This is a study of modality preferences in learning styles of successful and unsuccessful nontraditional community college students while they were enrolled in developmental mathematics. The purpose of examining the learning style preferences was to look for visual, auditory, and/or kinesthetic patterns in learning that differentially prepared students used while studying Algebra I. To better understand students' learning styles, modality strengths and learning strategies had to be identified for each participant in the research project. Questionnaires were administered to obtain self-reported data from students. Personal interviews with this researcher provided additional information. The Swassing-Barbe Modality Index, SBMI, was administered to identify modality strength. From these research tools, student profiles on learning style preferences were assembled. Students in the research project were enrolled in Algebra I class which was taught in traditional lecture style at an urban community college. The students who voluntarily participated were nontraditional and differentially prepared individuals. The study showed that successful visual, auditory, mixed modality students had high correlation between their identified modality strengths and matching study strategies in class and in private study. These modality groups utilized additional modality based strategies other than their strength to enhance their learning. However, successful kinesthetic students were not correlated and did not use study strategies that matched their identified modality strength in class or in private study. These students depended upon their developed visual and auditory preferences in learning algebra. The data revealed that students were unaware of applications of kinesthetic strategies in studying mathematics. There were two unsuccessful students, one identified by SBMI as auditory and the other as kinesthetic. The data on these students revealed that there was no correlation between their identified modality strengths and use of matched study strategies. An important aspect of this study that may influence community college faculty is awareness of success of students who used learning strategies that matched their modality strength. By incorporating a variety of modality based teaching methods, instructors of mathematics will provide a learning environment in which students can construct their own learning of mathematics.

This study reviews the literature on training and community development, and examines conceptions of success and contextual factors affecting it in the case of the Training Center for Social Promoters (CAPS) in Guatemala. It gives primary attention to views of the voluntary community promoters themselves in order to help remedy a prevailing neglect of participant perspectives on training or the development process in the literature. The case study is based on some program documents, observation of training, visits in 1989 to twenty-six rural villages in four regions of Guatemala and in-depth interviews with forty four volunteer community promoters on location. There also were supplementary interviews on the same issues with five extension workers and two core trainers of CAPS. The author presents findings in the form of descriptive narratives, quotations from interviews and comparative tables. It is seen, for instance, that promoters' views of success follow a pattern that reflects their position in society, their indigenous or non-indigenous background, and powerful economic, political and religious factors. Non-indigenous ladino promoters view success largely in terms of individual achievement and economic improvement, while indigenous promoters see it more as a process toward communal advancement, cultural survival and self-determination. There are also contrasts between promoter, extension worker and trainer perceptions of what success is, and what influences it. In conclusion the author draws out implications of this study for trainers, community developers and researchers, and makes recommendations for each. There are also specific recommendations for CAPS, a twenty-four year old non-governmental training and rural development organization that is facing internal changes and external challenges posed by hundreds of new NGOs in Guatemala.

The purpose of the study was to determine the various levels on which the Progressive Education Association summer workshops have been conducted and to determine what fields of subject matter have been considered. In other words, an effort was made to determine how many of the workshops were designed for college or university teachers, secondary school teachers, elementary school teachers, administrators, or special groups, and what subject matter was considered for each group.

The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth descriptive analysis of a first-time negotiating process in the divisions of continuing education in the community colleges in Massachusetts. It records the process from its point of origin, the filing of a representation petition in 1983, to its conclusion in 1990, providing a detailed accounting from the author's perspective as Chair of the Personnel Committee of the Presidents' Council charged with overseeing the collective bargaining negotiations. It provides an historical perspective of the community colleges in Massachusetts as well as a description of their divisions of continuing education, particularly as it relates to their mandate to operate "at no expense to the Commonwealth," and the difficulty in attempting to find common ground for negotiating a satisfactory contract for fifteen very differently run entities. It also looks at the make-up of the unit which was certified by a 631 to 516 vote, a majority of whom were adjunct faculty. For the purposes of this document, adjunct faculty are teachers whose primary employment is other than the college. A review of relevant literature looks at negotiations relative to part-time faculty, public sector bargaining, the collective bargaining process as well as alternative forms of collective bargaining. The search supports the notion that there is little written that would shed light on the peculiarities of this particular process. In fact, when one considers all of the factors, these negotiations appear to be a hybrid form having characteristics of both public and private sector bargaining. Because of the antagonistic nature of the bargaining which saw challenges from the very beginning and included declarations of impasse, mediation, factfinding, and a strike, the author speculates on causative factors as well as alternative forms of bargaining which might be considered for the future. Despite the length of the process and the adversarial postures throughout, the outcome appears to be a reasonable contract with gains for unit members as well as the preservation of important Management's rights. Only the test of time will validate its effectiveness.

