The dissertation focuses on understanding the mothering experience of three internal organizational development consultant/managers who perceive that their experience informed their professional functioning. The questions that guided the study were: (a) What is the mothering experience of the internal organizational development consultant/manager who perceives that her experience informed her professional functioning? and (b) How does the mothering experience inform the professional functioning of the internal organizational development consultant/manager? A case study method using the grounded theory method of data analysis produced three narratives that suggested how the mothering experience influenced consulting and managerial functioning. Three themes emerged; namely: "being fully present," "protecting by fighting for trust and safety / Ph. D.

Assistive technologies can aid in removing many of the barriers that students with disabilities face in today's classroom. This study addressed special educators' perceptions of the facilitators for the successful implementation of assistive technology devices, skills and knowledge, and need for professional development. A self reporting questionnaire was designed to collect data. The questionnaire was mailed to 1164 special educators in southwestern Virginia. Educators reported that funding, time, technical assistance, assistive technology awareness and knowledge, professional development opportunities, and administrative support were highly important facilitators to the successful implementation of assistive technology. Special educators revealed an average level of skills and knowledge and need for professional development on 25 out of 27 assistive technology competencies. Furthermore, educators reported a preference for professional development opportunities in group settings that involved hands-on learning experiences. / Ed. D.

This research was conducted to develop a richer understanding of resistant behavior displayed by adults in the adult learning environment. Resistant behavior occurs when a student declines the learning opportunity by mentally withdrawing, or by co-opting the instructor's agenda, or by attacking the instructor directly. This research addressed two questions. The first was, "How do instructors perceive the underlying dynamics, or causes they cite, of the hostile resistant behavior they have observed and experienced in the learning environment?" The second question was "How do instructors interpret episodes of hostile resistant behavior?" This qualitative research provides an in depth exploration of the experiences of the participating instructors with hostile resistant behavior in adult graduate education. The participants were veteran teachers accustomed to handling resistant behavior, yet this experience stopped them in their tracks. The hostile resistant behaviors may represent a subcategory of resistance not previously researched, and could happen to anyone. This could be challenging for the most seasoned professional. Interviews were guided by grounded theory concepts as described by Strauss and Corbin. Open-ended interviews were modeled on the work of Seidman. The selected instructors had a minimum of twenty years experience in higher education. They were professionally adept, seasoned educators of adults. Key findings were that: participants were unable to anticipate the onset of resistant behavior; the behavior was persistent and intense; the instructors were unable to isolate causes or develop effective coping strategies; the instructors' emotional reactions included a pattern of surprise, confusion, and cynicism; the emotional impact on the participants was often strong and lasting. The dissertation provided recommendations for further research in instructor-centric; student- centric; and institution-centric categories. Instructor-centric recommendations included: expansion into additional academic disciplines and the training world; effect of on-line delivery methods; impact on instructors' professional reputations; and transformational experience. Student-centric recommendations addressed changes that might be associated with the make up of the student body, such as age and culture; and the effect of the resistant behavior on other members of the class. Institution-centric recommendations included suggestions regarding hostile work environment; protective measures for instructors; and institutionalized support networks. / Ph. D.

By exploring the historical development and current state of the corporate university through literature reviews, case study analyses, and interviews with corporate university practitioners, this study conceptualizes the corporate university. The shortage of knowledgeable workers in technical areas and rapid advances in technology have energized adult learning in the United States. In response to these changes and needs, many corporations have incorporated formal learning programs into their organizations. As conceptualized in this study, the corporate university is Corporate America's vehicle for providing learning programs to their workers with the goal of developing and maintaining a highly skilled, knowledgeable, and adaptable workforce that contributes to organizational performance. Through an historical development and conceptualization based on interviews with corporate university practitioners and case study analyses, this study also examines the strengths and weaknesses of the corporate university. The corporate university does, in fact, provide a useful and innovative way to reach a portion of the adult learning population. Moreover, the corporate university provides learning initiatives that are related to the adult's current and future role in the workplace. In this way, the learning opportunities provided by the corporate university make the knowledge relevant and accessible to the adult learner. However, the corporate university is not founded on adult learning principles and is chartered to consider corporate success rather than individual development. This purpose endangers the corporate university in that it has the potential to exploit the American workforce by forcing undesired learning opportunities. This study identifies a basic component, partnership, that helps many corporate universities avoid employee exploitation and provide learning opportunities that have meaning to both the individual learners and the organization. The partnership component is foregrounded in a model for program development that is presented in this construct for future and current corporate university planners. The model is not tested in this thesis; however, it has been reviewed and endorsed by a panel of corporate university experts. Provided that partnership is considered and integrated into the approach, this study concludes that the corporate university, as a conceptual and an interactive model, is a useful vehicle for reaching the adult learner and for preparing and maintaining an American workforce able to manage change and remain competitive. / Master of Science

