Thesis advisor: Joseph O'Keefe / Effective instructional leadership is central to principal practice. Thus, the Massachusetts Model System for Educator Evaluation (MMSEE) mandates that all principals demonstrate proficiency in instructional leadership to be considered proficient overall. Given this mandate, it is imperative that central office administrators (COAs) support principals in this regard. Accordingly, this qualitative single case study examined how COAs in one Massachusetts district supported principals’ instructional leadership. Analyses of documents and semi-structured interview data found that COAs supported principals’ instructional leadership through professional development for supervising and evaluating teachers, preparation of school improvement plans, and increased staffing of assistant principals and academic coaches. However, principals reported interim feedback and summative evaluations as not supporting their growth as instructional leaders. To address this gap in support with instructional leadership, recommendations included assigning additional COAs to evaluate principals for consistent and targeted feedback, reviewing MMSEE performance expectations with principals, and including principal voice in the district decision-making process. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between experiential learning and self-directed learning readiness of bachelor's and master's level social work students. A quantitative design was utilized. The study consisted of 115 senior social work students and 70 master's level social work students (separated into three student groups) from a state university. Students participated in a one-semester field education component as part of their social work degree program. The research instrument utilized was the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) constructed by Guglielmino (1978). The SDLRS is a self-report questionnaire with 58 Likert scale items designed to measure the attitudes, values and abilities of learners relating to their readiness to engage in self-directed learning. A pretest, treatment, posttest design was utilized. Demographic data were collected with the pretest administration and level of satisfaction information was collected with the posttest administration. The bachelor's level social work students demonstrated statistically significant differences in the pre and posttest SDLRS scores while the master's level social work students' changes in readiness for self-directed learning were not significant. It is important to note that the master's level social work students spent only half the amount of hours in the field education as the bachelor's level students at the time of the posttest. Correlations between change score from pretest to posttest SDLRS with students' previous exposure to the field of social work, prior experiential learning in a social work program, their satisfaction with the experiential learning component, and demographic factors of gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, number of children, and number of years pursuing degree were not significant. / The initial SDLRS scores of the bachelor's level students were found to be consistent with those of nursing students previously scored on the SDLRS. In the ANOVA of all groups, significant differences were not found with the four groups of social work students in their change scores of pretest and posttest SDLRS or their overall level of satisfaction with the field experience and overall level of satisfaction with the quality of the supervisor in the field experience. The internship did not demonstrate particular merit for improving readiness for self-directed learning except for the bachelor's level students. However, students were satisfied with the experience and felt it changed their perceptions of self and others. / Beth E. Amey. / Vita. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, FL : 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The research described in this thesis is grounded in the fields of independent adult learning, user experience for mobile applications and game design. It considers the case for mobile game-based learning in the context of informal microlearning and investigates the potential of mobile games to assist the independent skills development of adults. Initial research found that adults expressed positive attitudes towards the idea of learning with a mobile game, while even those who did not use mobile games recreationally appeared positive to using them if they perceived them as an effective way to develop their skills. Guidelines were then developed to inform the design of effective mobile learning games based on theories of adult learning, game-based engagement, mobile usability and mobile game design. These guided the development of a mobile game prototype aimed at assisting adults, speakers of English as a second language, to build their academic vocabulary. To evaluate the effectiveness of the prototype, a mixed methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments was utilised. Player engagement and system usability were measured rather than direct measures of learning outcomes. Overall the results were encouraging since evaluation participants were found to be engaged by the activity and able to easily pick up the game and play. Additionally, qualitative data on participants’ experiences and perceptions were collected, which supported initial research findings on the positive attitudes of adults towards using mobile games for learning. Though caution is recommended when generalising the evaluation results, the potential of mobile games for the independent learning of adults was supported. Overall this research offers a rationale for the use of mobile game-based learning, an insight into the nature of adult learners’ needs and their mobile devices usage patterns, a critical discussion on the type of learning that would be appropriate for the context, a set of guidelines for the design of mobile learning games, and finally a discussion of evaluation methods along with a collection of empirical data on the post-experiential attitudes of adults with regards to mobile games for learning.