Hospital patients are at high risk for foodborne illness; it is essential that hospital foodservice managers know food safety principles. The purpose of this research was to assess the basic food safety knowledge of hospital foodservice managers and to determine their interest in continuing education related to food safety. A survey was mailed to a random sample of 500 acute care hospital foodservice managers in the United States. Usable surveys were returned by 264 (53%) of the managers. Managers correctly answered from 5 to 16 of the 16 basic food safety knowledge question (mean 14.0±1.7). Managers correctly answered questions relating to cross-contamination and risks for foodborne illness (98%), proper procedures for thawing meat, cooling foods, and the sequence for cleaning utensils and equipment (97%). Managers knew current recommendations for storing eggs, use of a steamtable, and could identify a potentially hazardous food (94%). Managers knew the proper sequence and time for hand washing (92%). Questions missed most frequently were end point cooking temperatures for ground beef (52% correct) and chicken (78% correct). However, when managers who chose higher temperatures than required are added, 93 and 94% of the managers would produce a safe product. Managers who chose a temperature lower than required need to review basic cooking procedures. Knowledge scores were not significantly different when the number of hospital meals served, type of hospital ownership or management, managers years in foodservice, years as a manager, education level, general certification, food safety certification, hours spent or planned learning food safety, or the managers own rating of food safety knowledge were compared to knowledge scores. Inservice training was the most used and most preferred method for learning about food safety. Time support from the hospital (66%) was most often identified as contributing to ease in learning about food safety, followed by financial support (57%). Lack of time (76%) and lack of interesting and convenient programs (39%) were most often identified as obstacles to learning. Managers (94%) were interested in learning more about food safety, especially about applying Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point principles to everyday foodservice procedures. / Graduation date: 2002