Thesis submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Doctor's Degree in Technology: Language Practice, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the current learning methods that are typically used by special populations (an elderly subject group), and to explore their general level of effectiveness. The primary research questions explore how this subject group is currently learning to use the Internet and for what purposes, along with what the typical barriers are that this group experiences when seeking to use the Internet, together with factors that motivate them to participate in learning programs. This study has special relevance for elderly adults along with computer instructors who specifically train the elderly to learn to use the Internet. The findings may also be of interest to others who interact with other special populations, directly or indirectly, including web designers, healthcare professionals, librarians, and others. The project was prompted by the author‘s experience teaching and observing elderly adults learning to use the Internet, and his desire to develop a more effective teaching strategy for them. The thesis explores the basic principles of adult learning, including components from self-directed learning, the theory of multiple intelligences, ethnographic research and other theories and approaches that have the potential of contributing to teaching this subject group, including the use of language in describing their learning successes and failures. Data analysis consisted of observing over 200 older adults learning to use the Internet over a two-year period. The evaluation of participants was based on empirical (defined in the glossary) and subjective analysis of levels of participation, progress and other factors. To supplement the large-scale results with rich data, the author of this study also performed detailed interviews with 14 elderly Internet users along with five teachers of the elderly. Additional material was gathered from academic journal articles, online databases and other related sources. The author tested and applied several research methods to achieve the most effective outcome. This iii included participant observation from ethnographic research, along with empirical and basic quantitative research. The author also uses autoethnography in his research approach, an emerging qualitative research method that allows the researcher to write in a highly personalized style, drawing on his or her experience, as kind of a autobiographical personal narrative. The intent of auto-ethnography is to acknowledge the link between the personal and the cultural and to make room for non-traditional forms of inquiry and expression. In embracing personal thoughts, feelings, stories, and observations as a way of understanding the social context they are studying, these researchers are also shedding light on their total interaction with that setting by making their every emotion and thought visible to the reader. Auto-ethnography also gives researchers an opportunity to do primary research and draw data from their observations. An identifiable pattern that is reviewed in more detail in the Results section emerged from these different findings. The primary outcome that emerged is that there are many approaches to learning, and these methods need to be examined, tested and selectively adapted for each individual to achieve the maximum benefit. The widespread demand for Internet training has resulted in fragmented and inconsistent training schemes that are generally focused on classroom-based instruction. The author encourages a systematic self-testing by the subject group member (and their teachers) to explore currently available training methods and combine the elements that they find most effective towards a personalized approach to learning based on individual interests, aptitudes, and the availability of the local training resources. The percentage of the elderly using the Internet is rising rapidly, and the current training options are limited in some areas in the United States. Based on the author‘s empirical observations, the self-directed approach to learning appears to show the most promise for this elderly subject group, in the sense that they generate their own best learning schematics, while their instructor guides and facilitates the process. iv This thesis has made a primary contribution to the research in several ways. First of all, the author made a synthesis that has not been made previously. He combined the concept of self-directed learning with several methods of learning improvement, such as the use of assistive technology for the disabled, memory skill-building, and the application of symbols and metaphors to increase the ability of this subject group to comprehend the learning materials. This is arguably the best approach for adapting to this rapidly evolving subject group population. Additionally, he applied the concept of kaizen, a Japanese term from their manufacturing sector that represents continuous, ongoing improvement, to teach to members of this group the concept of self-monitoring and improvement. Additionally, the research was cross-disciplinary and used different methodologies, including ethnography, empirical and basic quantitative research. Several additional contributions and innovations are described later in the thesis.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Exploring emancipatory and transformative paradigms towards lifelong learning in the new millenium confront facilitators of adult learning to reflect critically on their own paradigms and practices of learning. Transformative learning occurs in this process of revision and reflection and when it leads to transformed meaning perspectives or change, emancipatory learning takes place. This implies that the process of critical reflection can be seen as a key to adult learning. Out of this background the broad question arises of how facilitators of adult learning can be prompted to engage in reflection on their own learning journeys to playa role in uplifting the status of adult learning and to become lifelong learners themselves. This study, in the form of a personal learning journey, in the short term addresses this question by focusing on three levels namely: ~ Exploring more relevant and alternative research approaches to the field of adult learning ~ Exploring adult learning theory in a dialogical and reflective manner ~ Developing integrated and holistic models for adult learning and lifelong learning in a constructivist and reflective manner. In the long term the learning journey aims to effect a framework for the narratives of other facilitators of adult learning in constructing meaning-making in their processes of transformative and emancipatory learning. A constructivist, biographical and dialogical approach is followed to engage reflectively with my inquiry and aiming at creating emancipatory and transformative challenges for facilitators of adult learning. It invites facilitators to respond in a critical, dialogical and reflective manner to their changing environments and practices. Adult learning theory is explored in a dialogical manner and an integrated and holistic model for adult learning is developed. My learning journey thus challenges other facilitators of adult learning to provide leadership in their practice by developing the ability to reflect critically resulting in alternative ways of engaging with the challenges facing us towards a learning millenium. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Transformatiewe en Emansipatoriese Uitdagings vir Fasiliteerders van Volwassene Leer: 'n Lerende Reis Deur emansipatoriese en transformatiewe paradigmas op pad na lewenslange leer in die nuwe millenium te eksploreer word fasiliteerders van volwassene leer gekonfronteer om krities oor hul eie paradigmas en praktyke van leer te reflekteer. Transformatiewe leer vind plaas in die proses van revisie en refleksie en wanneer dit lei tot getransformeerde betekenis perspektiewe of verandering, vind emansipatoriese leer plaas. Dit impliseer dat die proses van kritiese refleksie as 'n sleutel tot volwassene leer gesien kan word. Vanuit hierdie agtergrond ontstaan die breë vraag van hoe fasiliteerders van volwassene leer geïnspireer kan word om te reflekteer oor hulle eie lerende reise en daardeur 'n rol te speel in die opheffing van die status van volwassene leer en om hulself lewenslange leerders te word. Hierdie studie, in die vorm van 'n persoonlike lerende reis, spreek die vraag op die korttermyn op drie vlakke aan, naamlik: ~ Eksplorering van meer relevante en alternatiewe navorsingsbenaderings in die veld van volwassene leer ~ Eksplorering van volwassene leer teorie op 'n dialogiese en reflektiewe wyse ~ Ontwikkeling van geïntegreerde en holistiese modelle vir volwassene leer en lewenslange leer op 'n konstruktivistiese en reflektiewe wyse. Die lerende reis beoog om op die langtermyn 'n raamwerk vir die narratiewe van ander fasiliteerders van volwassene leer daar te stel in konstruktiewe betekenismaking in hul prosesse van transformatiewe en emansipatoriese leer. 'n Konstruktivistiese, biografiese en dialogiese benadering word gevolg ten einde reflektief om te gaan met my ondersoek met die doelom emansipatoriese en transformatiewe uitdagings aan fasiliteerders van volwassene leer te stel. Fasiliteerders word uitgenooi om op 'n kritiese, dialogiese en reflektiewe wyse te reageer op hul veranderende omgewings en praktyke. Volwassene leer teorie word geeksploreer op In dialogiese wyse en In geïntegreerde en holistiese model vir volwassene leer is ontwikkel. My lerende reis konfronteer dus ander fasiliteerders van volwassene leer met die uitdaging om leierskap daar te stel in hulle praktyk deur die vermoë te ontwikkel om krities te reflekteer. Die resultaat hiervan is om oorweging te skenk aan alternatiewe maniere van omgaan met die uitdagings wat ons in die gesig staar op pad na 'n lerende millenium.

