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Using the Compassionate Music Teaching (CMT) framework as a lens, in this study I explored the ways that teachers of adults learning recreationally in music lessons may align their teaching approaches to learners’ adult-specific needs. Adult education scholars have accentuated the need for facilitators of adult learning to consider adult learners’ life experiences, circumstances, and identities (Merriam & Baumgartner, 2020). Researchers studying adults learning music have similarly identified the ways in which adults appreciate opportunities to ask questions, share in discussions, and be a part of the decision-making processes related to their music learning (Creech et al., 2020; Creech et al., 2014; Rohwer, 2012). In alignment with adult education and music education scholarship, the CMT framework offers an approach through which teachers may connect with learners as people to support their musical and personal growth (Hendricks, 2018). However, as Roulston et al. (2015) identified, an approach has not yet been proposed specifically for the teaching and learning of adult music learners. Whereas one might assume that a lack of adult-specific teaching techniques may not pose an issue in a one-on-one setting, there is evidence that even when teachers make efforts to meet adult learners’ needs in lessons, they are not always successful (Leahy & Smith, 2021). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the ways, if any, that teachers of adults engaged and empowered adults learning in recreational music lesson settings. Through the process of narrative inquiry, I engaged with participants in guided conversations to explore their processes of becoming musicians and educators and the ways they engaged compassionately with their adult students. I share the findings of the narrative inquiry through a series of re-storied vignettes. The findings of this study highlighted adult-specific needs that arose from the participants’ narratives and the ways that the teachers enacted qualities of CMT (trust, empathy, patience, inclusion, community, authentic connection) as they worked to meet those needs. I explore these needs under four categories: (a) following learner goals and objectives, (b) acting as a guide, (c) respecting learners’ full humanity, and (d) supporting musical belonging. The results of this study contribute to extant research by offering further insight into adults’ music learning needs, offering teachers of adults approaches through which may better meet learner needs, and expanding the CMT framework to include the experiences of adults learning recreationally.

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The vast quantity of leadership literature discusses factors that may contribute to leader development. However, strategic leaders—defined as those individuals in key positions at the organizational apex—are a subsection of the research that deserves more attention. In particular, what sets these leaders apart or enables them to excel is an area of particular interest and is explored in this dissertation. The purpose of this study was to understand the process of leadership development, specifically through the experience and beliefs of successful senior leaders. The study addressed the following questions: 1. How do strategic leaders for the federal government describe effective leadership? 2. How do they explain the development of effective strategic leadership? 3. How do the described behaviors of strategic leadership compare to the Executive Core Qualifications established for civilian federal government leaders by the Office of Personnel Management? To answer the research questions, the study employed grounded theory as the primary analytic procedure. The subjects interviewed were from areas of the federal government dealing with national security, predominantly Department of Defense. Both military and civilians subjects participated. Data were analyzed qualitatively and a conceptual model of strategic leadership behavior was developed. Finally, implications and suggestions as to how to foster the development of such capacities are offered. The findings show, as did earlier behavioral research, that the two aspects of task and relationship are important to successful leaders. In this case, both functioned predominantly in the leaders' behavior, but under the fabric of their contextual experience built on their own self-efficacy and relations with others. It follows that more attention paid to developing self-mastery and strong relationship skills are in order. Since studies on military leadership vice civilian federal service are more likely, the findings were examined in relation to the established qualifications for senior civilian leaders, revealing a gap. While the qualifications for senior executives are behavior oriented, the research indicates a need for stronger focus on personal development, growth as an individual, and contributions made to the development of others. The relationship aspect of leadership does not receive the proper emphasis. / Ph. D.

Rapid establishment of interpreting skill and knowledge standards for public school sign language interpreters has created a virtual mandate for their immediate, time-compressed, professionalization. A series of federal laws requiring accessibility to communication for deaf people have escalated demand for interpreters far beyond the supply. Thousands of people with varying levels of knowledge, skill, and experience, have been drawn into service in schools without professional preparation. Responding to specialized research, evaluation, technology, and education related to educational interpreting, states have quickly been establishing standards for interpreting skill and knowledge including phased in degree requirements. Educational interpreters have had to find ways of gaining necessary skill and knowledge rapidly, even though they typically work full-time, in isolation, and have little ready access to resources. Few occupations have experienced a juggernaut-like transition of this nature, leaving insufficient information to understand and address the phenomenon. This study was designed to investigate what we can learn from adults absorbing intense pressure of elevating their education and skills unfolding on a daily basis, most of whom are already experiencing "high-demand low-control" work environments. The findings give voice to members of a field of practice at a historic point in the professionalization of their field: sixty five experienced educational interpreters with diverse foundational preparation who completed a specialized, two-year, inservice program delivered at a distance. Online survey research, using a variety of response formats complemented by open-ended questions, generated data which were analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistics as well as coding schemes for themes and patterns that emerged from the qualitative data. The study illuminated a variety of challenges, successes, and, for some, the transformative nature of the experience, which warrants further study. Beyond acquiring knowledge and skills participants learned how to learn and achieved self-realization of their resilience points. They especially experienced themselves transforming into professionals with abilities to actively contribute to the school environment, reporting themselves to be informed, competent, and confident in all typically expected roles. Challenges typical of the adult distance learner abounded. It is recommended that adult learning principles be incorporated into any such program design, and that the wider interpreting community of practice be expanded as a learning resource. Equally important to recognize are the many people who have the same enthusiasms for the work, and the same professionalizing experiences as their more skilled peers, but who may never become sufficiently skilled to pass interpreting skill exams or their state standards. A follow up study is recommended to learn what emerges next. Is there a place for them in education that fully acknowledges and uses their experience and competencies? / Ph. D.