Both individual characteristics and organizational internal structure are significantly related to employees' participation in both kind of education and training, namely the firm-provided as well as self-chosen and paid education and training outside the firm. Those employees who are male and younger, those who are at higher end of job hierarchy, those who experienced more internal mobility, are more likely to participate in both kinds of education and training. They take the advantage of both kinds of education and training programs. / Cases of this study include 31736 employees from 410 enterprises, randomly sampled at China's county level from different regions in terms of economical development. Multilevel logistic regression was employed to model the impact of region, firm and individual characteristic on employees' participation in adult education and training. Dependent variables are classified in three groups in this study: (a) those employees who participated in the training provided by firm only, (b) those employees who participated in self-chosen and self-paid adult education and training outside firm only, and (c) those employees who participated in both two kinds of adult education and training. / In regard to employees' participation in firm provided training only, the labor market structural factors and the firms' internal organizational structure had the most explaining power, between these two firms' internal market characteristics had greater impact. A job position that an employee obtained is his/her niche in the labor market. The characteristics of an internal market is decisive for allocating training opportunities. Those employees at a position in advantage are likely to participate in firm supported training. That is, the higher an employee is at occupational hierarchy, the longer a person has worked in current firm, the greater the extent to which an employee has experienced changes in the workplace, the more likely that employee would take part in firm provided training. / In the context of global market and knowledge economy development, adult education and training are regarded as an important factor in keeping economic growth in China. They also become a means for individuals to acquire knowledge, skills and to enhance human capital, thus improving their ability in the job market. / In the fast-growing market-oriented economy in China, many employees have been involved in job-related education and training of various kinds. In the transition from the planned to a market economy, firms are more autonomous in the organization of production, and individuals are free to pursue their occupational aspirations. Firms and individual started to take responsibilities to invest in education and training in order to acquire competence. It is interesting to study who participate in adult education and training as an opportunity to update job skills. It is important to understand if that would have implications in improving the workforce quality. / The empirical analyses supported the hypothesis that employees' participation in adult education and training is determined by both individual characteristics and multi-level labor market structures. Both employees and their firms are embedded in certain social structure that could be facilitating or constraining in terms of making educational opportunities available to firms and individual employees. The findings clearly show that patterns of the three groups of independent variables having impact on the three types of participation choices vary. / These findings show that employees' participation in education and training is related to individual characteristics acquired before entering the labor market, and it is also related to the characteristics of labor market. Making education and training available for employees has become a practice to improve competence, which is vital to maintain sustainability. Therefore, it should give consideration to improving equality of participation for different groups of employees and reducing disparity between regions. A mechanism is necessary to coordinate education and training among sectors, such including education, economic sector and the government administration for the workforce. That would encourage the exchange of information between sectors and improve cooperation in developing programs for the workforce. In such a way, adult education and training can play an important role and meet skill training needs for different social groups. / This thesis takes employees' participation in education and training for a study. It is focused on the following research questions: Who had an opportunity to participate in adult education and training during the economic reform in mainland China? What are the factors affecting employees' participation? Based on human capital theory, labor market segmentation theory and organization theory, it is hypothesized that employees' individual characteristics, the firms' internal structural characteristics, and the firms' characteristics in relations to labor market all these multi-level factors have impact on employees' participation in adult education and training. Independent variables are accordingly deduced into three groups. Individual characteristics are those achieved status possessed by employees before entering into the labor market, include age, gender, marital status, initial education level. Characteristics of the firms' internal labor market is represented by the employees' job related characteristics in terms of job position, work experience in years, mobility, and the extent an employee experienced the firms' reform. An employee acquired these work-related attributes after having entered the firm, or being selected by a firm if one's individual characteristics were considered matching in the workplace. Finally, firms' characteristics, reflecting firms' attributes as compared to other firms in the market system, would affect resource allocation and labor requirements. These variables include firm size, the average education year of employee with in firm, the overall mobility of a firm's internal labor market, types of ownership, and the economic industrial sector that the firm belongs to. / Whether an employee has participated in self-paid adult education is an interaction of individual characteristics and labor market structure. Those employees who are male, younger, and who had senior secondary education are likely to participate in self-paid adult education. In regard to one's decision of participating in self-paid adult education or not, it mostly related to one's own individual characteristics. As an employee is embedded in the firm and then the firm embedded in the large labor market, his or her action is affected by the labor market structure, too, but those are the secondary factors. / 王蕊. / 呈交日期: 2006年2月. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2006. / 參考文獻(p. 213-232 ). / Cheng jiao ri qi: 2006 nian 2 yue. / Advisers: Jin Xiao; Nai-Kwai Lo. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: A, page: 4067. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest dissertations and theses, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / School code: 1307. / Lun wen (zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2006. / Can kao wen xian (p. 213-232 ). / Wang Rui.

Thesis (Ed.D)--Columbia University, 1952. / Typescript. Sponsor: Karl W. Bigelow. Dissertation Committee: Eleanor M. Witmer, Willard S. Elsbree. Type B project. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 174-184).

