Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of North Texas, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-227).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong. / Type-written copy. Includes bibliographical references (1.265-277).

Thesis (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 46 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 33-36).

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<p> This qualitative case study explored the ways in which older adults with developmental disabilities (DD) learn to successfully age in place. As more persons with DD reach old age and outlive their natural caretakers, such as parents, it is becoming apparent that there are a multitude of age-related challenges and educational needs that must be addressed. However, information pertaining to the unique learning needs of older adults with DD is scarce. Andragogy (the art and science of teaching adults) and geragogy (teaching the elderly) provided the theoretical frameworks for this study. The main research question in this study was: How are older adults with DD unique adult learners? To answer this question, the primary investigator (PI) conducted a qualitative study exploring the ways in which older adults enrolled in the Association on Aging with Developmental Disabilities (AADD) programs and services for seniors learned to successfully age in place. The PI conducted observations, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and an email questionnaire with a sample of AADD program participants, staff, and board members. Verbatim transcriptions of the interviews and focus group sessions were analyzed using open and axial coding methods. </p><p> The following 11 themes emerged from the data: respect and equality, individualization, humor and fun, age-related learning challenges, social support, accumulation of loss, active aging and health maintenance, independence and autonomy, identity, attitudes towards those aging with DD, and learning strategies. The results provided evidence of the application of andragogy in meeting the unique learning needs of older adults with DD, as well as the premise that independent learning leads to independent living. Participants stressed the need for learning to be highly individualized and fun. The importance of strong social support systems to help offset myriad age-related challenges faced by older adults with DD were also evidenced. Further exploration of educational programs designed to address emerging learning needs of those aging with DD, such as reverse caregiving roles (e.g., assuming the responsibility of primary caregiver for an elderly parent), as well as the application of andragogy to other aging with DD programs and services is warranted.</p>

<p>The purpose of this basic qualitative research was to gain a deeper understanding of how spirituality informs adult learning. Using transformative and holistic learning as major theoretical frameworks, qualitative interviewing was used to identify the viewpoints of eight spiritually focused adult educators associated with the Center for Spirituality. Transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using inductive and comparative methods to develop a series of codes and themes related to participants&rsquo; understandings of spirituality, adult learning, and how spirituality may inform or affect learning as an adult. Results of the study suggest that spirituality informs transformative learning by providing: (a) a context through which adults may understand the meaning of their learning experience, and (b) a context for the justification of deeply held understandings and beliefs&mdash;both of which inform the foundation of transformative learning: habits of mind and points of view. </p>

<p> Co-teaching has been utilized as a method of academic intervention used in K-12 classrooms over the past fifteen or more years. This method has consistently involved the pairing of a special educator with a general educator through a variety of co-teaching models. Co-teaching is meant to be used in inclusive environments, where students with and without disabilities are taught together. Co-teaching is a commitment from both educators who participate voluntarily, develop a professional relationship with one another, allow time for planning of classroom objectives, and obtain sufficient training. Multiple benefits to carefully implemented co-teaching in the K-12 environment have been documented in research studies. However, few studies contain information about co-teaching in higher education, particularly in the field of education. This research hopes to gain an understanding of how the pairing of a K-12 special educator and special education professor can bridge educational theory and practice to, hopefully, produce pre-service educators that have more competence about the realities of the teaching world. Results under analysis include measuring attitudes about special education inclusion and overall academic growth for pre-service educators after exposure to knowledge from two working professionals in a co-teaching and traditionally taught classroom environment. </p>

<p> Hands-on experiential learning activities are an important component of computing education disciplines. Laboratory environments provide learner access to real world equipment for completing experiments. Local campus facilities are commonly used to host laboratory classes. While campus facilities afford hands-on experience with real equipment high maintenance costs, restricted access, and limited flexibility diminish laboratory effectiveness. Web-based simulation and remote laboratory formats have emerged as low cost options, which allow open access and learner control. Simulation lacks fidelity and remote laboratories are considered too complex for novice learners.</p><p> A web-based combined laboratory format incorporates the benefits of each format while mitigating the shortcomings. Relatively few studies have examined the cognitive benefits of web-based laboratory formats in meeting computing education students&rsquo; goals. A web-based combined laboratory model that incorporates motivation strategies was developed to address non-traditional computing education students&rsquo; preferences for control of pace and access to learning. Internal validation of the laboratory model was conducted using pilot studies and Delphi expert review techniques. A panel of instructors from diverse computing education backgrounds reviewed the laboratory model. Panel recommendations guided enhancement of the model design.</p>

No description available.

This research aims to disrupt and expand "given" understandings of educational leadership by exploring particular leadership instances of the everyday practice of adult education. Seven adult educators, including the author, offer narrative accounts of planning, designing, teaching, managing, and creating programs for adult learners with a particular interest in the little examined dimension of practice - educational leadership. The author works with the conceptual resources of Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics, primarily through the theoretical, evocative, and scholarly work of David Jardine. Phenomenology and the corner of this philosophical field referred to as interpretive inquiry, seeks not to explain why or even how we may practice leadership within our educational practices, but rather to understand the phenomenon and its living manifestations through the particular. Narrative texts are interpreted hermeneutically through a constructed conversation that highlights both the common and uncommon understandings of what it means to be an educational leader. Through writing and reading each of these stories, a living and breathing notion of educational leadership is created. In dialogue with others, the author becomes more literate about the meaning of her own experience. Such a dialogue invites the possibility of recognizing the significance of teaching as leading, and educational leadership as leading conversations about what matters in adult education, and in doing so one gains a greater sense of one's own leadership capacity. Implications for the development of educational leaders are considered.