On the African continent South Africa is unequivocally the economic and military giant. As the continental hegemon, the state has sought the reform of the unequal global economy in order to enhance the participation in the global political economy of all African countries. The South African government projects the discourse of African solidarity in driving global reforms, emphasising that such reforms will be of benefit to both the continent as a whole, and to the South African state. Within this context, it is the purpose of this dissertation to determine with greater clarity who stands to gain from South Africa’s efforts. In other words, is South Africa acting to acquire economic growth and development for Africa as a whole, or is the country primarily acting to secure its own wealth and power? In short, this study investigates whether South Africa – as the continental hegemon – is acting in a benevolent or selfish manner in its undertakings. The assessment of South Africa’s hegemony is presented in a theoretical schema constructed with a focus on the three main theories of international relations, namely liberalism, realism and structuralism. Each of these theories is employed descriptively as well as prescriptively as tools to evaluate the nature of the African political economy, and South African action versus rhetoric. Applying these conceptual lenses, South Africa’s position on three aspects of the African political economy are assessed and evaluated. These three areas of the political economy – trade, debt and foreign direct investment – serve as case studies revealing South Africa’s benevolence and/or selfishness. In brief, South Africa is pressing for the reform of the international financial architecture; rhetorically, the state seeks free trade and enhanced export opportunities for all African states; the country is urging foreign creditors to reduce Africa’s external debt; South African leaders have recommended that their counterparts establish an investor-friendly climate in Africa as a means to enhance foreign investments on the continent. South Africa’s actions have the potential to benefit the African continent as a whole, and simultaneously advance the state’s interests. The findings of this study point out that (a) each of the three theories can be utilised to describe South Africa’s rhetoric and actions, and (b) the essence of South Africa’s hegemony is neither entirely benevolent, nor exclusively selfish. / Mr. P.P Fourie