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the study performed in 2014 was to identify what the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) needs are of a selected group of electrical engineering professionals from one company in South Africa. The interpretivist research paradigm formed the basis for the “Interactive Qualitative Analysis” methodology used in the study. Due to limitations research was focused on only one constituency, a selected group of electrical engineering professionals in one organisation, which is close to, but have very little power over the specific phenomenon of CPD. Research activities included conducting focus group and individual interviews with participants to gain a better understanding of identified problem through the analysis and interpretation of the collected data. The phenomenon of CPD was found to lie within the spectrum of lifelong learning. Due to increasingly fast changing technological and work environments, practicing professionals take part in professional development, if it is compulsory or not, in order to stay competitive in the global arena. Research has shown that compulsory CPD for registered engineering professionals may further their professional development. From the “Possible Implications for CPD Provision for Engineering Professionals” document several issues and concerns were identified, which influence engineering professionals’ perception of the professional body. The CPD system and CPD provision facilitated by the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) may be one of the key reasons why many practicing engineers choose not to register professionally. Through this study the perceived and proposed CPD needs for the selected group of electrical engineering professionals have been identified, but to identify the actual needs of practicing engineering professionals in South Africa, a more detailed study will need to be done that should include all the constituencies that practice within the engineering environment or have any influence on the CPD phenomenon. The study also identified aspects that could help to improve the CPD system and the available CPD initiatives, and enhance the leadership from the professional body. This may positively influence the perception of practicing engineering professionals. Such positive perceptions could result in more practicing engineering professionals registering with ECSA and maintaining their professional registration. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie uitgevoer in 2014 was om die Voortgesette Professionele Ontwikkeling (VPO) behoeftes van ‘n geselekteerde groep elektriese ingenieurs van een maatskappy in Suid-Afrika te bepaal. Die interpretatiewe navorsingsparadigma het die “Interaktiewe Kwalitatiewe Analise” metodologie wat gebruik is in die studie onderlê. Binne die studie beperkinge is gefokus op slegs een konstituensie, ‘n geselekteerde groep professionele elektriese ingenieurs binne een organisasie, wie digby die spesifieke fenomeen van VPO funksioneer, maar baie beperkte mag daaroor het. Navorsingsaktiwiteite het fokusgroeponderhoude en individuele onderhoude met deelnemers ingesluit om ‘n beter begrip van die geïdentifiseerde probleem te verkry deur analise en interpretasie van die ingesamelde data. Die fenomeen van VPO lê binne die spektrum van lewenslange leer. As gevolg van ‘n toenemend snel veranderende tegnologiese en werksomgewing, neem professionele praktisyns deel aan professionele ontwikkeling, of dit verpligtend is of nie, en bly sodoende kompeterend in die globale arena. Maar navorsing het ook bewys dat verpligte VPO vir geregistreerde ingenieurspraktisyns hul professionele ontwikkeling tot voordeel kan strek. Vanuit die “Possible Implications for CPD Provision for Engineering Professionals” dokument is verskeie kwessies en knelpunte geïdentifiseer wat professionele ingenieurs se persepsies van die professionele liggaam mag beïnvloed. Die VPO sisteem en VPO verskaffing wat deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Raad vir Ingenieurswese (SARI) gefasiliteer word, mag een van die kernredes wees waarom vele ingenieurspraktisyns kies om nie professioneel te registreer nie. Die perseptuele en voorgestelde VPO behoeftes van ‘n geselekteerde groep professionele elektriese ingenieurspraktisyns is geïdentifiseer in hierdie studie, maar om die werklike behoeftes van professionele ingenieurspraktisyns in die breër Suid-Afrikaanse konteks te bepaal is ‘n meer gedetailleerde studie nodig wat al die konstituensies insluit wat praktiseer binne die ingenieursomgewing of die VPO fenomeen in dié konteks beïnvloed. Die studie het ook aspekte identifiseer wat kan help om die huidige VPO sisteem en insiatiewe te verbeter, en die leierskap van die professionele liggaam tot voordeel kan strek. Dit mag ‘n positiewe invloed hê op die persepsies van professionele ingenieurspraktisyns. Diesulke positiewe persepsies kan lei tot meer professionele ingenieurspraktisyns wat registreer by SARI en hul professionele registrasie byhou.

