Title from title page of PDF (University of Missouri--St. Louis, viewed February 23, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-129).

Florence O'Neill (1905-1990) played an important role as an adult educator in Newfoundland. Using her extraordinary ability to lead others and her unrelenting energy she dedicated her adult life to the field of adult education. O'Neill, in 1944, was the first person to earn a doctoral degree in adult education in what is now Canada. Later, as an administrator in the Department of Adult Education in the Newfoundland government, O'Neill sought to implement her vision of an integrated system for providing adult education programs to the people of Newfoundland. She developed that vision through the writing of her doctoral thesis entitled: "A Plan for the Development of an Adult Education Program for Rural Newfoundland." O'Neill's personal struggle to become educated and later her struggles to see her "Plan" implemented adds to the body of knowledge about adult education in Newfoundland at an embryonic time in its development and to the knowledge of the field of adult education in general.

This was a comparative study of FAL and REFLECT'S adult literacy facilitator training processes in Uganda. It was based on the government's Functional Adult Literacy (FAL) programme, and Action Aid Uganda's (AAU) REFLECT Programmes.The purpose of this study was to: Find out the similarities and differences between the FAL and REFLECT facilitator training process. Establish how FAL and REFLECT facilitator training is organised. Establish how FAL and REFLECT facilitators are selected for training. Identify the teaching and learning materials used for training FAL and REFLECT literacy facilitators. Find out how the trained facilitators of FAL and REFLECT feel about the training and the approach they have been trained to use. Establish the kind of post training support arrangements provided for the trained adult literacy facilitators under FAL and REFLECT. These issues were all raised in the form of research questions and answered by the study. A qualitative research study was used to address the research questions. This included the use of focus group discussions, key informant interviews, questionnaires, direct observation and documentary analysis. The findings of this study are presented in chapter four under various headings applicable to both FAL and REFLECT. These are: the ideological view of literacy, selection of trainees and trainers, the training programmes, the training materials, funding for the training, employment arrangements after training, post training support arrangements, and evaluation of the training programme. From the findings, a general conclusion was drawn that the training processes of FAL and REFLECT were similar in the areas of organisation of the training programmes, selection of trainees, the sources of funding for the training programmes, deployment of trainees and evaluation of the training. Differences were found in the ideology which informs the two literacy approaches and therefore the training programmes for the literacy facilitators, the training methods and materials used and the post training support arrangements made for the trained literacy facilitators. The study concludes that the FAL and REFLECT literacy facilitator training is different. REFLECT has a better approach to training their literacy facilitators than FAL, although both approaches have many areas which should be improved for better training of their literacy facilitators. It was also noted that the differences between FAL and REFLECT occur in areas which are crucial for the success of a training programme and the performance of the trainees. This could explain the difference in the performance and effectiveness of the programmes using the two approaches. The recommendations call for serious attention to be given to the training of adult literacy facilitators to ensure that only qualified people are entrusted with the work of teaching adult literacy. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996. / Issued also on microfilm. Includes tables. Sponsor: Franceska Smith. Dissertation Committee: Kathleen Loughlin. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 235-245).

Florence O'Neill (1905-1990) played an important role as an adult educator in Newfoundland. Using her extraordinary ability to lead others and her unrelenting energy she dedicated her adult life to the field of adult education. O'Neill, in 1944, was the first person to earn a doctoral degree in adult education in what is now Canada. Later, as an administrator in the Department of Adult Education in the Newfoundland government, O'Neill sought to implement her vision of an integrated system for providing adult education programs to the people of Newfoundland. She developed that vision through the writing of her doctoral thesis entitled: "A Plan for the Development of an Adult Education Program for Rural Newfoundland." O'Neill's personal struggle to become educated and later her struggles to see her "Plan" implemented adds to the body of knowledge about adult education in Newfoundland at an embryonic time in its development and to the knowledge of the field of adult education in general. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

"This study was conceived, developed and carried out in order to: (1) determine whether or not there was any difference in reasons given for enrolling in adult clothing construction classes by participants who were enrolled in first semester classes and those who were enrolled in second semester classes; (2) identify reasons why women in Pinellas County enrolled in adult clothing construction classes; and (3) relate the reasons for enrolling in adult clothing construction classes to (a) marital status, (b) age of participant, (c) educational level, and (d) annual family income to participation in adult clothing construction classes"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1975." / "Submitted to the Department of Home Economics Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Mary Lee Hurt, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-49).

<p> Human beings have spent much time and effort in trying to understand themselves, others, and their world. Mankind uses intellect when trying to understand life but the majority of people continue to encounter frustration, confusion, and a variety of obstacles when dealing with daily challenges and people. Theorists and researchers understand that successful existence requires more than mere knowledge; it requires a level of understanding, a form of wisdom foreign to the bulk of the populace. The missing ingredient for this kind of wisdom is the ability to &lsquo;know thyself,&rsquo; which is the beginning of establishing a higher level of emotional maturity. This qualitative study focused on the transformational learning process of the adult learner, aged 50 and older. In studying the learning processes, an online survey was implemented and then Partridge's (1985, 2014) Maturity Reasoning Index Program (MRIP) was used as a psycho-educational program and administered after the participants answered five vignettes regarding current perspectives of five areas of their logic reasoning. After completing the MRIP, participants answered five additional vignettes regarding similar areas of reasoning. This study investigated participants&rsquo; transformational learning experiences as they developed a higher level of emotional maturity compared to previous reported emotional maturity findings. A group of 32 volunteers, recruited from a university listserv and networking among family and friends, spent several months completing the online study. The study included an initial four-part survey, a brief pre-test survey, an extensive psycho-educational program, and a brief post-test. At the end of the study, 23 participants completed the study. Findings indicate an increase in using a higher level of logic of reasoning or potential transformation after completing the psycho-educational program. Additional research is recommended in the area of emotional maturation, life satisfaction, wisdom, and trust-of-self for adult learners aged 50 and older.</p>

