequate for the students surveyed. Findings were divided into two categories, demographics and the findings as a result of hypothesis testing. Seventy-three percent of respondents were born after 1960, 88% were Caucasian, and 52% lacked one year or less to graduate. An equal number were married and single, and 55% were employed. Incomes of respondents ranged from less than $5,000 to \$40,000; however, 31% of them earned less than $5,000. With regard to hypothesis testing, no significant differences were found between dropouts and persisters in the demographic areas of age gender, race, marital status, or occupational status. There was a significant difference between dropouts and persisters in the number of years needed to graduate. Of the self-management practices (performance focus and efficiency, goal directedness, timeliness of task accomplishment, organization of physical space, written plans for change, and verbal support for self-management), only performance focus and efficiency was found to be significantly different between dropouts and persisters. The performance focus and efficiency factor is closely related to self-efficacy, and persisters had a greater degree of self-efficacy than did the dropouts reported in this study.

The problem of this study was to determine the growth and development of the community education program in North Carolina and to determine if this development was reflected by public awareness and response to the program. In reviewing the literature and searching manuals of survey instruments, a questionnaire was not found which would answer the specific questions necessary for the study. A questionnaire was designed and field tested utilizing graduate students and participants in a community education workshop sponsored by National Center for Community Education from Flint, Michigan. The validation was completed by leading authorities in the field of community education and community schools. Demographic data and information for comparing the program at the present time to the second year after the program was established by the North Carolina Legislature in 1977 were collected. The 11 hypotheses were stated in null format. The comparison data pertained to numbers of programs, numbers of participants, numbers of full-time and part-time director/coordinators, utilization of volunteers, recruiting of instructors, efficiency of the advisory committees, and developing of public awareness. The information requested in the demographic survey included the age, sex, formal preparation, initial certification, length of time employed in current position, type of community being served, and the percent of work time given to community education task. They were also asked to list responsibilities and, if hired part-time, to give their title in the public school system. All director/coordinators in North Carolina were included in the study and were surveyed for pertinent information. A 73% return was obtained. The analyses of those data were presented in both tabular and narrative form.

Dyslexia is a learning disability that hinders a person's ability to process elements of reading and writing. Although younger students with dyslexia often receive remedial education and accommodations, dyslexic college students may not receive assistance targeted to their individual needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to ascertain the challenges that might impede the academic success of college students with dyslexia and identify strategies used by academically successful dyslexic students at a 2-year college. Knowles's theory of informal adult education and self-direction provided the conceptual framework for the study. Using a case study design, 10 current college students who had a diagnosis of dyslexia with documentation on file at the college's student support center and a minimum 3.0-grade point average were purposefully selected to participate. Data from semi-structured interviews and reflective field notes were analyzed using open coding to develop themes. Eight themes emerged related to Knowles' constructs; 4 as challenges (accelerated pace, communication, time management, and concentration) and 4 as strategies to improve educational outcomes (technical assistance, organization, support, and modification). A workshop and mentoring program were developed to provide academic support for college students with dyslexia, highlighting those areas that dyslexic students identified as challenging. Continued research on the educational needs of older students with dyslexia was recommended. Targeted interventions for students with dyslexia may result in a positive social change by helping them achieve a higher education degree and become successful members of their communities.

In three low socioeconomic urban communities of Greenwood (pseudonym), young men's lack of education provides dim prospects of employment, possibly causing the young men to turn to gun violence. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of concerned clergy, law officials, and members of a Neighborhood Watch organization regarding the factors that contribute to gun violence in the southern communities in the United States. The conceptual framework for this study was Bandura's modeling theory. The central research question addressed how the community stakeholder groups described their perceptions regarding gun violence among young male adults. For this qualitative case study, a total of 9 stakeholders from the clergy, law officials, and Neighborhood Watch organization who had knowledge about the issues being investigated were selected through purposeful sampling and interviewed individually and in a focus group. The data were coded and categorized for themes. Thick descriptions of the stakeholder perspectives were combined with notes and interviews. The emerging themes were lack of education, inappropriate leadership, and an unhealthy community life; therefore, suggesting that professional development needs to be provided to the stakeholders on how to support the unemployed men in achieving skills through education, developing leadership skills through positive role modeling, and building a better community life through nonviolent social skills. The results indicated that applying skills to the service of young men exposed to gun violence would contribute to positive social change by understanding other potential causes of the gun violence problem. The implications for positive social change will become evident as young men become educated, find employment, and regain self-esteem and confidence in their ability to lead.

