The increase in population of nontraditional adult learners paired with a demand for multisensory learning created a need for further research in best pedagogy in higher education. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the central question on how the integration of music, lyrics, or music videos into higher education classrooms affected the motivation and engagement levels of nontraditional adult learners. The conceptual framework was based upon self-determination theory, andragogy, multiple intelligences, and visual literacy. A multiple case design was used to collect data from 8 nontraditional higher education students. Data were collected via telephone interviews and responses to the Activity Perceptions Questionnaire. Data analysis used Yin's cross-case analysis procedures, including familiarization, development of word tables, and examination of cross-case patterns. Results revealed that the use of music in the classroom positively impacts learner engagement and promotes intrinsic motivation. This study is expected to contribute to social change by exploring music as an innovative instructional tool and providing a deeper understanding of how music engages and motivates the increasing number of nontraditional students in higher education.

The purpose of this study was to examine efficacious instructional strategies that the New England Community College (NECC) nursing program could implement in the curricula to improve National Council Licensure Examination Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) first-time pass rates. Effective strategies from students and nursing program faculty had used were investigated. Such strategies support student nurses in their efforts to succeed on the first administration of the exit examination. The rationale for this study and resulting project was that they could improve NCLEX-RN first-time pass rates and positively impact the local hiring of qualified nurses. Guided by Knowles's adult learning theory, key results of the study and resulting project were developed from effective instructional strategies discovered from former NECC students. The central research question focused on identifying which teaching-learning strategies in the NECC nursing curricula improved students' critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. A qualitative case study design was employed with a purposeful sample of 15 former NECC nursing program graduates. Participant focus groups and annual program/accreditation documents were used to collect data to address how student nurses learn best in order to be successful on the exit examination. The project was the creation of a 3-day seminar in the first semester curriculum that focuses on effective licensure preparation instructional strategies to establish and maintain high NCLEX-RN pass rates. Implications for positive social change include, but are not limited to, improving students' problem solving skills and application of critical thinking strategies in order to positively impact the lives of the patients whom they will serve.

Awareness of the sustainability of our natural resources is a continuing concern. Initiatives promoting environmental adult education (EAE) through professional development (PD) workshops ensure educators' have the knowledge and skills to inform their audience about environmental literacy and stewardship. However, these workshops have rarely been monitored. Specifically, it appears no researchers have focused on the reflective experiences of an EAE PD workshop on educator participants at least 5 years after participation. This basic qualitative study used telephone interviews of 8 past participants to explore whether and how they perceive their behavior changing in relation to natural resources conservation years after the EAE PD, and how they shared these changes with others. Through the contextual lens of EAE with a focus on outdoor experiential learning and transformative learning theories, five major themes emerged including: (a) becoming a more effective educator; (b) becoming more aware of the importance of conservation; (c) experiencing positive emotional effects; (d) changing behaviors that impact the environment; and (e) experiences of the EAE PD location. Implications for positive social change were found in the expressed experiences, content, and application of the EAE PD that ignited new means for approaching curriculum- specific content with a heightened focus on the importance of the conservation of natural resources.

There is considerable body of research about adults navigating advanced degrees, but little regarding adults in graduate degree programs while in full-time educational careers. Guided by Mezirow's transformative learning theory, the purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory (GT) that reflected the lived experiences of fulltime teachers within a school district as they progressed through advanced degrees. Fourteen adult learner participants were asked to talk about their experiences as both fulltime educators and graduate students. The constant comparative analysis method was employed to analyze the data to develop a theory entitled enduring driven succeeding. The theory explained stages that the participants underwent as they pursued an advanced degree. Four stages emerged from this GT study. Each stage represented behaviors one can expect in similar contexts: (a) visioning experiences in which the learner arrives at a clear mental picture the desired outcome; (b) investing experiences which occur when a learner decides on following a course of action towards the accomplishment of a goal; (c) clicking experiences in which learners begin to understand and apply their learning in meaningful ways; and (d) reflecting experiences which occur as adult learners reflect and rethink their successes and failures in order to move forward to pursue their goals. This theory can be useful in preparing university administrators, recruiters, or trainers to understand the challenges faced by fulltime working adult students as they navigate advanced degree programs. Extending this theory through the method of grounded action (GA) may also assist in providing good action plans for resolving the issues faced by adult learners as they pursue advanced degree programs.

Novice nurses (NNs) are entering critical care environments with limited knowledge, skills, and decision-making expertise. They are expected to care for complex patients in a dynamic healthcare setting. The research question for this project examined whether NNs improve their knowledge and skills by participating in a nursing decision-making skills curriculum. The purpose of the project was to develop and validate a nursing decision-making skills education curriculum working in an intermediate critical care unit. Taba's instructional theoretical model was used to guide the new curriculum development along with current evidence based practice found in the current literature. Scaffolding approach theory encouraged the use of more knowledgeable peers or educators to assist NN with skill acquisition. Project participants consisted of 5 local learning specialists in critical-care nursing with a minimum of a bachelor's of science degree in nursing as well as national certifications. Upon curriculum review completion, each of the 5 specialists were asked to complete a 5-point Likert scale survey to evaluate the content of the newly developed curriculum. Descriptive analysis was completed on the survey data. Three of the 5 learning specialists agreed and 2 strongly agreed that the program met its stated objectives. Three of the learning specialists strongly agreed and 2 agreed that the course content was relevant to NNs' day-to-day roles and that the material and resources facilitated the development of decision-making skills. Adjunct NN education may promote positive social change by providing an effective strategy for improving decision-making skills among NNs, potentially leading to improved patient outcomes in a healthier community with a skilled healthcare workforce.

