Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / W. Franklin Spikes / The United States (U.S.) response to events in Africa in the 1990s—warlords in Somalia, the genocide in Rwanda, the crisis in Burundi, and the destruction of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania—was the development of the African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI) followed by the African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. This study examined the impact of the command and staff operational skills portion of the ACOTA program to determine how well it prepared Ghanaian commanders and staff officers to conduct peace support operations under the auspices of a legitimate mandate. The importance of this program was revealed in its wide acceptance by the African leaders of 24 participating nations, by its ongoing support by the U.S. State Department, and by the budgetary increases it has received from the U.S. Congress over the years. This case study used qualitative methods to capture and analyze the self-reported perceptions of the course participants. Findings discovered that the students perceived the program as effective; team building was a perceived strength; U.S.-Ghanaian cultural differences were not perceived as effecting training; the teaching methodology instilled confidence to perform the mission; and course reference material, books, and CD-ROMs were valued. Results also showed that the time allowed for the course was insufficient; contingency training did not familiarize students with their mission area; students required timely notification to attend the course in order to properly prepare; and the course benefited the junior officers more than the senior officers.

Réalisé en collaboration avec l'équipe de l'Unité de jour de diabète de l'Hôtel-Dieu du CHUM: Hortensia Mircescu M.D., Françoise Desrochers, Michelle Messier et Stéphanie Chanel Lefort. / BUT : Cette étude longitudinale a pour objectif d’évaluer l’impact à court terme des programmes d’enseignement sur l’autogestion du diabète dispensés par l’équipe multidisciplinaire de l’Unité de jour de diabète (UJD) de l’Hôtel-Dieu du CHUM. L'UJD offre une formation de 4 jours (F4), avec une intervention mixte de type individuelle et de groupe, et une autre de 2 jours (F2), avec une intervention de groupe uniquement. MÉTHODE : En plus des mesures liées au contrôle métabolique (hémoglobine glyquée, indice de masse corporelle), des outils validés ont été retenus afin d’évaluer le niveau de littératie des patients, de même que les connaissances, les comportements d’autogestion et les attitudes par rapport au diabète à 0, 1 et 6 mois d’intervalle. Un total de 43 patients a été recruté, dont 13 en F2 et 30 en F4. RÉSULTATS : Âgés en moyenne de 59 ans, 77% des participants aux formations ont une scolarité de niveau collégial et plus. Cela les situe à un niveau satisfaisant de littératie, c'est-à-dire au regard de l’aptitude à comprendre et à utiliser l’information écrite dans la vie courante. En revanche, 64% des patients qui ne se sont pas présentés au cours (N=11) avaient un niveau de scolarité équivalent ou inférieur à un secondaire cinq. Les données analysées à l’aide de tests non-paramétriques montrent que les formations permettent à court terme une amélioration significative du contrôle métabolique des patients (p=0,042; N=33) et une perte pondérale moyenne de 2,4 kg (p=0,004; N=27). Les deux types de formations favorisent l’augmentation des connaissances sur la maladie (p=0,000 2jrs/4jrs) et contribuent à faire progresser favorablement les attitudes, soit de façon significative dans le cas des participants à la formation de 4 jours (p=0,000). La formation de 2 jours s’avère particulièrement efficace pour améliorer les comportements d’autosoins comme la prise de glycémie et les soins des pieds, alors qu’elle n’a eu que très peu d’effet sur les comportements liés au mode de vie. CONCLUSION : Les résultats de cette étude sont en faveur d’une intervention de type mixte et d’un plus grand nombre d’heures de contact entre les éducateurs et éducatrices et la ou le patient. Les données suggèrent finalement que bien que les interventions soient efficaces, ce sont les patients déjà fortement scolarisés qui tendent à participer à ce type de formation structurée. / OBJECTIVES : The objective of this longitudinal study is to evaluate the short term impact of diabetes self-management programs given by the multidisciplinary team of the CHUM Hôtel-Dieu Diabetes Day-Care Unit over 2-days (T2) or 4-days (T4) training sessions. METHODS : A total of 43 patients were recruited; 13 in the 2-day program, providing only group intervention and 30 in the 4-day program, providing both group and individual interventions. Besides measures of metabolic control (glycated haemoglobin, body-mass index), validated tools were used to evaluate literacy, as well as knowledge, self-care behaviours, and attitudes towards diabetes (at 0, 1 and 6 months). RESULTS : The average age of patients participating in the training sessions is 59 years old, and 77% have reached collegial or higher educational levels. This gives them sufficient literacy skills in terms of capacity to understand and use written information in everyday life. However, 64 % of the patients that did not show up or complete the training (N=11) had educational levels equal or lower to secondary 5. Outcome data, analyzed with nonparametric tests, show that diabetes self-management education programs of the Hôtel-Dieu CHUM lead to significant short-term improvement of metabolic control in patients (p=0,042, N=33) and result in a average weight loss of 2.4 kg (p=0,004, N=27). Both types of training increase patients knowledge of the disease (p=0,000 F2/F4), and the 4-days training session significantly contribute to positive attitudes towards the disease (p=0,000). The 2-days training program is particularly effective in improving self-care behaviours such as blood glucose monitoring and foot care, but it had very little effect on behaviours related to lifestyle. CONCLUSION : These results show that the 4-day program has proven more effective in improving self-management competency suggesting that the duration of interaction time between educators and patient seems to be a good predictor of the impact of the training. Although interventions are found to be effective, outcomes ultimately suggest that it is mostly patients with higher education that tend to participate in this formal training.

Les tendances de la participation à la formation des adultes au Canada n’ont pas évolué depuis des décennies, malgré les nouvelles influences économiques qui ont stimulé l’augmentation et la diversification permanente de la formation des employés et malgré les initiatives plus nombreuses en faveur de l’apprentissage des employés en milieu de travail. Il est donc nécessaire de ne plus se contenter d’étudier les prédicteurs de la formation déjà connus dans les profils des employés et des employeurs. Il est, en revanche, indispensable d’étudier les antécédents de la participation des employés à la formation, y compris les aspects et les étapes du processus qui la précède. Cette étude porte sur les antécédents de la participation des employés aux formations dans un important collège communautaire urbain en Ontario. Afin de préparer le recueil des données, un cadre théorique a été élaboré à partir du concept d’expression de la demande. Ce cadre implique l’existence d’un processus qui comporte plusieurs étapes, au cours desquelles plusieurs intervenants interagissent et dont la formation est susceptible d’être le résultat. Les résultats de l’enquête sur le profil d’apprentissage ont permis de conclure que le comportement des employés et de l’employeur est conforme aux modèles de prédicteurs existants et que les taux et les types de participation étaient similaires aux tendances nationales et internationales. L’analyse des entrevues d’un groupe d’employés atypiques, de leurs superviseurs, ainsi que de représentants du collège et du syndicat, a révélé d’importants thèmes clés : l’expression de la demande n’est pas structurée et elle est communiquée par plusieurs canaux, en excluant parfois les superviseurs. De plus, la place de l’auto évaluation est importante, ainsi que la phase de prise de décision. Ces thèmes ont souligné l’interaction de plusieurs intervenants dans le processus d’expression de la demande d’apprentissage et pendant la prise de décision. L’examen des attentes de chacun de ces intervenants au cours de ce processus nous a permis de découvrir un désir tacite chez les superviseurs et les employés, à savoir que la conversation soit à l’initiative de « l’autre ». Ces thèmes clés ont été ensuite abordés dans une discussion qui a révélé une discordance entre le profil de l’employeur et les profils des employés. Celle-ci se prête à la correction par l’employeur de son profil institutionnel pour l’harmoniser avec le profil dispositionnel des employés et optimiser ainsi vraisemblablement son offre de formation. Ils doivent, pour cela, appliquer un processus plus systématique et plus structuré, doté de meilleurs outils. La discussion a porté finalement sur les effets des motivations économiques sur la participation des employés et a permis de conclure que, bien que les employés ne semblent pas se méfier de l’offre de formation de l’employeur et que celle ci ne semble pas non plus les décourager, des questions de pouvoir sont bel et bien en jeu. Elles se sont principalement manifestées pendant le processus de prise de décision et, à cet égard, les superviseurs comme les employés reconnaissent qu’un processus plus structuré serait bénéfique, puisqu’il atténuerait les problèmes d’asymétrie et d’ambiguïté. Les constatations de cette étude sont pertinentes pour le secteur de la formation des adultes et de la formation en milieu de travail et, plus particulièrement, pour la méthodologie de recherche. Nous avons constaté