Thesis (MEd(Education Management))--University of Pretoria, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

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<p> Teachers are critical to student learning in the classroom, and just like students, teachers perform better when they are able to make choices based on what is relevant to them. Action research is a way for teachers to systematically inquire and reflect to make necessary improvements in practice for student learning. This study involved teachers who had conducted action research as a component of their Master's in Curriculum and Instruction program at one Midwest college. It examined teachers' perceived lasting benefits of conducting action research, the elements they continue to implement, and the supports of and limitations to continuation of the practice. </p><p> As part of a mixed-method study, a researcher-developed survey was first used. Seventy-seven teachers provided responses to the online survey. Fifteen survey participants volunteered to offer narrative elaboration of their responses in a follow-up telephone interview. </p><p> The compiled data included totals and percentages from the survey and themes and quotations from the teachers' narrative responses. Together, the findings revealed that 98% of the teachers felt they benefited from conducting action research. They perceived the greatest professional benefits of conducting action research to be thinking more reflectively, positively impacting student learning, and inquiring more about their practice. </p><p> Teachers were continuing to conduct action research based on the impact they perceived the practice had on their students' success in the classroom. The elements they continued most often were identifying a focus, collecting and analyzing data, and reflecting on the process. This practice allowed them to learn from evaluating the effectiveness of their implementations and realize there was rigor and relevance to what they were doing. </p><p> With 92% of participants desiring to continue action research, two major factors were given as greatest support for continuation. Teachers desired a combination of collaboration with peers on issues that mattered to them and time in the school day to collaborate and conduct action research.</p>

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the organizational structure of computer user groups and what roles they play in adult computer learning. The research consisted of two stages that used triangulation methodology.The pilot study involved a survey, which used a 34 item questionnaire, answered by 128 persons. The second stage consisted of a nationwide survey, which used a 57 item questionnaire, telephone interviews, and content analysis of newsletters. The nationwide survey was answered by 72 groups, representing 55,222 members.Findings1. Computer user groups were a major provider of computer learning for adults in the United States.2. Computer user groups were one form of autonomous learning groups.3. Computer user groups existed in all parts of the United States and tended to have a formal organization.4. Members of computer user groups were typically over 35, had a high family income, were college graduates, and were male.5. Members of computer user groups preferred self-directed learning and peer led learning to classes at educational institutions.Recommendations1. Adult and community educators should study other autonomous learning groups to discover the role that they play in adult learning.2. Practical research should be conducted to determine if and how educational institutions can best assist autonomous learning groups.3. Adult and community education practitioners should survey their local communities to identify autonomous learning groups and determine methods that can be used to cooperate with these groups.4. Adult and community educators should identify local computer user groups and determine how their educational institutions could cooperate with computer user groups.5. More innovative programming should be conducted by adult and community educators that takes advantage of the learning model provided by computer user groups.6. Training and development personnel should examine the potential benefits of implementing computer user groups and other autonomous learning groups within their organizations to promote learning new knowledge and skills.ConclusionComputer user groups were organized primarily to assist their members in learning more about computers. In addition to satisfying the learning needs of members, the groups provided supplemental services that supported other computer related needs of the members. Computer user groups were one form of autonomous learning groups and the results of this study suggested that the role of such groups in adult learning may be far more important than was generally recognized by adult and community educators.

<p> For students with significant disabilities, the process of transitioning from their secondary school setting to their post-secondary setting includes the exploration of potential adult settings. This paper explored the perspectives of secondary school personnel, as well as the viewpoints of personnel from St. Louis area post-secondary programs, as to the characteristics which determine adult program placement. State agencies that facilitate Person Centered Plans were also interviewed regarding viewpoints as to how secondary students with significant disabilities could seek and secure their most non-restrictive adult program placements. Research questions included: (1) How do the Missouri Alternative Frameworks utilized in secondary programming differ from the eligibility criteria utilized in post -secondary programs?; (2) How does the post-secondary eligibility process relate to the Missouri Alternative Frameworks Curriculum guidelines?; (3) What specific self-care skills and academic skills determine criteria for students with severe cognitive disabilities in post-secondary adult programs in the St. Louis area?; and (4) In addition to self-care and academic skills, what other factors determine student placement in post-secondary programs for the severely developmentally disabled within the St. Louis area? Revealed in this study was the importance of the development of lifelong relationships with post-secondary program organizations. Age, type of residence as well as the geographical location of residence, can be paramount to the applicants' skills or ability levels as adult program placement is determined for individuals with significant disabilities. Funding sources, as well as specific skill sets, were explored as they related to post-secondary clients achieving their most non- restrictive post-secondary placement.</p>