Many older adults (aged 55 and older) need training to acquire computer knowledge and skills. Using computers and the Internet could provide access to vital resources for improving older adults' health and maintaining their connections with family and society. This study examined 2 psychological constructs--computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy--that have been shown to impact a person's successful use of computers and related technology. Guided by Bandura's self-efficacy theory, which emphasizes the importance of adult learners being motivated and taking charge of their learning, this study examined the impact of a computer knowledge and skills workshop on older adults' computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy. A concurrent, mixed-methods design was used to collect and analyze survey data and interview transcripts from a convenience sample of African American older adults (N = 11). Mobile technology (i.e., tablet PCs and portable hotspots) was used to access the Internet and e-mail. Data analyses included thematic coding of the interview notes and descriptive statistics to present the survey results. The themes that emerged from the interview data were learning opportunities, positive attitudes, and user-friendly tools and equipment for reducing computer anxiety and constructive attitude changes and learning environments for improving computer self-efficacy. The descriptive statistics indicated favorable changes for computer anxiety with scores averaging a decrease of -26.5% and computer self-efficacy with scores averaging an increase of 62.1%. This study illustrated the feasibility of a low-cost approach for establishing a mobile computer laboratory to help older persons become proficient in their use of computers, the Internet, and related technology.

National and international organizations emphasize the importance of teaching global competence in American higher education as a way of preparing students for the rigors of a globalized workforce. Lack of nation-wide educational initiatives aimed at providing institutional guidelines for assessing international relations (IR) courses for this skill acquisition requires colleges to rely on their own resources and ingenuity. Presently, no course assessment methods for gauging global competency attainment exist at Florida College. The purpose of this study was to investigate faculty perceptions of instruction and learning of global competence. Mezirow's transformative learning theory was the conceptual framework that guided this study. The research questions for this study focused on teachers' perceptions of global competence instruction and student skill acquisition, their perceptions of the effectiveness of the INR 2002 Introduction to International Relations course in student global competence learning, and course advantages and disadvantages. An explorative case study design was used to capture the insights of 5 INR 2002 instructors, who have taught the course within the last three years, through individual 45-60-minute interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the gathered data. INR 2002 teachers expressed moderate to high course effectiveness articulating a need for course improvement. The recommendations included the following: (a) create a departmental definition of global competence, (b) employ more classroom discussions into teaching IR, and (c) publish an international IR textbook communally working with non-American universities. This study may impact positive social change by supporting teachers' and administrators' efforts to advance the course curriculum to better equip students with knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for their professional futures.

Disparate student academic outcomes and program access is a problem at Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs in the Northeast United States The current admission committee members at the case university did not know institution leaders' rationale for eliminating the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) criterion. The decision to exclude the GRE as an MPA admission requirement was enacted prior to their respective tenures. The program leadership expressed interest in exploring research-based admission criteria to enhance student access and predictive outcomes. Supported by critical pedagogy and humanist theories, the purpose of this case study was to investigate admission committee members' viewpoints about the GRE's predictive efficacy for MPA applicants. Two MPA admission committee members were purposefully selected to be study participants. Data were collected via semi structured individual and focus group interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis for emergent themes. The study findings were: (a) GRE scores reduce applicant access to MPA programs; (b) student access to MPA programs may improve should universities use a broader array of non-cognitive admission assessments; (c) students with low GRE scores may still attain the MPA; and (d) the GRE Quantitative section is not relevant to assess the soft skills MPA graduates will need in the public sector. These findings can be used by the case university MPA stakeholders to implement a model of varied non-cognitive admission methods. This study may promote social change by providing MPA admission stakeholders with a broader selection of non-cognitive assessments to support increased rates of applicant access and program completion outcomes.