Certified clinical perfusionists (CCPs) operate a variety of complex, invasive devices to provide heart-lung support. Job-related stress has been identified as having unfavorable influences on self-efficacy and commitment of employees in many domains, but this relationship has not been examined among CCPs. Guided by self-efficacy theory and organizational commitment model, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether a relationship exists between self-efficacy and commitment among CCPs and the extent to which age, gender, workload, experience, or education impacted CCPs' commitment. Data were collected from 264 respondents via 2 established survey instruments: the organizational commitment questionnaire and the work self-efficacy inventory. Data were analyzed using simple linear regression and multiple regression to estimate the relationships between the predictor variables and commitment levels among CCPs. Descriptive analyses were used to summarize patterns emerging from the data in a meaningful way. The results indicated a statistically significant direct relationship between self-efficacy levels and commitment levels among CCPs. There was no statistical relationship between CCPs' age, gender, workload, experience, or education, and commitment. The resulting project consisted of a policy recommendation in the form of formative evaluations to guide self-efficacy training for CCPs. Implications for positive social change included educating CCPs, perfusion leaders, and perfusion community leaders regarding strategies that can be used to promote self-efficacy for all CCPs.

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics have indicated a steady growth of students attending 3 or more institutions while pursuing a baccalaureate degree. When students transfer institutions, they may have specific needs for their new institution. Informed by the transfer receptive culture framework, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of students who had attended 3 or more postsecondary institutions on the services they received, before and after their transfer. Purposeful sampling yielded 9 adult students with multiple-institution attendance histories. Data were collected through semistructured instant messaging interviews. A series of messages included multiple questions and opportunities for detailed participant responses. The interview data were open coded and thematically analyzed using constant comparative methods. The results indicated that the students expected a streamlined transition process, yet most perceived the institution to have limited technical and human resources dedicated to transfer services. The resource shortage contributed to institutional barriers requiring students to expend their cultural, social, and transfer capital to complete the transfer. Recommendations for the local institution include electronic transcript delivery, automated transcript processing, transference of student data maintenance, and early degree-specific credit evaluations. The study contributes to positive social change by providing research findings to the local site on possible ways to improve services for transfer students.

This project study focused on scholarly writing skills of adult students enrolled in a private graduate institution in the West Indies. The institution provided writing instruction, but scholarly writing skills remained inadequate for some students when they began their final projects. The project study provided insight into the most pervasive writing skill deficits and the positive and negative influences on writing skill development among graduate students. The research design was an applied qualitative case study using data collected from a purposeful sample of convenience within a bounded system of current students, faculty members, and administrators in one institution. Open-ended questionnaires (n = 5), interviews (n = 14), and qualitative assessments of student writing samples (n = 10) provided data for thematic qualitative analysis. Findings indicated a wide range of individual needs for writing development and guided the formation of a writing improvement project. The theory of andragogy provided the theoretical foundation for both the study and the project. Enrollment in the institution was limited to adults over 25 years of age; therefore, consideration of andragogical assumptions about how adults learn helped in understanding students' writing deficits and influences on their writing skill development. The project, called the Writing Suite, is an integrated curriculum aimed at developing students' scholarly writing skills throughout their graduate programs. When paired with the institution's emphasis on social change, the development of proficient writing skills will increase each student's potential for effecting positive change in his or her community and workplace.

Peer-mentoring experiences in higher education have been largely effective largely effective, however institutions implement them differently. The focus of this program evaluation was a peer-mentoring program at a medical school in the southeastern region of the United States, which had not previously been evaluated. Guided by Kolb's experiential learning theory, the purpose of the evaluation in this study was to examine whether the peer-mentoring experience was perceived as helpful to new students and how students thought the program could be improved. The sequential mixed-method design consisted of a survey of 179 students and interviews of 8 students. A thematic analysis of qualitative data was completed using a constant comparative approach. The qualitative data revealed that students perceived the program as having had a positive effect on their confidence in succeeding in school. They felt more committed to completing school, were more likely to use resources, and reported that peer-mentoring positively affected their learning. The findings also provided recommendations for program refinement related to the selection process, increased opportunities for individual mentoring, systematic documentation for study strategies, and additional group activities. These recommendations were included in the evaluation report. Evaluation results have important implications for positive social change at the local college of medicine that include peer support to ensure retention, facilitated discussion on coping strategies and sources of support, and academic success for students.

Instructors at a U.S. Military School transitioned traditional courses used for professional development (PD) of military and civilian personnel to fully online and hybrid formats that combine online and face-to-face instruction. No evaluation of student satisfaction or instructor experiences during the transition has been conducted. The purpose of this sequential mixed methods summative program evaluation was to evaluate hybrid and online delivery of 2 PD courses by analyzing student satisfaction data and instructor experiences. This study was grounded in Knowles, Holton, and Swanson's adult learning theory and Anderson's and Salmon's online learning theories. Data from 96 course evaluations from students who completed traditional, online, and hybrid versions of the PD courses, and interviews with 4 instructors who taught the courses were analyzed. Kruskal-Wallis analyses of variance tests were used to examine student satisfaction ratings for significant differences. Student satisfaction narrative and instructor interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis and axial coding to find themes. There were no significant differences in student satisfaction ratings among course delivery methods. The courses were not relevant to jobs, contained little interaction, and identified technology challenges as common themes in the student comments and the instructor interviews. Based on the findings of this study, an evaluation report was drafted with recommendations to incorporate job-related activities, interactive teaching strategies, and technology orientation sessions for future course transitions. This endeavor may contribute to positive social change by informing military officials and faculty to guide future course transitions from traditional to online and hybrid delivery.