A small college in the Midwestern United States has a prior learning assessment (PLA) program that has never been evaluated from the perspective of the faculty and staff. The problem is that campus leaders have a limited understanding of faculty and staff knowledge and their role in the PLA program. The study was approached from an appreciative perspective while exploring faculty and staff knowledge and perceptions related to PLA to address 3 research questions. The first 2 research questions were developed to better understand how faculty and staff describe their understanding of the PLA program and what they envision for the program. The final research question was a reflection of the descriptive data collected from the responses to the first 2 research questions. This formative program evaluation included an open-ended survey of 36 faculty and staff as self-selected to participate in the study from the entire faculty and staff population. Additionally, formal documents, including catalog, forms, and internet references associated with PLA were evaluated. Analysis was performed through manual methods including axial coding for the surveys, descriptive and axial coding for the formal documents, followed by thematic analysis. Faculty and staff reported that they had a limited understanding of the institution's PLA program and said they would like to have a stronger program than what they have now. Key results from the analysis indicate that the institution can improve the PLA program by clarifying the purpose, enhancing the policy supporting the program, improving processes, and further promoting the program. Positive social change can occur through the college developing improved PLA practices, thus helping to support students' education endeavors.

The United States has experienced historically low graduation rates in public and private 2-year, degree-granting institutions. Many of these institutions are community colleges, which account for 60% of all student enrollment. This study was conducted to explore supports and services that may be helpful to working adult students over the age of 25 enrolled in a 2-year associate degree nursing program in a community college. Tinto's interactionalist theory of student persistence and retention and constructivist theory were the conceptual frameworks for this qualitative case study. The two guiding questions were focused on the types of support that would be helpful for degree completion and service improvements that would most effectively assist students to graduate. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and observations with 10 participants who volunteered from a bound system. Requirement for participation included being over the age of 25 and enrolled in the 2-year associate degree nursing program. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological reduction process and cross-sectional analysis to identify convergent and divergent themes in the data. The findings of this study highlight 5 overarching themes as described by the participants: support system, barriers to education, effect of work, engagement in school services, and recommendations for college improvement. The findings of this study could be helpful to administrators and policy makers in developing supports and services that promote retention and degree completion of students in the 2-year associate degree nursing programs. Completion of a 2-year associate-degree nursing program promotes financial viability and meets the workforce needs of the community.

This study was an investigation of Kolb's experiential learning model and learning styles (LS) in adult students of different learning environments. Previous research utilizing Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) produced results that were often contradictory to expectations based on Kolb's model. Many of these studies were limited in sample sizes or to particular participant education or career fields. The purpose of this study was to identify significant differences in LS of adult students of 3 different learning environments-online, classroom, and combination (blended). A convenience sample of adult learners (N = 180) from a social media site and an online university's participant pool were divided into the 3 learning groups and administered the LSI-3 online. The research questions explored the relationship between LS and demographics (age, sex, ethnicity, course level, and grade point average) and sought to identify differences in LS between learning environments. The results of Spearman's rho suggested that LS may be related to age in online learners and to grade level in classroom students, supporting earlier research suggesting that LS change as one progresses in his or her education program. No relationship between any demographic and LS was identified in the combination group. Results of Kruskal-Wallis analysis showed no significant difference in LS between learning groups, though the majority of the sample population were identified as divergent learners in all groups, also supporting results found in earlier research. This research is significant and may lead to positive social change by aiding in the development of more effective learning environments to provide for better learning experiences by students as well as identifying areas in need of future research.