l’avantage d’une méthodologie à deux volets, à l’écoute de l’employeur et des employés, afin de mieux comprendre la relation entre l’offre de formation et la participation à la formation. La définition des antécédents de la participation sous la forme d’un processus dans lequel plusieurs intervenants remplissent plusieurs rôles a permis de créer un modèle plus détaillé qui servira à la recherche future. Ce dernier a démontré qu’il est indispensable de reconnaître que la prise de décision constitue une étape à part entière, située entre l’expression de la demande et la participation à la formation. Ces constatations ont également révélé qu’il est véritablement indispensable que le secteur de la formation des adultes continue à traiter les questions reliées à la reconnaissance de la formation informelle. Ces conclusions et la discussion sur les constatations clés nous ont inspiré des recommandations à appliquer pour modifier les retombées du processus précédant la participation des employés à la formation. La majorité de ces recommandations ont trait à l’infrastructure de ce processus et ciblent donc principalement l’employeur. Certaines recommandations sont cependant destinées aux syndicats, aux superviseurs et aux employés qui peuvent aider l’employeur à remplir son rôle et favoriser la participation efficace de tous à ce processus. Les recommandations qui précédent impliquent que ce sont les antécédents de la formation qui gagneraient à être plus structurés et non la formation elle même. La structuration de l’infrastructure de l’apprentissage présente cependant des risques à elle seule. En liaison avec ce phénomène, une étude spécifique des effets de la nature, de la qualité et de l’asymétrie de la relation superviseur employé sur la participation des employés à la formation serait bénéfique. Mots clés : formation en entreprise, formation professionnelle continue, antécédents à la participation, employés de soutien / Trends in adult learning participation in Canada have remained unchanged for decades. This is despite emerging economic pressures to increase and widen continuous employee participation in learning and despite increased efforts towards employee learning in the workplace. This means that there is a need to go beyond examining the already well-established learning predictor profiles of employees and employers. There is in fact a need to examine the antecedents to participation, including aspects and steps of the process that precedes participation. This study set out to research the antecedents to participation in employer-sponsored learning among the support staff population in a large, urban community college in Ontario. In preparation for the data collection, a theoretical framework was developed based on the concept of expression of demand. This framework implies that there is a multi-step process involving interactions between several parties and wherein participation may be the outcome. Based on the results of the Learning Profile Survey, the employees and the employer were found to be behaving according to existing predictor models and the rates and types of participation were similar to national and international trends. The analysis of the interviews conducted among a group of atypical employees, their supervisors, as well as with representatives from the college and from the union, revealed important key themes: informality of the expression of demand through multiple channels, sometimes excluding the supervisors, the reliance on self-assessment, and the importance of the decision-making phase. These themes reinforced the fact that there are several parties interacting during the process of expressing demand for learning and during decision-making. By examining the expectations of each party during the process, we uncovered a tacit desire by the supervisors and by the employees to have “the other” initiate the conversation. The key themes were then discussed in relation to the research and knowledge gaps identified as the basis and context for this study. In this light, the misalignment between the employer and the employees’ profiles revealed some opportunities for the employer to address its institutional profile in order to better match the employees’ dispositional profile and thus be more likely to maximize the employer’s learning offer. The deconstruction of the antecedents to participation in learning activities provided insights along the same lines. Here there are opportunities for the employer, the supervisors and the union to better support the employees in the identification of their learning needs and the articulation of their learning demand by providing a more systematic, more formalized process with better tools. This would once again be a better match for the employees’ situational and dispositional profile. Finally, the discussion examined the impact of the economic drivers on the employees’ participation and concluded that even though the employees did not appear suspicious