Thesis advisor: Robert J. Starratt / Often educational researchers believe that the way to get teacher groups to improve their own teaching is to have them work in groups, share common assessments, look at the results, and choose the approach of the teacher who achieved the most success. Teachers, however, often resist this approach to identifying a "best practice" because it creates a competitive climate in which one teacher will be identified as the best. Conversations about teaching, when they do occur, thus often remain superficial. Teachers most often say to each other that they respect each other's approach; when they do disagree, they focus briefly on ideological differences and then move on to another topic before identifying the specific instructional techniques that work. This dynamic persists in all schools, but particularly in high performing schools in which most students are succeeding, teachers choose to avoid these difficult conversations and thus avoid close examination of their practices. This study examines a leadership project that strove to draw teachers into fruitful conversations about best practice by diminishing competitiveness within the group. Rather than asking them to compare student performance on common assessments, and identify the teacher whose students did the best, the Principal/Researcher focused teachers on the goal of establishing a common approach to teaching certain math topics. In order to find this common approach, teachers had to examine their practices very closely, adopting some new ones but keeping the ones that worked. Rather than the work of one teacher, the "best practice" that the group members chose was a synthesis of strong teaching methods from all members of the group. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

Since September 11, 2001, money and resources have been allocated at unprecedented levels in order to prevent future attacks on the United States. In the interest of preventing a similar type of incident, counterterrorism initiatives were funded using public funds with little or no oversight as to measuring the effectiveness of these programs. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the dependent variable - the level of awareness of participants (the ability to identify terrorism threats) who attended counterterrorism training that was solely lecture based and one that combined both lecture and demonstration. Three theoretical frameworks provided the foundation for this study: The organizational knowledge creation theory, adult learning theory and the experiential learning theory. The Solomon four-group design was employed using 412 test subjects who attended the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Improvised Explosives Familiarization/Chemical Industry Outreach Workshop . The results of a factorial ANOVA revealed no statistically significant difference in posttest scores between the inexpensive lecture and the more expensive lecture and demonstrations methodologies; however, the results from the paired t test with a p < .001 did demonstrate cost-effectiveness with an average increase of 14 points in the level of awareness from pre- to posttest. The positive social change implications stemming from this study include recommendations to identify objective measures for program effectiveness in all government programs in compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act of 1981. If followed such actions would demonstrate good governance and are likely to increase the public's trust.

Government initiatives for strengthening the safety of the United States led to increased requirements for military linguists' knowledge of foreign languages. This study explored the development of professional training for instructors at a military language school to address the gap in teaching services. The purpose of this single case study was to explore best teaching practices for engaging adult students' foreign language learning following andragogical principles. Knowles's theory of andragogy provided the conceptual framework. Data were collected using anonymous responses to an online survey from 26 instructors who answered 3 open-ended questions. Data were analyzed by coding answers to the research question and indicated that approximately one third of participants preferred language-centered practices for engaging their students' foreign language learning. Another third of the respondents noted learner-centered approaches, and the remainder listed both language- and learner-centered approaches among best teaching practices. The proposed curriculum might facilitate discussion about the benefits of each approach to promote teaching and learning at the site. Participating in suggested training that is grounded in the theory of andragogy and local data may bring about positive change by advancing instructors' expertise, improving educational services, and resulting in increased students' proficiency.