Although the significance of curiosity in motivating and directing learning has received substantial scholarly support, little information exists about curiosity's importance in adult learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate curiosity's possible relevance in an adult learning context, the workplace. Specifically, this study was an examination of adult curiosity's relationship to socialization-related learning, and ultimately job performance. Four curiosity instruments (the Novelty Experiencing Scale; State-Trait Personality Inventory; Melbourne Curiosity Inventory; and the Sensation Seeking Scale), one socialization-related learning questionnaire (Workplace Adaptation Questionnaire), and one job performance instrument (developed to assess technical and interpersonal job performance) were administered in four service-industry organizations. Demographic data were also collected and the final sample included 233 employees. Two-, three-, and four-factor curiosity models were examined to clarify the nature of the curiosity construct. Curiosity factor scores were subsequently used as independent variables in multiple regression equations to assess their research utility. Three a priori determined, recursive path models suggesting a causal influence of curiosity on socialization-related learning and job performance were tested as well. Standardized partial regression coefficients were calculated from a combination of the correlational matrix containing the three main study variables (curiosity, socialization-related learning, and job performance), and their standard deviations, using the EQS for Windows 5.4 routine. Multiple loadings of several of the curiosity subscales on the curiosity factors indicate a conceptual overlap between the Sensation Seeking and Venturesomeness curiosity factors; thus, the nature of curiosity may be best represented by a Cognitive Curiosity and Sensation Seeking factor interpretation. The findings also suggest that the two-factor curiosity model may have had the best research utility for the purposes of this study. The three- and four-factor curiosity solutions did not explain a significant amount of additional variance in the multiple regression models predicting socialization-related learning and job performance. Results suggest, too, that curiosity has both a direct and an indirect causal influence on job performance. This research indicates that curiosity or the desire for information has a weak but significant direct effect on total job performance, and its effect on total job performance can also be mediated by the learning associated with the socialization process. When examining curiosity's effect on the two separate job performance dimensions, i.e., technical and interpersonal, curiosity's only significant effect on both job performance dimensions was mediated through the socialization-related learning variable. Overall, this study's findings suggest support for adult curiosity as being relevant in the socialization process and in job performance as well. / Ph. D.

Learning from the experiences of Black adult learners within the Black church provides an opportunity to learn from a culturally relevant space that has deeply rooted historical ties in the Black community. The over-arching research question in this study is: How does the Black church meet the needs of its adult learners, and what can higher education institution learn from these practices to retain Black students while creating a more inclusive environment? While research on adult learners is plentiful, the intersection of the Black church as a lens in which to design more culturally relevant spaces and pedagogy has not been as prominent. These experiences provide insight into how higher education institutions can provide a more learning centered and welcoming environment for Black students. This mixed methods study centered on the experiences Black adult learners who engaged in educational programs within the Black church. The quantitative analysis focused on preset motivational dimensions to measure how they impacted the adult learners' reasons for participating in church based adult education using a survey instrument. The qualitative analysis centered on their experiences during their engagement in the educational programs and their reasons for engaging through utilizing semi structured interviews. The findings suggest that adult learners perceived their experiences within the Black church as ones in which they developed a greater sense of empowerment and achievement. The participants' construction of their experiences was guided by their conceptualizations of what it meant to be Black student in an educational setting, and more specifically in the Black church. There were four major themes that highlighted the experiences of these adult learner learners, which included: (1) The Black church shielded learners from negative identity association, (2) Advocacy from the Black church was considered significant to learner engagement, (3) Trust in the educational spaces contributed to the learners' success, (4) Culturally relevant learning spaces positively influenced learner engagement. The findings of this study continue the discussion on how adult learners make sense of their experiences related to the Black church and higher education, and more importantly how create more inclusive learning spaces that remove barriers for Black students. / Doctor of Philosophy / Learning from the experiences of Black adult learners within the Black church provides an opportunity to learn from a culturally relevant space that has deeply rooted historical ties in the Black community. The over-arching research question in this study is: How does the Black church meet the needs of its adult learners, and what can higher education institution learn from these practices to retain Black students while creating a more inclusive environment? While research on adult learners is plentiful, the intersection of the Black church as a lens in which to design more culturally relevant spaces and pedagogy has not been as prominent. These experiences provide insight into how higher education institutions can provide a more learning centered and welcoming environment for Black students. This mixed methods study centered on the experiences Black adult learners who engaged in educational programs within the Black church. The quantitative analysis focused on preset motivational dimensions to measure how they impacted the adult learners' reasons for participating in church based adult education using a survey instrument. The qualitative analysis centered on their experiences during their engagement in the educational programs and their reasons for engaging through utilizing semi structured interviews. The findings suggest that adult learners perceived their experiences within the Black church as ones in which they developed a greater sense of empowerment and achievement. The participants' construction of their experiences was guided by their conceptualizations of what it meant to be Black student in an educational setting, and more specifically in the Black church. There were four major themes that highlighted the experiences of these adult learner learners, which included: (1) The Black church shielded learners from negative identity association, (2) Advocacy from the Black church was considered significant to learner engagement, (3) Trust in the educational spaces contributed to the learners' success, (4) Culturally relevant learning spaces positively influenced learner engagement. The findings of this study continue the discussion on how adult learners make sense of their experiences related to the Black church and higher education, and more importantly how create more inclusive learning spaces that remove barriers for Black students.