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / This study investigates “why adults participate in learning activities” and “what barriers deter adults from participating in learning activities.” Learning activities can include informal learning initiatives and formal education programmes. According to Larson and Milana (2006) “the question of why some people participates in adult education and training while others don’t thus” (p. 2) is as relevant and urgent as ever as we want to make lifelong learning accessible for everybody. While working at a Community College in the Western Cape (South Africa), for the period October 2007 until June 2010, I have observed and noticed that many of the learners who entered the different programmes were all of a certain age. Many of them experienced an excess of barriers deterring them from participation in learning. For the purpose of this study, I am going to use the Chain-of-Response (COR) Model by Cross (1981a) to investigate specifically the situational barriers affecting those learners. Cross (1981a) developed the COR model. The rationale behind it was to better understand what urges people to participate in higher education or learning institutions. This model can be seen as cyclic, and involves seven steps developed by Cross (1981a) which have different impacts on the decision-making process of whether to enter or participate and persist in an adult learning course. Cross (1981a) argues that “an adult’s participation in a learning activity is not an isolated act but is the result of a complex chain of responses based on the evaluation of the position of the individual in their environment” (p. 36). Responses leading to participation tend to originate within the individual, as opposed to outside forces; it can either encourage or discourage participation in learning.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether exposure to a 6-week piano class would have an impact on specific cognitive functions (attention, short-term memory, and planning) in senior adults. In addition, I aimed to determine whether the cognitive function of participants who studied piano as children would differ from those who did not. Twelve 30-minute sessions were offered to residents of a rural, southern Missouri county using the Yamaha Music in Education (MIE) piano laboratory in a local elementary school. The on-line version of the Cambridge Neurological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) was used to measure attention, short-term memory and planning. Thirty-six (N = 36) older adults completed the study. Four groups of 8 to 10 participants were randomly assigned. One treatment (Group A) and one control (Group C) received the CANTAB pretest, and posttest, and one treatment (Group B) and one control (Group D) received only the CANTAB posttest. I performed an ANCOVA and discovered no significant difference between CANTAB posttest scores for treatment groups and control groups. Additionally, no significant difference was found between CANTAB scores for those who had piano lessons as a child and those who did not. Evidence from the CANTAB scores support the null hypothesis that there was no evidence of a relationship between twelve 30-minute piano lessons and improved cognitive function in senior adult students. There was also no evidence of a relationship between studying piano before the age of 18 and improved cognitive function as measured by CANTAB.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:56:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jani Floriano.pdf: 881582 bytes, checksum: f62a861d70c384953cb9568658ead55a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-03 / Undergraduate students of economics bachelor program require a singular attention on the specifics of the learning process, since it is independent and aims on the graduation and their way to the labor market. On the other hand, most applied social sciences university professors began to teach without the knowledge about how the learning process happens. Therefore, the goal of this thesis was to investigate how the undergraduate students of the Economics Program of the University of Joinville Region (Univille) understand their learning process. In order to achieve this purpose, the theoretical approach that guided this research was defined by the categories of memory and metacognition. Under this perspective, the memory has the function of be the source of experiences information, considered by sociohistorical perspective as a higher psychological function and a reservoir of experiences for the adults. Metacognition helps to understand about the adult apprentice learning process, since it helps to understand how those adults think in his learning process. The methodological approach adopted on the development of this research was qualitative, using interview based on a semi-structured guide as an instrument for data collection. There were selected seven student samples, one student form each course semester. Data analysis was based on indicators that emerged from the interviews related to the theoretical framework. The gathered results allows to highlight about the memory category: the students use memory mediated as well as internalization as higher psychological functions, when they report the need to systematize knowledge; the study organization and the ability to establish and build stimuli mediated process favors learning; the students stated they learn better when they can apply or see the class contents application; positive emotions, and logical sequence of information and content tend to favor learning. Related to the metacognition category: students are aware of their need to think about the learning process and they know about how they learn best; they employ specific strategies for each task; there is a motivation factor, which is consistent with the fact that they are in academia aiming an undergraduate degree with technical skills; the responsibility about the control and management of their learning process generates confidence; they recognize difficulties and become aware of these aspects; the challenges favor the learning process and that classes only based on teacher explanations do not favor it; they use metacognitive strategies / resources that will be enhanced; the knowing and using of metacognitive strategies is not enough, it is necessary to know