In this study the researcher's intent was to examine the initial academic goals and objectives of successful adult-degree completers in 4 baccalaureate-degree programs at East Tennessee State University. Although there has been much written about adult motivation to re-enter formal education, there have been few studies of adult students' goals as they entered degree-completion programs. The purpose of this study was to provide a framework for the understanding of the academic goals and objectives expressed by adult students as they were starting to return to college. Research questions that guided the study included exploration of student goals and objectives, an examination of differences among adult students' statements with regard to age, ethnicity, or gender, and an examination of differences in those statements of goals and objectives written over a range of years. An open an axial coding method was developed to analyze 637 statements written by degree-completion students who graduated between 1999 and 2008. Seven themes emerged among students' essays that describe those students' motivations to re-enter the university and their goals at the point of entry to those degree programs. First, students indicated they wanted to earn degrees. Second, some students identified trigger events that had prompted their return to the university. The third theme included professional goals and motivators that were included in students' statements of goals and objectives. Fourth, students cited personal motivators and goals for completing their undergraduate degrees. Fifth, students wrote about institutional barriers that led them to choose a degree-completion program over a more traditional model. Sixth, students wrote about attractive features of their respective adult-degree-completion programs. Seventh, students placed their learning in the context of a broader commitment to lifelong learning.

This thesis explores why instructors should use narrative intentionally and effectively with reflection to better understand adult students' perceptions of experiential learning activities in technical communication. The frequent use of narrative in technical discourse reminds us that the tone of technical texts is often appropriately informal, personable, and reflective. A closer analysis of narratives provides instructors with valuable opportunities to learn more about the motivations for and barriers to learning for adult students and to better understand how these students situate themselves in larger social and cultural narratives. Narrative serves many purposes in technical communication. Not only does narrative add a human element to technical discourse, but it also invites interrogation and inquiry into the technical communicator's decision-making process. For these reasons, narrative is commonly paired with reflection exercises in experiential learning programs as a way for students to make sense of their learning experiences. If instructors can capture the essence of how adult students make sense of their learning experiences, they can determine if experiential learning is an effective pedagogical approach to teaching technical communication to adult students. Using examples of ongoing, initial and summative, and alternative reflection exercises, I illustrate how narrative can be used to facilitate the learning process in adult students and gain access to these students' perceptions of experiential learning activities in technical communication.

This study examined the demographic characteristics and education-related experiences of adults age 50 and beyond enrolled in graduate degree programs on the academic campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. The major focus for this study was to identify and examine the experiences of adults age 50 and older enrolled in graduate degree programs. The population for the study included 113 adults age 50 and older who were enrolled in graduate degree programs on the academic campus of Virginia Commonwealth University between fall 1995 and fall 1996. Surveys were mailed to these potential participants with a total of96 individuals responding. A focus group interview was also conducted in the fall semester of 1996 to gain further insight regarding their experiences; the respondents were eager to share their responses during this session. The findings in this study revealed that older adults in graduate degree programs at Virginia Commonwealth University were between the ages of 50 to 62, were more often married than not, had no children under the age of eighteen in the household, and most completed their last degree in 1979. The results of the survey revealed that most of the adults did not have negative feelings about their experiences. Overall, these students felt very positive about their educational-related experiences. There were, however, several administrative concerns associated with the selected demographics of gender, occupation, income, marital status, age and major field of study, and .the education-related experiences of these adults. While most respondents agreed that it was very difficult to maintain their family, work and personal life while earning this degree, they were overall satisfied with their experiences and felt challenged even though their socializing time was significantly reduced. The respondents were not as satisfied with the administration and staff because they were not available for support after work hours when they had concerns that needed addressing. They also felt their classrooms were not adequately prepared to accommodate the older learners, especially in regard to having appropriate visual equipment and adequately designed desks for older students. The data obtained will be useful to Virginia Commonwealth University in making decisions relative to improving existing services, developing innovative programs, designing policies and procedures that will improve recruitment, retention, and completion of adults age 50 and beyond in graduate programs. Further study is needed from this population of students to ascertain whether there are additional experiences that should be examined and explored. A replication of the study may reveal additional information not addressed in this study. / Ph. D.