or deterred by the employer’s offer of learning, there are indeed issues of power in play. Those manifested themselves mainly during the decision-making process, and in this regard, both the supervisors and the employees agree that a more formalized process would be beneficial as a way to mitigate the issue of asymmetry and the issue of ambiguity. The findings of this study have implications for the field of adult education and workplace learning, particularly in regards to research methodology. We found that the use of mix methodology capturing the employer and the employees’ voice was beneficial in providing new insights about the alignment between the offer and the uptake. The recognition of the antecedents to participation as a process involving several, multi-faceted actors allowed for the creation of a more detailed model useful for further research. It identified the need to separate decision-making as a stand-alone step between the expression of demand and participation in learning. The findings also reinforced the need for the field of adult education to continue to address issues related to the recognition of informal learning. Based on the results and the discussion of key findings there are several recommendations that can be considered if we are to affect the outcome of the process preceding employee participation in learning. Most of the recommendations pertain to the infrastructure that supports the process and therefore are largely targeted at the employer. However, as the employers consider the implementation of a more solid infrastructure and the use of more intervention methods, there are recommendations for unions, supervisors and for employees that can assist the employer living up to its role and facilitate everyone’s effective participation in the process. The above recommendations imply that it is the antecedents to learning that could benefit from greater formality, not the learning itself. On the other hand, there are risks associated with formalizing even the infrastructure for learning. Future research should further explore the new type of workplace learning participants for whom participation is an expression of control and power over their work. In relation to this phenomenon, a specific study on the impact of the nature, quality and asymmetry of the supervisor-employee relationship on employee participation in learning would be beneficial. Keywords: workplace learning, antecedents to participation, support staff

Online communities of practice (CoPs) provide social spaces for people to connect, learn, and engage with one another around shared interests and passions. CoPs are innovatively employed within industry and education for their inherent knowledge management characteristics and as a means of improving professional practice. Measuring the success of a CoP is a challenge researchers are examining through various strategies. Recent literature supports measuring community effectiveness through the perceptions of its members; however, evaluating a community by means of member perception introduces complicating factors from outside the community. In order to gain insight into the importance of external factors, this quantitative study examined the influence of factors in the professional lives of educators on their perceptions of their CoP experience. Through an empirical examination of CoPs employed to connect educators and advance their professional learning, canonical correlation analysis was used to examine correlations between factors believed to be influential on the experiences of community members.

Leadership theories have evolved since their inception and leadership development should also evolve in response to the changing needs of their organizations. There is a gap in the literature on the functionality of the various 360-feedback platforms that are mentioned in literature which makes it difficult to understand what reporting functionality is available in existing systems. The goal of this study was to examine participants' views of a newly developed Adaptive Learning 360-feedback (AL360) treatment platform for leadership development with a focus on self-directed learning for improved accountability. Participants were asked to share their learning development experience in the areas of person, process, and context with suggestions for improvement and how did this development compare to any other leadership development that they had experienced in the past. The AL360 platform was built by applying the research findings of scholars in the areas of leadership, 360-feedback leadership development and educational technologies. The treatment was applied in a business setting for all levels of leadership development. The case study identified creation of leadership of self-awareness and accountability for development without significant intervention of an executive coach. The research findings also list improvement opportunities, limitations, and future considerations.

