The Technological Immersion Learning Theory (TILT) was developed through a classic grounded theory study in the seminal tradition of Glaser and Strauss (1967) and Glaser (1978, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2007). The purpose of the study was to investigate an exemplary case of self-determined technology enthusiasts in the hopes of generating a substantive grounded theory that conceptualizes their experiences and concerns. Twelve unstructured interviews of amateur radio enthusiasts from the eastern United States provided the initial / primary data for this study. Experimenting and self-teaching in technological activities was highlighted as the main concern of the participants. The basic social process (BSP) of technological immersion learning (TIL) emerged as a theoretical construct and core variable that illuminates the experiences of individuals immersed in a community of practice, where hands-on engagement with technology is a primary activity. Adventuring, Affirmation, Doing Technology, Experimenting, Overcoming Challenge, Self-teaching, and Social Networking were properties of technological immersion learning that interact dialectically in an amplifying causal loop, with Problem solving and Designing as active sub processes in response to unmet challenges. TIL occurs cyclically in three stages, beginning with Induction, a credentialing stage wherein the neophyte is prepared with the necessary knowledge and skill to become a novice participant in an activity. The transition from Induction into the Immersion phase is a status passage whereby the novice is absorbed into the technical culture of the group and commences autonomous active participation in hands-on experimenting. Hands-on experiences with experimenting, problem solving and social interactions provide diverse learning and affirmation for the doer and multiple sources of feedback that promote sustained engagement. The transition into the Maturation phase proceeds gradually over time, with prolonged engagement and cumulative gains in knowledge, skill, and experience. Maturation is a quasi-stable state that remains responsive to new contexts as a random-walk process, wherein trigger events can initiate new cycles of technological immersion learning in a perpetually evolving process of personal development. Engagement, Empowerment, and Self-Actualization are underlying dimensions of the TIL basic social process that provide the impetus for continued persistence and personal development. / Ph. D.

From 1959 -1964, the Prince Edward County, VA School Board closed down its public schools to circumvent the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling declaring separate public schools for Black and White students "inherently unequal" and the 1955 Brown II ruling to desegregate public schools with "all deliberate speed." For five years, more than 1700 African American children received no public education in the county, as White children attended a newly-constructed and private Prince Edward Academy. While some students left Prince Edward to reside with relatives, others were placed with families by the American Friends Service Committee. However, the majority of Black children remained in the county without formalized public instruction. This study investigated the perceived impact of The Closing on adult self-directed learning, lifelong learning, occupational choices and success within a family with sixteen of its twenty-one children forced from school. Via audio-/video-taped interviews, three participants reflected upon their "lived experiences" during and since The Closing. Transcribed data were coded and analyzed based upon the major and underlying research questions guiding the study. Nine major conclusions were drawn from its findings: (a) The Closing perceivably impacted immediate educational goals of participants differently, (b) The Closing perceivably impacted specific and general long-range educational goals, (c) Participants have pursued educational goals via supportive spouses/family members and adult self-directed/lifelong learning measures, (d) Following the re-opening of schools, all respondents graduated high school, and two later enrolled in academic learning centers, (e) Self-directed learning has played an essential role in the lives of all participants, (f) All participants considered themselves life-long learners, (g) The Closing perceivably impacted the career plans of one participant, (h) Respondents acquired manufacturing and/or labor positions and were successfully employed throughout their adult lives, (i) Literacy assistance from family members, self-directed learning, on-the-job training and formalized coursework were perceived as having had a positive bearing on occupational success. The implications of this study suggested resiliency, family dynamics, family values, and narratological significance. Study participants, driven to live productive and successful lives, appeared to have emulated Adult Learning Theory tenets of self-directed, lifelong quests for formally-delivered and informally-acquired knowledge. Recommendations emerging from this study included investigations of School Closing survivors' motivations for adult learning, the role of faith in Closing survivors' lives, The Closing's perceived impact on the Next Generation, ancestral discourse, male birth order relationships, 1951 strikers' guilt, education vs. vocation and growth under adversity. / Ph. D.

No / Smart mobile devices, which are hand-held electronic devices with an advanced operating system (such as the Android platform) connected via a wireless protocol, have become an integral and essential part of our everyday life, and support both social and workplace activities. However, adopting mobile technology within the workplace setting can give rise to challenges that impact user behaviour and performance. A study was carried out amongst 90 participants located in two countries, using internet connectivity as a case study. Confidence and frustration have previously been connected with technology competence, but this was not applied to a workplace scenario during problem-solving, when users are assigned an unfamiliar smart mobile device. This research focuses on identifying the link between workplace users' levels of confidence and frustration when seeking to independently solve problems whilst completing familiar tasks on new smart mobile devices. A detailed video analysis of users' attitudes and behaviour during problem-solving was conducted, emphasising a correlation between attitudes and behaviour towards completing a task.