This paper studies the attitudes of college students concerning statistics; students who are taking the basic course in Statistics under an Adult Worker Student program at a private university in Lima, Peru. Two scales have been considered: Attitudes Toward Statistics (ATSE) proposed by Estrada (2002) and Attitudes Toward Statistics (ATSC) proposed by Cazorla et al (1999). The sample corresponds to 137 students with ages ranging from 32 to 42 years old, from four engineering majors, , 84% male and 52% who had taken a previous course in statistics. The item analysis was performed considering the Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) under the Bayesian inference of the Samejima’s graded response model (Tarazona, 2013). The results reveal that AEC has a reliability of 0.93, and by comparison a shortened version of AEE after eliminating two items has a reliability of 0.88. Both scales are closely correlated are therefore are interchangeable. However AEE is the only one that reveals differences by specialty, especially among students of the School of Industrial Engineering (positive attitudes), and of Telecommunications and Network Engineering (less positive attitudes). Finally, other factors such as gender, different age groups and experience in a previous course of Statistics were insignificant in explaining attitudes toward statistics at any scale. / Se analiza las Actitudes hacia la Estadística en estudiantes universitarios que llevan un primer curso de Estadística en el marco del programa Estudiante Adulto, Trabajador de una universidad privada de Lima en Perú. Son consideradas dos escalas: Actitudes hacia la Estadística de Estrada (2002) (AEE) y Actitudes hacia la Estadística de Cazorla; Silva; Vendramini & Brito (1999) (AEC). La muestra corresponde a 137 estudiantes de cuatro especialidades de Ingeniería, con edades entre 32 y 42 años, siendo un 84 % del sexo masculino y un 52 % que ya habían llevado antes un curso de Estadística. El análisis de ítems fue realizado considerando la Teoría Clásica de los Test (TCT) y la Teoría de Respuesta al Ítem (TRI), bajo inferencia bayesiana del Modelo de Respuesta Graduada de Samejima (Tarazona, 2013). Los resultados muestran que AEC tiene una confiabilidad de 0,93; en contraste, AEE tiene 0,88 para una versión recortada eliminando dos ítems. Ambas presentan una fuerte correlación, siendo por tanto intercambiables. No obstante, AEE es la única que muestra diferencias por especialidad, sobre todo entre los estudiantes de Ingeniería Industrial (actitudes más positivas) y los estudiantes de Ingeniería de Telecomunicaciones y Redes (actitudes menos positivas). Finalmente, otros factores como sexo del estudiante, permanencia a diferentes grupos etarios y experiencia en un curso previo de Estadística no resultaron significativos para explicar las Actitudes hacia la Estadística en ninguna escala.

A presente pesquisa procurou examinar o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores de Educação de Jovens e Adultos da Rede Municipal de Guarulhos enquanto professor de matemática assim como o papel de uma intervenção instrucional em termos de formação continuada da rede municipal. Para a realização de tal pesquisa procuramos, primeiramente, analisar respostas oriundas de questões apresentadas a nove professores - um questionário composto de dez questões formuladas com o objetivo de obter respostas a nossa questão de pesquisa assim desenhada: compreender de que modo e em que alcance o programa de formação continuada - da rede municipal de Guarulhos - tem contribuído para definir posturas e caminhos a serem tomados pelos professores de matemática da educação de jovens e adultos. Em um segundo momento, significados foram atribuídos às manifestações desses professores, pela via da impregnação de aspectos previamente considerados - de cunho político, cognitivo e cultural. Os resultados indicam que os professores e as professoras de Educação de Jovens e Adultos da Rede Municipal de Guarulhos embora não tenham tido em sua formação inicial e continuada orientação efetiva nessa modalidade, têm refletido e revisto seu entendimento sobre como lidar com os processos de ensino e aprendizagem de matemática de jovens e adultos. Indicam também que esses professores têm refletido sobre a própria postura diante da educação matemática junto a EJA, levando em consideração, de algum modo, a especificidade do conhecimento (matemático) prévio dos sujeitos jovens e adultos. / The present research tried to examine the professional development of the teachers of Young and Adult Students Education at Rede Municipal de Guarulhos [Guarulhos City Public Schools] as Mathematics teachers as well as the role of an instructional intervention in terms of continued education at city public schools. In order to do such research we tried, first of all, to analyze answers given to questions posed to nine teachers - a questionnaire composed of ten questions formulated with the aim of obtaining answers to our research matter: understanding in which way and range the continued education program - at Guarulhos City public schools - has contributed in the definition of postures and ways to be taken by Mathematics teachers of young and adult students education. Next, meanings were attributed to these teachers manifestations, via impregnation of aspects previously considered - of political, cognitive and cultural nature. The results indicate that the teachers of Young and Adult Students Education at Rede Municipal de Guarulhos, despite not having had in their initial formation and effective continued orientation in this modality, have reflected and revised their understanding about how to deal with Mathematics teaching and learning processes for young and adult students. They also indicate that these teachers have reflected about their own posture facing Mathematics education with EJA, taking into consideration, somehow, the specificity of young and adult subjects previous (mathematical) knowledge.