BUT : Cette étude longitudinale a pour objectif d’évaluer l’impact à court terme des programmes d’enseignement sur l’autogestion du diabète dispensés par l’équipe multidisciplinaire de l’Unité de jour de diabète (UJD) de l’Hôtel-Dieu du CHUM. L'UJD offre une formation de 4 jours (F4), avec une intervention mixte de type individuelle et de groupe, et une autre de 2 jours (F2), avec une intervention de groupe uniquement. MÉTHODE : En plus des mesures liées au contrôle métabolique (hémoglobine glyquée, indice de masse corporelle), des outils validés ont été retenus afin d’évaluer le niveau de littératie des patients, de même que les connaissances, les comportements d’autogestion et les attitudes par rapport au diabète à 0, 1 et 6 mois d’intervalle. Un total de 43 patients a été recruté, dont 13 en F2 et 30 en F4. RÉSULTATS : Âgés en moyenne de 59 ans, 77% des participants aux formations ont une scolarité de niveau collégial et plus. Cela les situe à un niveau satisfaisant de littératie, c'est-à-dire au regard de l’aptitude à comprendre et à utiliser l’information écrite dans la vie courante. En revanche, 64% des patients qui ne se sont pas présentés au cours (N=11) avaient un niveau de scolarité équivalent ou inférieur à un secondaire cinq. Les données analysées à l’aide de tests non-paramétriques montrent que les formations permettent à court terme une amélioration significative du contrôle métabolique des patients (p=0,042; N=33) et une perte pondérale moyenne de 2,4 kg (p=0,004; N=27). Les deux types de formations favorisent l’augmentation des connaissances sur la maladie (p=0,000 2jrs/4jrs) et contribuent à faire progresser favorablement les attitudes, soit de façon significative dans le cas des participants à la formation de 4 jours (p=0,000). La formation de 2 jours s’avère particulièrement efficace pour améliorer les comportements d’autosoins comme la prise de glycémie et les soins des pieds, alors qu’elle n’a eu que très peu d’effet sur les comportements liés au mode de vie. CONCLUSION : Les résultats de cette étude sont en faveur d’une intervention de type mixte et d’un plus grand nombre d’heures de contact entre les éducateurs et éducatrices et la ou le patient. Les données suggèrent finalement que bien que les interventions soient efficaces, ce sont les patients déjà fortement scolarisés qui tendent à participer à ce type de formation structurée. / OBJECTIVES : The objective of this longitudinal study is to evaluate the short term impact of diabetes self-management programs given by the multidisciplinary team of the CHUM Hôtel-Dieu Diabetes Day-Care Unit over 2-days (T2) or 4-days (T4) training sessions. METHODS : A total of 43 patients were recruited; 13 in the 2-day program, providing only group intervention and 30 in the 4-day program, providing both group and individual interventions. Besides measures of metabolic control (glycated haemoglobin, body-mass index), validated tools were used to evaluate literacy, as well as knowledge, self-care behaviours, and attitudes towards diabetes (at 0, 1 and 6 months). RESULTS : The average age of patients participating in the training sessions is 59 years old, and 77% have reached collegial or higher educational levels. This gives them sufficient literacy skills in terms of capacity to understand and use written information in everyday life. However, 64 % of the patients that did not show up or complete the training (N=11) had educational levels equal or lower to secondary 5. Outcome data, analyzed with nonparametric tests, show that diabetes self-management education programs of the Hôtel-Dieu CHUM lead to significant short-term improvement of metabolic control in patients (p=0,042, N=33) and result in a average weight loss of 2.4 kg (p=0,004, N=27). Both types of training increase patients knowledge of the disease (p=0,000 F2/F4), and the 4-days training session significantly contribute to positive attitudes towards the disease (p=0,000). The 2-days training program is particularly effective in improving self-care behaviours such as blood glucose monitoring and foot care, but it had very little effect on behaviours related to lifestyle. CONCLUSION : These results show that the 4-day program has proven more effective in improving self-management competency suggesting that the duration of interaction time between educators and patient seems to be a good predictor of the impact of the training. Although interventions are found to be effective, outcomes ultimately suggest that it is mostly patients with higher education that tend to participate in this formal training. / Réalisé en collaboration avec l'équipe de l'Unité de jour de diabète de l'Hôtel-Dieu du CHUM: Hortensia Mircescu M.D., Françoise Desrochers, Michelle Messier et Stéphanie Chanel Lefort.