Nontraditional students enrolled in online courses tend to drop out within their first year because they do not have the basic literacy skills or essential college skills needed for success. They often need the guidance of an online instructor. The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions of instructors and students about the effectiveness of Skype as a scaffolding tool for increasing academic achievement for underprepared students in online remedial English composition courses through interactions with their instructor. The conceptual framework included Bruner's cultural-psychological theory of education, Vygotsky's social constructivist theory, and Siemens's connectivism theory. The study was centered on 4 research questions; the first 2 focused on students' and instructors' perceptions of student writing based on student-instructor Skype interactions, and the last 2 concentrated on students' and instructors' perceptions of Skype's effectiveness to scaffold English composition skills to remedial online students. The data sources were 6 student interviews, 2 instructor interviews, and 12 audio recordings of Skype sessions. Data were analyzed for patterns and themes using open coding. The key findings were that students and instructors perceived the Skype interactions created changes in students' writing because of ease of use, indispensableness, rapport, and skill acquisition. This study may affect positive social change by informing online instructors and other personnel of online institutions of higher education about the importance of real-time interactions between students and instructors and providing services for underprepared students using Skype to help enhance their learning of critical writing skills.

Lecture methods in higher education continue to be the most often used form of lesson delivery, although they seem to be less effective in promoting adult students' learning and engagement. Many higher education instructors have incorporated inverted classroom (IC) methods to increase student engagement and learning. The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to gain an understanding of college instructors' decision-making processes and experiences transitioning from lecture-based instruction to IC and the factors attributed to that transition. Knowles's andragogy theory, Kolb's experiential learning theory, and Rogers's diffusion of innovations provided the conceptual framework for the study. Eight college-level instructors from the Flipped Learning Community were interviewed twice to collect data, which were analyzed using first and second cycle coding. Themes included student focus, support, change agent, and need to dialogue. Results may provide administrators with information to promote instructors' transition from lecture-based methods to IC. Results also indicated that IC was an effective social change strategy for boosting student retention, student engagement, and instructor satisfaction.

Professional Development to Enhance Instructional Leadership and Practice of Central Office Administrators by Cheryl A. R. McCue M. Ed., Lehigh University, 1990 BS, Kutztown University, 1987 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University June 2016 Decades of research and practice suggest that educational administrators need to experience opportunities for professional development and continuous learning. This project study addressed the problem regarding the lack of a formal or systemic plan for professional development of central office administrators in a large suburban school district in northeastern United States. Supported by Lave and Wenger's communities of practice model and the work of Bandura in social learning theory, the research question investigated the ways in which central office administrators experienced continuous learning and professional development opportunities and the perceptions regarding the effectiveness of those practices as a vehicle for enhancing their knowledge of instructional leadership and practice. A descriptive qualitative case study design using the purposeful sampling of 18 central office administrators was used to collect data via an open-ended survey, plan analysis, and document reviews that were coded and analyzed for common themes. Themes that emerged revealed participants thought that collaborative and reflective practices were important to continuous learning and professional development and necessary to enhance knowledge of instructional leadership and practice. Study findings supported the need for increased time and an identified structure for professional development opportunities as well as an improved culture of learning for the district's central office administrative team. Providing a structure for more systemic professional development for central office administrators may lead to more quality instruction and leadership practice, thus influencing student learning in this district as an aspect of positive social change.

Health literacy is widespread, but its potential is not recognized. By not recognizing health literacy, patients have the burden of coping with diabetes with renal complications without full knowledge of their responsibility to their health. The focus of the project was to assess participants with diabetes with low health literacy and low mean glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The project goal was achieved by the assessment of the participants' health literacy and eGFR before and after education for their diabetes, then assessed to determine if teaching the participants would improve their health literacy, lab values, and overall health. Participants were recruited by being patients of the designated clinic and screened for diabetes and low eGFR, for a total of 30 participants. The Brief Health Literacy Screen was used to measure health literacy. The health of the participants was appraised by the laboratory values of eGFR and fasting glucose. The project methodology was an observational design using correlation and 2-sample t analysis with the variables eGFR, fasting glucose, and health literacy. The variables were compared before and after the participants' education. Results showed health literacy with patient education was associated with greater patient self-efficacy and improved fasting glucose numbers, eGFR flows, and health literacy scores. The current health climate shows value in different types of health providers. Social change was defined by the project launching a nurse practitioner as the leader for advancing the treatment plans of chronic kidney disease. This project impacts social change by showing patients in the process of improved health and empowering the patients to be advocates of their own health.