how to use them, and they say that the teacher assumes the role of mediator that facilitates the learning process. Finally, this research contributed to reveal new insights into the learning process of the adult learner. It can be argued that the provided results presents relevant knowledge to bring the know about education to the bachelor´s teachers who want to understand how is the learning process of their students / O aluno universitário que está no curso de bacharel requer que se tenha um olhar peculiar diante das especificidades do processo de aprendizagem, pois é independente e busca na formação superior o caminho para o mercado de trabalho. Por outro lado, a maioria os professores universitários das ciências sociais aplicadas iniciaram a docência sem conhecimento sobre como ocorre o processo de aprendizagem. Diante disso, o objetivo dessa tese foi investigar como os alunos do curso de Ciências Econômicas da Universidade da Região de Joinville Univille veem o seu processo de aprendizagem. Para alcançar esse propósito, a abordagem teórica que norteou a pesquisa foi delimitada por meio das categorias memória e metacognição. Sob essa ótica, a memória tem a função de ser fonte de informações das experiências vividas, considerada pela perspectiva sócio-histórica uma função psicológica superior e, para o adulto, um reservatório de vivências. A metacognição auxilia na compreensão da aprendizagem do adulto aprendiz, uma vez que auxilia a compreender como esse adulto pensa no seu processo de aprendizagem. A abordagem metodológica para o desenvolvimento desta pesquisa foi qualitativa, utilizando como instrumento para coleta de dados entrevista com roteiro semiestruturado. Foram selecionados sete sujeitos, alunos de diferentes períodos do curso. A análise dos dados foi baseada nos indicadores que emergiram das entrevistas, relacionados ao referencial teórico. Dos resultados, pode-se destacar, quanto à categoria memória: os alunos utilizam a memória mediada como também a internalização como funções psicológicas superiores, quando relatam que precisam sistematizar o conhecimento; a organização do estudo e a capacidade de constituir e construir estímulos mediados favorece o processo de aprendizagem; afirmaram que aprendem melhor quando conseguem aplicar ou visualizar a aplicação do conteúdo; as emoções positivas e o encadeamento lógico das informações e dos conteúdos tendem a favorecer a aprendizagem. Em relação à categoria metacognição: os alunos têm consciência da necessidade de pensar no processo de aprender e que sabem como aprendem melhor; utilizam estratégias específicas para cada tarefa; existe o fator motivação, que vai ao encontro do fato de que estão no ensino superior de um curso de bacharel, buscando formação profissional; a responsabilidade sobre o controle e o gerenciamento do processo de aprendizagem gera confiança; reconhecem as dificuldades e tomam consciência desses aspectos; os desafios são favoráveis à aprendizagem e as aulas apenas com explicações dos professores a não favorecem; utilizam estratégias/recursos metacognitivos que vão se aprimorando; percebem que não basta saber e usar as estratégias metacognitivas, mas é preciso que se saiba como se deve utilizá-las e afirmam que o professor que assume o papel de mediador favorece a aprendizagem. Finalmente, essa pesquisa contribuiu para revelar uma nova visão sobre o processo de aprendizagem do adulto aprendiz. Pode-se afirmar que os resultados apresentados fornecem subsídios relevantes para aproximar o saber da educação aos professores dos cursos de bacharel que almejam compreender como ocorre o processo de aprendizagem dos seus alunos

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / Adult learners’ perception of factors that are internal to their perceived control of their lives can be challenging to overcome when making a decision to participate in learning. There are complex relationships between psychological, and social barriers to participation in adult learning. Psychosocial barriers can deter adults’ participation in learning programmes. Understanding the nature of such barriers can enable policymakers, educators and adult learners create strategies to reduce such barriers in order to increase adults’ participation in adult learning. This study investigated the research question: What are adult learners’ perceptions of psycho-social factors that undermine participation in adult education and learning? The psycho-social interaction model adopted as a conceptual framework allowed the study to contextualise and analyse the effects of socio-economic status on the adult learner’s decision and readiness to participate. The model provided the broad segments of the adult learners’ pre-adulthood and adulthood learning years and through a thematic analysis attempted to analyse psychosocial factors that emerged as barriers to participatory behaviour in learning. An interview guide was used during a semi-structured interview. The study investigated a group of adult learners attending a non-formal learning programme in Central Johannesburg, South Africa. The selection of participants included 6 males and 4 females between 21 years to 49 years of age. The study findings showed that the adult learners’ perceptions of family support as well as the learning environment support are key enabling factors, which assist the adult learner to develop learning capabilities. Negative experiences with prior schooling was also described as a psychosocial barrier to participation. Age was a socio-economic variable that influenced the type of stimuli participants identified as a psycho-social factor which influenced their decision to take up further learning. Adult learners felt confident to successfully complete their current and future studies however perceived their learning press as a motivating factor that impacted their decision to participate. Findings also suggested that experiences of adult learners are unique to their specific context and educational planning can integrate ways to address enhancement of learning experiences for a diverse learner audience in non-formal learning programmes. The study concluded that while adult learners acquire social competencies through accessing nonformal programmes, further learning support is necessary to overcome the social and psychological complexities needed to develop basic academic learning capabilities.