<p> This action research exploratory study sought to learn how to better develop my practice by using grounded theory. It explored the apparent cognitive transformational experience of nine participants over a period of four weeks after the implementation of an intervention called Mindfulness into Action. The informal intervention was used with the Kichwa community in the Amazon rainforest and three additional formal interventions were conducted in the United States, Ecuador, and Norway over six years, in each case supported by higher education institutions. Using grounded theory methodology, the researcher found that participants were in the initial &ldquo;reactive&rdquo; state in Phase 1, experiencing conflict, resistance, stress, and victim identity. These characteristics were unknown to participants who were just reacting to everyday life experiences. In Phase 2, participants became aware of their behaviors, but could not stop non-beneficial behaviors. In Phase 3, they could observe their unknown behaviors and then change their sabotaging behaviors. Other salient characteristics from Phase 3 were happiness, being at peace with themselves, tolerance, and effectiveness. </p><p> There is a tendency to believe that change does not come easily, especially for adults, because our mental models rule our lives (subconsciously). However, participants were all adults from distinct walks of life who observed their unknown assumptions and reported change in their lives and in perceptions of their world. Furthermore, this intervention helped participants manage <i> dissonance</i> in their lives and produce changes specific and relevant to each individual, i.e., adults in the Kichwa community changed their assumptions and got rid of the mining company without violence. Moreover, the students who conducted research in the Amazon rainforest changed their research approach from top-down (doing research on people) to human development co-creation (doing research with people). Lastly, students in the academic institutions changed their way of interacting with their environment and others, and most importantly observed and changed behaviors that were sabotaging their efforts to succeed in life. They overcame their assumption of &ldquo;knowing&rdquo; and became more open to others&rsquo; perspectives. Each change was specific to the individual, resulting in the betterment of their lives.</p>

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / W. Franklin Spikes / Since the events of 9/11, homeland security has emerged as an important and growing field of study. It is based upon information which is drawn from a diverse network of multiple disciplines that serve a variety of professions. Due to the embryonic nature of this field and the complicated nature of the mix of professions served, college and university administrators and faculty need to develop a better data-based sense about why students enroll, attend, and complete homeland security-related educational programs. As one might expect with a new field like homeland security studies, little research concerning student enrollment, persistence, and attendance patterns has been conducted to date. This study used the Dillman Tailored Design Mode of Internet Survey methodology to collect data (Dillman 2007; Dillman, Smith, & Christian, 2009). Data were collected from students attending homeland security-related graduate programs during the 2009 fall semester. Data concerning program delivery modes (online, face-to-face, and hybrid) and generational demographics (Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y), were used as the basis to examine the elements of student enrollment, persistence, and completion patterns in this study. In order to accomplish data reduction and decrease error, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted to sort loaded factors from the 30 item survey instrument. Eight factors were obtained all with over |.7| load values including four having positive values and four having negative values. These eight factors were used as dependent variables to conduct a MANOVA with generational demographic and program delivery mode as independent variables in order to determine if any significance existed. Significance was discovered between one of the four factors and the two independent variables with low to medium effect size based upon partial eta squared. The intersection of the two dependent variables of generational demographic and program delivery mode was not found to be significant. Further MANOVA with the four negative load factors of EFA were found to be significant in regards to program delivery mode and the intersection of program delivery mode and generational demographic. The significance found was with low to medium effect size based upon partial eta squared.

<p> This study explored the interplay of a community college&rsquo;s vision, its leaders&rsquo; behaviors, strategic planning, and the use of data that contributed to an organizational culture that led to the improvement of student success. The researcher used a grounded theory approach to delve into the relationships and connections between these four institutional characteristics at three award-winning institutions: Bunker Hill Community College, El Paso Community College, and Guilford Technical Community College. The overall goal of the study was to develop a grounded theory regarding organizational success factors necessary to improve student success. The researcher visited each college for a two-day site visit, conducted twenty-three interviews of college leadership, faculty, and staff along with a document review of select publically available documents. The study yielded five findings leading to a grounded theory of five organizational characteristics that promote improving student success in the two-year institution. At all three award-winning colleges, there was a shared vision built upon a collective, unwavering commitment to student success along with frequent and consistent communication on student success. All three award-winning colleges believed their participation in Achieving the Dream which is focused on increasing student success was a key factor and pivotal point in propelling these colleges forward in their student success initiatives. The three award-winning colleges took action to effectuate the desired future. The college&rsquo;s cultures invited innovation and supported initiatives resulting in engaged employees. All three award-winning colleges understood the importance and transformational power of being accountable to themselves and to others. The colleges were growing in their use of data, were courageous in reviewing data, and cultivated a continuous improvement mindset. Finally, each college had a firm belief in understanding that people, passionate and purposeful, are the institution&rsquo;s greatest asset.</p>