Enhancing antiterrorism force protection (ATFP) training at off-installation sites to allow employees to survive a life threatening situation is a necessity after recent events at such military installations. However, little is known about how service members perceive their current ATFP training experiences and how those experiences impact their self-confidence for responding to a threat. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how current training experiences impact confidence levels in learning basic security fundamentals to respond to a threat, as well as possible training changes that might improve confidence levels. This study used social constructivism, andragogy theory, heutagogy, and problem-based learning as the conceptual frameworks. Participants were 15 sailors from 5 off-site locations. Data sources were semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using provisional and open coding strategies to identify themes of supports and barriers to learning ATFP concepts. Results indicated that existing instruction resulted in sailors engaging in supplemental self-training activities to reach what they believed were strong preparedness levels. They also indicated that instruction that emphasizes authentic adult education practices such as learner-center instruction and hands-on drills under the framework of problem-based learning and heutagogy were necessary to increase self-reported levels of confidence in responding to a threat. This study impacts positive social change by providing guidelines for effective terrorist and threat preparedness instruction, regardless of organization, institution, or location that can be used by administrators to improve their confidence and ability to deal with terrorist actions.

African Americans account for a disproportionate percentage of students who pursue college education in comparison to European Americans. Indeed, a considerable number of African American High School Equivalency (HSE) students are not enrolling in college once they earn their HSE diploma. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine 3 African American HSE students' perceptions about factors that influenced their pursuit of higher education at the selected HSE study site. These 3 students were selected for their inclusion because of their ethnicity, enrollment in the HSE program, academic underpreparedness and lack of pursuit of higher education, and strong feelings to share about the phenomenon under study. The theoretical framework was based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of human learning. The research question focused on assessing African American HSE students' lack of pursuit of higher education. Semistructured focus group interview and individual interview data were thematically analyzed using open-coding. Findings revealed that participants believed the lack of high school credentials, family background, intrinsic motivation and educational values, sociocultural influences, teacher and peer influence, and socioeconomic factors impacted their pursuit of higher education. A professional development project was developed based on study findings to provide HSE educators with training on the HSE exam, Common Core State Standards, and best practices to enrich the academic achievement of African American HSE students at the study site. Results have implications for positive social change among African American HSE students by emphasizing the importance of higher education on educational, sociocultural, professional, and personal advancement.

Coteaching is a teaching strategy that requires 2-teachers to collaborate in developing a course syllabus, selecting materials, and assessing students' work. The research problem, addressed in this study, was an appeal to educate the diverse adult population whose needs could not be addressed through traditional instructions at Rex College. Because of a high number of enrolled adult students, coteaching at Rex College was used to improve student success for academically underprepared students in a Set for Success program. The purpose of this study was to examine the coteaching strategies used at Rex College so that teaching guides and/or professional training development workshops could be implemented to provide consistency in the program. The conceptual framework of this study was based on the constructivist theory that knowledge is constructed and internalized by an individual in a social setting. The research question for the qualitative study was designed to focus on the experiences of the faculty members at Rex College. A purposeful sampling method was used, and 15 participants, who provided first-hand information, were selected for interviews and field observations. The interview data was analyzed by creating a matrix grid to code key words or phrases from each participant's responses and linked to the interview questions. The findings were interpreted and used as themes for the narrative. The results indicated the effectiveness in teacher collaboration and planning as compared to traditional classroom approach. A positive social change may result as (a) students demonstrate success in completing studies and develop job skills; (b) instructors find collegiality in their relationship and develop new teaching skills; and (c) attrition is decreased at Rex College.