Les tendances de la participation à la formation des adultes au Canada n’ont pas évolué depuis des décennies, malgré les nouvelles influences économiques qui ont stimulé l’augmentation et la diversification permanente de la formation des employés et malgré les initiatives plus nombreuses en faveur de l’apprentissage des employés en milieu de travail. Il est donc nécessaire de ne plus se contenter d’étudier les prédicteurs de la formation déjà connus dans les profils des employés et des employeurs. Il est, en revanche, indispensable d’étudier les antécédents de la participation des employés à la formation, y compris les aspects et les étapes du processus qui la précède. Cette étude porte sur les antécédents de la participation des employés aux formations dans un important collège communautaire urbain en Ontario. Afin de préparer le recueil des données, un cadre théorique a été élaboré à partir du concept d’expression de la demande. Ce cadre implique l’existence d’un processus qui comporte plusieurs étapes, au cours desquelles plusieurs intervenants interagissent et dont la formation est susceptible d’être le résultat. Les résultats de l’enquête sur le profil d’apprentissage ont permis de conclure que le comportement des employés et de l’employeur est conforme aux modèles de prédicteurs existants et que les taux et les types de participation étaient similaires aux tendances nationales et internationales. L’analyse des entrevues d’un groupe d’employés atypiques, de leurs superviseurs, ainsi que de représentants du collège et du syndicat, a révélé d’importants thèmes clés : l’expression de la demande n’est pas structurée et elle est communiquée par plusieurs canaux, en excluant parfois les superviseurs. De plus, la place de l’auto évaluation est importante, ainsi que la phase de prise de décision. Ces thèmes ont souligné l’interaction de plusieurs intervenants dans le processus d’expression de la demande d’apprentissage et pendant la prise de décision. L’examen des attentes de chacun de ces intervenants au cours de ce processus nous a permis de découvrir un désir tacite chez les superviseurs et les employés, à savoir que la conversation soit à l’initiative de « l’autre ». Ces thèmes clés ont été ensuite abordés dans une discussion qui a révélé une discordance entre le profil de l’employeur et les profils des employés. Celle-ci se prête à la correction par l’employeur de son profil institutionnel pour l’harmoniser avec le profil dispositionnel des employés et optimiser ainsi vraisemblablement son offre de formation. Ils doivent, pour cela, appliquer un processus plus systématique et plus structuré, doté de meilleurs outils. La discussion a porté finalement sur les effets des motivations économiques sur la participation des employés et a permis de conclure que, bien que les employés ne semblent pas se méfier de l’offre de formation de l’employeur et que celle ci ne semble pas non plus les décourager, des questions de pouvoir sont bel et bien en jeu. Elles se sont principalement manifestées pendant le processus de prise de décision et, à cet égard, les superviseurs comme les employés reconnaissent qu’un processus plus structuré serait bénéfique, puisqu’il atténuerait les problèmes d’asymétrie et d’ambiguïté. Les constatations de cette étude sont pertinentes pour le secteur de la formation des adultes et de la formation en milieu de travail et, plus particulièrement, pour la méthodologie de recherche. Nous avons constaté l’avantage d’une méthodologie à deux volets, à l’écoute de l’employeur et des employés, afin de mieux comprendre la relation entre l’offre de formation et la participation à la formation. La définition des antécédents de la participation sous la forme d’un processus dans lequel plusieurs intervenants remplissent plusieurs rôles a permis de créer un modèle plus détaillé qui servira à la recherche future. Ce dernier a démontré qu’il est indispensable de reconnaître que la prise de décision constitue une étape à part entière, située entre l’expression de la demande et la participation à la formation. Ces constatations ont également révélé qu’il est véritablement indispensable que le secteur de la formation des adultes continue à traiter les questions reliées à la reconnaissance de la formation informelle. Ces conclusions et la discussion sur les constatations clés nous ont inspiré des recommandations à appliquer pour modifier les retombées du processus précédant la participation des employés à la formation. La majorité de ces recommandations ont trait à l’infrastructure de ce processus et ciblent donc principalement l’employeur. Certaines recommandations sont cependant destinées aux syndicats, aux superviseurs et aux employés qui peuvent aider l’employeur à remplir son rôle et favoriser la participation efficace de tous à ce processus. Les recommandations qui précédent impliquent que ce sont les antécédents de la formation qui gagneraient à être plus structurés et non la formation elle même. La structuration de l’infrastructure de l’apprentissage présente cependant des risques à elle seule. En liaison avec ce phénomène, une étude spécifique des effets de la nature, de la qualité et de l’asymétrie de la relation superviseur employé sur la participation des employés à la formation serait bénéfique. Mots clés : formation en entreprise, formation professionnelle continue, antécédents à la participation, employés de soutien / Trends in adult learning participation in Canada have remained unchanged for decades. This is despite emerging economic pressures to increase and widen continuous employee participation in learning and despite increased efforts towards employee learning in the workplace. This means that there is a need to go beyond examining the already well-established learning predictor profiles of employees and employers. There is in fact a need to examine the antecedents to