The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) first-time pass rate for an associate degree in nursing (ADN) program was below the national mean, presenting a problem for graduates who failed the NCLEX-RN and could not enter the workforce as registered nurses. Knowles's assumptions of adult learning, Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve, and Zull's neuroscience research served as the theoretical frameworks for this study. The purpose of this study was to identify which academic and time-lapse variables predict the graduate's first-time passage for the NCLEX-RN. Archived academic records and NCLEX-RN results for all 786 graduates from one ADN program who took the NCLEX-RN for the first time in 2015 were reviewed. Binary logistic regression analysis of the data identified multiple academic and one time lag factor as significant predictors for first-time NCLEX-RN passage. Key results included positive relationships between academic variables (prerequisite grade point average [GPA], nursing GPA, cumulative GPA, final course grade in 1 medical surgical course) and NCLEX-RN passage. An inverse relationship was shown between NCLEX-RN pass and the number of nursing component failures and time lag between clinical capstone completion and first NCLEX-RN attempt. Results informed a policy recommendation to provide timely intervention and resources for students at risk, with a goal of promoting success on the first attempt of the NCLEX-RN. Increasing the numbers of graduates who successfully complete the NCLEX-RN on the first attempt and promptly join the nursing workforce will demonstrate positive social change by mitigating the nursing shortage, which promotes safe patient care.

MyMathLab, an online interactive and educational system by Pearson Publisher, was implemented in 2 lower-level, traditional in-seat algebra courses to provide supplemental, instructional support to students in the fall of 2015 at the college under study. After the first year of use, no significant change in student success was reported, although more students passed intermediate algebra without first taking elementary algebra. The problem addressed in this study was that student results suggested there might be benefits to using MyMathLab that should be investigated. Knowles' theory of andragogy was used in this qualitative case study to gather perceptions of 7 2016-2017 faculty selected through stratified purposeful sampling. The research questions explored the benefits and challenges of using MyMathLab to support students in understanding math concepts and the effect on classroom time for instruction. The 3 major themes that resulted from analysis of the data collected through semistructured interviews were additional practice, immediate feedback, and ownership. Student data were used to triangulate and substantiate the findings. The resulting project was a professional development program for faculty using available resources in MyMathLab. Formative and summative evaluations were recommended to collect feedback from participants. The project contributes to positive social change by increasing faculty confidence in using the product to improve student success and increase student graduation rates. The findings of this study may also contribute to positive social change by supporting existing results from previous studies on the use of digital technology in traditional, in-seat math courses.

Although a mandate was given in an urban southern university for instructors in the Adult Professional Studies Program (APS) to begin transitioning their face-to-face courses to online curricula, few courses have been converted. The purpose of this case study was to determine APS instructors' perceptions of developing and transitioning face-to-face courses to an online format. Lewin's change theory and force field analysis provided the conceptual framework for this study. The research questions concerned the faculty's perceptions of developing and transitioning courses to an online format. A purposeful sample of fulltime and adjunct faculty, with different levels of expertise in online courses within the APS department was invited to participate. Semistructured interview data from these faculty (n = 9) - were analyzed manually using color coding to determine the needs and barriers for instructors transitioning their face-to-face courses to online curricula. According to the study findings, the APS faculty saw value in online education, but perceived many obstacles that keep them from fully investing into this type of instruction. 10 themes were identified through data analysis in this study. These themes were used to create a 3-day professional development (PD) project for faculty members in the APS to assist educators in creating appropriate innovations for teaching and learning in an online setting. Creating a comprehensive, 3-day PD training for APS staff and faculty that address barriers noted in the findings of the study and diverse learning opportunities created learning opportunities for nontraditional students in the APS.