The aim of self-directed team learning initiatives is to provide a further level of defence against an eventuality by ensuring that air traffic controllers are aware of the sources of human fallibility, and by developing in the individual controllers and air traffic control teams the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will result in the successful management and containment of inadvertent error. To gain a deeper understanding of self-directed team learning, I investigated the role and contribution of self-directed team learning principles and strategies that were present in the South African Air Force air traffic control team-based work environment. This research study was directed by the following primary research questions: Does self-directed team learning impact on the air traffic control work environment, and what is the nature of self-directed team learning’s impact on the air traffic control work environment? Insights gained as a result of this study contributed to the body of research concerned with learning design, development, implementation and evaluation by self-directed teams as well as the air traffic control discipline. In this mixed-method study quantitative data collection was performed by means of a self-directed team learning questionnaire and a learning approach questionnaire, whereas qualitative data collection relied on individual interviews and focus group interviews. This study involved 25 South African Air Force air traffic controllers (from three operational air traffic control centres). The nature of self-directed team learning’s impact on the air traffic control work environment was illustrated by individual and collective (team) views and dynamics. The impact of air traffic control team performances was traced in terms of identified teamwork characteristics, activities, dynamics, performance measures and focus areas and reflective practices. Results of this study indicated that self-directed team learning offered opportunities to individuals and teams to influence air traffic control performances in an air traffic control work environment. A perceived positive relationship between self-directed team learning and air traffic control operational outputs could be traced. Lastly I concluded that self-directed learning by air traffic control teams had an impact on air traffic control operational outcomes, thus contributing towards a critical air traffic control goal – aviation safety. / Thesis (PhD (Currriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

Guided by the conceptual framework of self-directed learning and culture, this study investigated the effectiveness of Title IV private, for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs). Little research has examined this topic, which is problematic considering the disproportionate rate of student loan defaults experienced by Black FPCU borrowers. A phenomenological design was used to explore the meaning of academic achievement for Black doctorate recipients who attained a doctorate in psychology through an FPCU. This study specifically examined how Black students experience the completion of doctoral psychology programs at 2 FPCUs and what factors contributed to these students finishing their degrees. A unique-criterion-purposive sample of 7 Black students who completed doctoral psychology programs at FPCUs within the past 5 years was recruited to participate in telephone interviews. Moustakas' data analysis steps were applied to the data. The results indicated that study participants saw an association between attaining their doctorates in psychology and their self-actualization. They shared the experiences of selecting a suitable FPCU, choosing a specialty area, negotiating transfer credits, completing the doctoral coursework phase, and completing the dissertation phase. Their commitment to achieving self-actualization was a salient experience in finishing their degrees. A core aspect of self-actualization was their cultural knowledge, which helped them to overcome challenges and persevere. However, the results uncovered some insufficiencies in the FPCUs' practices. They have implications for positive social change by highlighting how FPCU academic support services might use cultural knowledge and self-actualization strategies to maximize the successful matriculation of Black students.

This study explores the web-navigation practices of adult learners in higher education and re-conceptualizes the concept of the organizing circumstance of self-managed learning, originated by Spear and Mocker (1984). The theoretical framework draws on funds of knowledge theory from a cultural historical perspective and elaborates a Vygotskian concepts of learning and development by introducing the notion of the distal object and the zone of distal development. The study employed a mixed methods design with an embedded multiple-case study involving half of the twelve participants using a new technology for self-managed learning called Zonebee. Zonebee recorded participants' web navigation, known as Zonebee Trails, providing quantitative data for analysis. Surveys were administered, namely the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (Schraw&Dennison, 1994), the Index of Learning Styles Inventory (Soloman&Felder, 1986), a survey of technology use (created for this study) and a set of demographic questions. Eleven of the twelve participants also provided interviews in which they described their self-managed learning practices.Findings contradicted the premise in the literature that the learning environment fortuitously determines the learning experience. Participants primarily relied on the internet and computer to manage their learning and made deliberate choices about which tools to use depending upon the purpose of the constituent process of self-managed learning in which they were engaged (assessing, planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating or producing). Zonebee Trails evidenced participants' engagement in considerable planning before generating focused queries to locate specific materials. Thus, this study suggests that the organizing circumstance operates, not through happenstance alone, but through the confluence of four factors influencing the direction the learner takes: funds of knowledge for learning; learning demands (proximity of the learning object, proximal or distal), conditions for learning (affordances for and constraints on learning); and motivation or purpose of activity. The re-conceptualized organizing circumstance of learning, then, offers a methodological and theoretical way to redefine context and understand how learners manage their own learning.