participation, including aspects and steps of the process that precedes participation. This study set out to research the antecedents to participation in employer-sponsored learning among the support staff population in a large, urban community college in Ontario. In preparation for the data collection, a theoretical framework was developed based on the concept of expression of demand. This framework implies that there is a multi-step process involving interactions between several parties and wherein participation may be the outcome. Based on the results of the Learning Profile Survey, the employees and the employer were found to be behaving according to existing predictor models and the rates and types of participation were similar to national and international trends. The analysis of the interviews conducted among a group of atypical employees, their supervisors, as well as with representatives from the college and from the union, revealed important key themes: informality of the expression of demand through multiple channels, sometimes excluding the supervisors, the reliance on self-assessment, and the importance of the decision-making phase. These themes reinforced the fact that there are several parties interacting during the process of expressing demand for learning and during decision-making. By examining the expectations of each party during the process, we uncovered a tacit desire by the supervisors and by the employees to have “the other” initiate the conversation. The key themes were then discussed in relation to the research and knowledge gaps identified as the basis and context for this study. In this light, the misalignment between the employer and the employees’ profiles revealed some opportunities for the employer to address its institutional profile in order to better match the employees’ dispositional profile and thus be more likely to maximize the employer’s learning offer. The deconstruction of the antecedents to participation in learning activities provided insights along the same lines. Here there are opportunities for the employer, the supervisors and the union to better support the employees in the identification of their learning needs and the articulation of their learning demand by providing a more systematic, more formalized process with better tools. This would once again be a better match for the employees’ situational and dispositional profile. Finally, the discussion examined the impact of the economic drivers on the employees’ participation and concluded that even though the employees did not appear suspicious or deterred by the employer’s offer of learning, there are indeed issues of power in play. Those manifested themselves mainly during the decision-making process, and in this regard, both the supervisors and the employees agree that a more formalized process would be beneficial as a way to mitigate the issue of asymmetry and the issue of ambiguity. The findings of this study have implications for the field of adult education and workplace learning, particularly in regards to research methodology. We found that the use of mix methodology capturing the employer and the employees’ voice was beneficial in providing new insights about the alignment between the offer and the uptake. The recognition of the antecedents to participation as a process involving several, multi-faceted actors allowed for the creation of a more detailed model useful for further research. It identified the need to separate decision-making as a stand-alone step between the expression of demand and participation in learning. The findings also reinforced the need for the field of adult education to continue to address issues related to the recognition of informal learning. Based on the results and the discussion of key findings there are several recommendations that can be considered if we are to affect the outcome of the process preceding employee participation in learning. Most of the recommendations pertain to the infrastructure that supports the process and therefore are largely targeted at the employer. However, as the employers consider the implementation of a more solid infrastructure and the use of more intervention methods, there are recommendations for unions, supervisors and for employees that can assist the employer living up to its role and facilitate everyone’s effective participation in the process. The above recommendations imply that it is the antecedents to learning that could benefit from greater formality, not the learning itself. On the other hand, there are risks associated with formalizing even the infrastructure for learning. Future research should further explore the new type of workplace learning participants for whom participation is an expression of control and power over their work. In relation to this phenomenon, a specific study on the impact of the nature, quality and asymmetry of the supervisor-employee relationship on employee participation in learning would be beneficial. Keywords: workplace learning, antecedents to participation, support staff