A presente pesquisa procurou examinar o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores de Educação de Jovens e Adultos da Rede Municipal de Guarulhos enquanto professor de matemática assim como o papel de uma intervenção instrucional em termos de formação continuada da rede municipal. Para a realização de tal pesquisa procuramos, primeiramente, analisar respostas oriundas de questões apresentadas a nove professores - um questionário composto de dez questões formuladas com o objetivo de obter respostas a nossa questão de pesquisa assim desenhada: compreender de que modo e em que alcance o programa de formação continuada - da rede municipal de Guarulhos - tem contribuído para definir posturas e caminhos a serem tomados pelos professores de matemática da educação de jovens e adultos. Em um segundo momento, significados foram atribuídos às manifestações desses professores, pela via da impregnação de aspectos previamente considerados - de cunho político, cognitivo e cultural. Os resultados indicam que os professores e as professoras de Educação de Jovens e Adultos da Rede Municipal de Guarulhos embora não tenham tido em sua formação inicial e continuada orientação efetiva nessa modalidade, têm refletido e revisto seu entendimento sobre como lidar com os processos de ensino e aprendizagem de matemática de jovens e adultos. Indicam também que esses professores têm refletido sobre a própria postura diante da educação matemática junto a EJA, levando em consideração, de algum modo, a especificidade do conhecimento (matemático) prévio dos sujeitos jovens e adultos. / The present research tried to examine the professional development of the teachers of Young and Adult Students Education at Rede Municipal de Guarulhos [Guarulhos City Public Schools] as Mathematics teachers as well as the role of an instructional intervention in terms of continued education at city public schools. In order to do such research we tried, first of all, to analyze answers given to questions posed to nine teachers - a questionnaire composed of ten questions formulated with the aim of obtaining answers to our research matter: understanding in which way and range the continued education program - at Guarulhos City public schools - has contributed in the definition of postures and ways to be taken by Mathematics teachers of young and adult students education. Next, meanings were attributed to these teachers manifestations, via impregnation of aspects previously considered - of political, cognitive and cultural nature. The results indicate that the teachers of Young and Adult Students Education at Rede Municipal de Guarulhos, despite not having had in their initial formation and effective continued orientation in this modality, have reflected and revised their understanding about how to deal with Mathematics teaching and learning processes for young and adult students. They also indicate that these teachers have reflected about their own posture facing Mathematics education with EJA, taking into consideration, somehow, the specificity of young and adult subjects previous (mathematical) knowledge.

Research to date on the native versus non-native English speaker teacher (NEST versus non-NEST) debate has primarily focused on teacher self-perception and performance. A neglected, but essential, viewpoint on this issue comes from English as a second language (ESL) students themselves. This study investigated preferences of adults, specifically immigrant and refugee learners, for NESTs or non-NESTs. A 34-item, 5-point Likert attitudinal survey was given to 102 students (52 immigrants, 50 refugees) enrolled in ESL programs in a large metropolitan area in Texas . After responding to the survey, 32 students volunteered for group interviews to further explain their preferences. Results indicated that adult ESL students have a general preference for NESTs over non-NESTs, but have stronger preferences for NESTs in teaching specific skill areas such as pronunciation and writing. There was not a significant difference between immigrants' and refugees' general preferences for NESTs over non-NESTs based on immigration status.