The main focus of this thesis is on the effectiveness of project-based learning (PBL) in engineering design. The literature review has shown that there is much confusion and ongoing arguments concerning the implementation of PBL in engineering design, and there lacks consensus on its effectiveness. Little research has been done on providing measurable metrics of PBL effectiveness, not to mention discovering the optimal PBL and its underlying mechanisms based on solid educational theories and rigorous research methodology. In this thesis, the measurement of the optimal PBL effectiveness (effect) is studied and a theoretical model of PBL is built in order to identify parameters (cause) controlling the effectiveness and to study the interplay between effectiveness and the parameters. The model is built through three main phases, with a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. In phase one, the effectiveness of PBL is studied from the perspectives of the engineering design lecturers and engineering graduates by interviews, which is used to represent effect (Y axis) of the model. In phase two, on the basis of self-directed learning theory (SDL) and learner engagement theory,two key parameters of PBL, i.e. SDL and learner engagement, are identified and quantified respectively to represent cause (X axis) of the model. With the key parameters of PBL (X axis) and PBL effectiveness (Y axis) obtained, a theoretical model of PBL is proposed. The model is verified by means of experiments (student self-reported surveys). A specified Moving Average Method (MAM) is used for data analysis and findings demonstrate different trends of the relations between SDL and PBL effectiveness, and between learner engagement and PBL effectiveness. Consequently, a 3D model of PBL is built by combining the data in aforementioned 2D models,through which the optimal PBL effectiveness in 3D are identified and measured and the interplay between different parameters are found. In phase three, in order to find out more delicate features in PBL ignored by MAM, the dynamic interaction of individual differences in PBL teamwork is explored by the ethnological method (including participant observations and interviews), which is conducted as a supplement to the model of PBL. The theoretical model of PBL effectiveness proposed in this thesis is novel and groundbreaking. Firstly, a series of 2D and 3D models are presented and the relations between SDL, learner engagement and PBL effectiveness are revealed for the first time, which provides guidance for the optimal PBL measurement and implementation. Secondly, a qualitatively-quantitatively-combined strategy is used to discover the mechanisms controlling optimal PBL at different scales. Thirdly, the experiments verifying the model provide fresh quantitative insight into optimal PBL. In summary, the research in this thesis opens up a new research methodology for studying PBL effectiveness, which makes contribution to the educational field as well. Keywords: Project-based learning, Self-directed learning, Learner engagement, Optimal PBL effectiveness, 3D model, Individual differences, Engineering design, Pedagogy.

Ways in which educational structures can initiate and facilitate older learners' self-directed learning projects are described in this study. The research was guided by questions related to the ways that educational organizations can facilitate the learning process for older learners. This study involved two distinct phases of research. In the first phase, a survey was administered to approximately 100 older learners at four organizations for senior citizens; the four organizations were Hillcrest Center for 55+, Golden Learning Opportunities and Workshop, Tulsa Senior Services, and Retired Senior Volunteer Program. The survey enabled the researcher to identify the 10 most frequented sites for gathering information related to the learning projects of senior citizens in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The survey respondents were volunteer participants from classes, social occasions, and other learning opportunities offered by the organizations. The survey produced three sites where older learners pursued learning activities. Phase two involved ethnographic techniques in order to identify and describe at each three sites specific educational structures that facilitated older learners' self-directed learning projects. The descriptions from each of the identified sites involved three data-collection techniques. The data-collection techniques used included interviews, observation, and artifact collection. The focus of this phase was to describe the educational structures that facilitated the development of learning projects endemic to each site as identified by the older learners. Notes taken during interviews and observations were transcribed, coded, and analyzed. Interviews were also transcribed. The transcripts were transferred to a conceptually clustered matrix for each site. Analyses of the administrator interviews, participant interviews, educational opportunity observations, and artifact collection at each site revealed patterns and trends that represent the educational structures that appeal to older learners as they pursue learning projects. The findings indicate that four patterns or trends were common to each site. These four patterns included accessible materials, service-minded staff, entertainment, and teacher-directed learning style.

This thesis was written to provide an alternative teaching model for an undergraduate theatre history class. The course design, utilizing the Problem-Based Learning educational model, aims to create a student-centered, experiential theatre history class. The first section explores the history and evolution of the theatre discipline in academia. These chapters examine the expansion and transformation of the theatre curriculum within the discipline and higher education. The second part examines the history and the methodologies of Problem-Based Learning. Based on the philosophy of educator John Dewey, PBL is considered to be a non-traditional method of teaching and learning that encourages the development of self-directed learning and the acquisition of knowledge through experiential education. The final section describes the actual course design. Included in this section are the educational objectives of the class, examples of problems, assessment methods, and an examination of potential challenges in the design.

This qualitative study employing ethnomethodology investigated whether previously employed African women between 50-59 years, termed near-old, turned to learning as a coping strategy after losing their jobs. Reflexive discussions, termed ‘herstories,’ were analysed. Whether the women experienced true crisis as a result of cessation from work, how they made meaning as they aged and to what extent retirement was a catalyst for learning formed the central lines of probing. The findings revealed that the near-old women did not consider the transition to old age a crisis. Crises in their experiences were more permanent and emotionally devastating. Meaning schemes and perspectives were transformed as they encountered unbearable work situations. Critical reflection on the situation led to action resulting in them exiting formal employment. There was strong evidence of self-directed and life-long learning. The women sought out new knowledge and skills in order to cope in the competitive work of consultancy. Instances of positive adult development attested to Mezirow’s theory of transformative learning and Brookfield’s reflective thinking. The study highlighted the need to use adult education strategies in order to promote critical reflection and to ‘conscientise’ older people about their deeply embedded beliefs that are often entrenched by their socialisation.