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / W. Franklin Spikes / The purpose of this study was to further develop an understanding of the nature of the adaptation process of adult first generation students to the undergraduate college experience. This study utilized the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) in conjunction with personal interviews to explore whether first generation adult college students adapt differently to college than do their continuing generation peers and if there is a commonality of experience, across demographic differences, for first generation, adult college students. Fifty-five adult college freshmen were surveyed using the SACQ. From this sample, sixteen first generation volunteers were interviewed regarding their college experience. T-test analysis of the SACQ scores showed that the first generation students were not adjusting to college as well as their continuing generation peers on the overall measure to adjustment and on three of the four subscales. The personal interviews indicated that while there was variation in the first generation students’ adaptation with seven of the sixteen volunteers classified as adjusting poorly to college, three with mixed adjustment, and five with good adjustment, there were also commonalities in the students’ experience, regardless how well they were adjusting to college. Eleven meta themes emerged from the interview data, and these themes correlated with characteristics of nonpersisters as compiled by Kasworm, Polson, and Fishback (2002). This research indicated that further investigation into adult first generation college students is appropriate especially with regard to how these adults view themselves as role models. In addition, this study indicates a need for future research into the links between adult students’ first generation status and persistence problems in their college experience.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Jacqueline D. Spears / The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between demographic and educational variables, epistemological beliefs as measured by Schommer’s Epistemological Questionnaire (SEQ), and learner perception of selfdirectedness as measured by Guglielmino’s Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS). Participants in this study were undergraduate adult students at a private university in the Midwest region of the United States (N=394). The instruments were administered online during regularly scheduled courses. Data were analyzed at the p<.05 level of significance using Pearson product-moment correlations, factor analysis, stepwise multiple regression, and other statistical techniques. Results of this research included several significant correlations between demographic and educational variables, SEQ factors, and SDLRS total and factor scores. The educational variables of class standing, exposure to the humanities, and exposure to the social sciences significantly correlated with five SDLRS and SEQ total and factor scores. The greatest number of correlations occurred between SEQ factor 2, thinking for yourself is a waste of time, and the SDLRS factors of openness to learning opportunities, view of self as an effective and independent learner, independence and initiative in learning, responsibility for learning, and creativity. Other significant correlations with SEQ factors and SDLRS total and factor scores included age, gender, race, marital status, mother’s and father’s education level, credit earned through independent studies, cohort or non-cohort program type, grade point average, and exposure to learning contracts. Significant findings from the correlations of demographic and educational variables (p<.002) and SEQ factors (p<.05) with SDLRS total scores were entered into a stepwise multiple regression. One educational variable and three SEQ factors accounted for 25.7% of the variance in SDLRS total scores. Several suggestions for the development of expanded empirical and theoretical research initiatives and the improvement of practice were offered. This research provided a clear and compelling rationale for the establishment of adult degree programs which are grounded in the liberal arts, include both career and personal development activities, and allow for increased opportunities for learner self-direction to occur. These elements are necessary to build what Kegan (1994) called a developmental bridge for adult learners.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / F. Todd Goodson / Professional development of in-service teachers continues to increase, but not all programs are successful in promoting teacher learning and student improvement. This qualitative study offers an examination of how one professional development program, The National Writing Project, with its teachers-teaching-teachers model is making a difference. The National Writing Project is one of the longest running, most cost-efficient, and most successful professional development programs in education. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing teacher transformation. Five areas were addressed: (1) the identification of transformation factors; (2) the relationship of personal literacy as it affects professional change; (3) being a member of a learning community and how it affects personal learning; (4) being a member of a learning community and how it affects professional learning; and (5) the role of spirituality in transformation. The setting was the National Writing Project's Invitational Summer Institute as it examined how fellows, first time participants, perceived their learning. Participants were from 17 different writing project sites across the United States. Data collection involved three distinct sources: (1) selection of participant and rationale provided by site directors of writing project sites; (2) audio-taped long interviews of each participant; and, (3) a follow-up focus group conducted in an electronic discussion board. The findings highlighted an interweaving of five factors influencing teacher transformation: (1) identification and application of knowledge for self and students; (2) reflection of learning and practice; (3) collaboration; (4) active and on-going involvement; and, (5) supportive and safe environment. When these five transformative factors are designed and implemented in the professional development of teacher in-service, teachers are provided an opportunity to personally learn which leads to professional learning and improved instruction for student learning. Excerpts from each data collection, recommendations for future research, and appendices to replicate the study are provided.