This research seeks to apply the concepts of collaborative learning and open learner modelling in order to find out whether seeing their own group learner model helps learners improve their learning in a computer-based collaborative learning environment. There is previous work on giving back information about learning performance as a group but very little, if any, empirical work on the benefits of a group open learner model (GOLM). A major benefit of collaborative learning is to encourage learners to learn further from what they cannot achieve when do it by themselves but they can manage with another. Combining this with viewing and judging the information about learning found in a learner model, it was expected that this would increase their learning awareness in order to improve their learning performance. Without such group learner models, learners might not improve their learning performance in the collaborative learning environment as much as they might. To find out whether opening the group learner models helped learners to improve their learning performance we developed a system called 'GOLeM', and we focused on the learner's score on learning concepts and their degree of confidence in their answer. GOLeM was used as a learning environment to test for evidence in relation to two comparisons of individual performance. The first was a comparison of individual performance between participants in a non computer-based individual learning environment and a computer-based collaborative learning environment. The second respect was to compare the results of learning in two different computer-based collaborative learning environments which were only different in terms of whether or not the learners could see their group learner model. The content of number-conversion is chosen for the domain knowledge. Dialogue games and sentence openers are used to implement a chat-tool to exchange beliefs between peers. Bar charts and textual explanations are used as external representations of learning performance as a group. The system was implemented and tested in two versions: paper-based, for the plausibility of the content and the user interface; and computer-based, for comparing the learning results among three different learning environments regarding the two respects above. To make sure what we built was valid – in terms of suitable content applied to the right target group of learners, we did several tests. These tests consist of a questionnaire with multiple choice questions applied to a small group of participants some of whom have a background in computing, and some have no background in computing. The questionnaire was examined for the suitability of its content and for the target group. A modified questionnaire was used with 122 participants who have a background in computing to validate in relation to the difficulty level and item discrimination. Five questions were selected as representative of the domain knowledge for a paper-based design and applied to six pairs of learners for the suitability of the questions and the number to be used, time taken, user interface, etc before developing the computer-based version. Regarding the comparison between participants in a non computer-based individual learning environment and a computer-based collaborative learning environment, the results show there is a significant difference at the 5% level in terms of learning concept-score and degree of confidence in favour of individual learning performance of learners in collaborative learning environment. Considering the comparison of learning between the two computer-based collaborative learning environments, participants who are able to see their learning performance as a group learner models both before the group test and after each item of the group test, have a slightly higher concept-score and improved degree of confidence than those who cannot see these learner models. Moreover there evidence regarding the participant's self-assessment and peer-assessment, their opinion of the helpfulness of seeing the group learner model and their satisfaction in using this system confirms that further study in this area is justified. It leads to the conclusion that in these specific circumstances, learners benefit more from learning and seeing their group learner model. However the evidence that we have here is not sufficient to answer whether it is likely to be true that other systems like this will always lead the better learning. As a result, we plan to continue our work in both similar and different directions to improve the strength of the conclusion that providing group learner model in a computer-based collaborative learning environment helps learners to benefit from learning. The thesis mainly contributes to both CSCL and AIED communities for further study of GOLeM itself. Regarding the AIED community, GOLeM can be used for the further study on the benefits of seeing learning performance as a group learner model both before and after performing a group-test. Regarding the CSCL community, using this GOLeM with either a larger or a wider variety of groups of learners focusing on knowledge contribution during the group-test for the concrete evidence to support that social interaction has an impact on collaborative learning. The evidence that we have found suggests that being able to see a GOLM improves learning. Though this evidence is not statistically significant, this thesis has provided the most thorough empirical examination of the benefits of a GOLM so far.

This thesis is concerned with understanding the nature and impact of strategic management education upon management behaviour and performance. Previous research findings are limited, with continuing research being proposed. The aim of this research is to fill respective gaps. The research is carried out in the German machinery and equipment industry sector. This sector was selected because it is of strategic importance for Germany’s economy and it is faced with imminent and ongoing challenges. The research concentrates on small and medium sized companies as these companies dominate this sector. The desk research consists of a comprehensive literature review on the subjects: strategic management, SME community and research sector, previous empirical research results and management education. The field research adopts a quantitative methodology with a survey questionnaire in a cross sectional time horizon. The field research is complemented by six “micro case studies” using qualitative data from the questionnaire and publicly available information. Findings suggest that management education and, in particular, strategic management does not play an important role in German universities. Engineering faculties generally neglect strategic management education in their curricula. Evidence suggests that executives with engineering background have less knowledge in strategic management and generate a lower return on sales than those with business economic background or MBA qualified. From the research findings it can be concluded that German SMEs in the machinery and equipment sector profit from the implementation of strategic management. This thesis closes with recommendations to policy makers regarding management education in Germany and proposals for further research.