Increased enrollments of nontraditional students in U.S. higher education institutions have prompted many college and university administrators to consider student service programs. These programs ensure that support services are available to nontraditional students to cultivate healthy graduation rates among that student population. The purpose of this study was to discover factors that influence nontraditional students to become disengaged or be retained. The study was a qualitative case study with data collected from individual interviews with 10 nontraditional students participating in online and traditional onsite delivery systems at a private, nontraditional higher education institution in the western United States. The theoretical framework that guided this study was Knowles's andragogy theory. The research questions addressed students' perceptions of the role of persistence, barriers, self-direction, intrinsic motivation, delivery systems, learning modality, and academic and support services in their academic success. Data analysis was conducted to identify themes by coding the narrative responses and using member checks to validate data interpretations. Findings derived from the interviews indicated that students believed that they benefitted from a community of support within the university system. A professional development workshop was designed as a project to train university employees on how to create a professional learning community (PLC) to support students. This PLC was designed to promote positive social change by enhancing retention of adult students in academic programs until graduation and create an environment where people work together in a collaborative way within the university to ensure student success.

The purpose of this thesis is to find out the central, essential, and important issues concerning teaching adult students within the municipal adult education system in Sweden. In accordance with the used method, Grounded Theory, the research question runs as follows: What is the main concern of adult educators and how do they deal with it? Formal and informal conversations with and between adult educators, classroom observations and events occurring outside the classrooms were used as data. A constant comparative analysis of empirical data, supported by literature and results from previous research ended up in an empirical grounded theory. The main concern of the adult educators is the high degree of absence and the many dropouts among the students. To avoid this, a majority of the educators perform motivational work through pedagogical and social actions and try to find a balance between teaching and caring. A majority of the adult students, though, have needs that are of a socio-emotional kind; a caring dimension seems to prevail. So, the educational assignment becomes secondary to the social one, but the acts of caring are both of final and instrumental value. By teaching and caring, the adult educators try to help their students to lead a good life either at the moment or in the future, and to experience Quality of Life, the latter have to be motivated to attend school regularly. According to the andragogical principles, adults are responsible and motivated to learn by nature. However, this study shows that there is a distance between the ideal adult student and the actual one and that adult educators have to take on both the responsibility and motivational work. An informal theory, generated out of a basic set of values and an experienced-based knowledge that is vital to adult education, is thus put into educational practice.

Many post-secondary schools across the country offer adult working students an opportunity to obtain at least partial credit for work and life experiences in their curriculum through portfolios. The primary goal of this project was to design, develop and evaluate a portfolio course for adult students at a small independent university. Design emphasized adult learning theory and incorporated instructional design best practices throughout. Also significant to the design was the implementation of the Quality Matters ™ Rubric. The project focus was to intertwine the six assumptions of adult learning theory while implementing best practices and effective instructional strategies, and to conduct formative and summative evaluations. The study incorporated a pre-test - post test instrument and satisfaction questionnaire for quantitative data collection. The results of this project are positive based on the evaluation data collected during this project.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the beliefs of 5 experienced instructors about the ways adults learn in online professional development (OPD) courses, beliefs about creating online learning environments, and beliefs about instructional strategies for facilitating adult learning. The following questions guided this study: 1. What are the instructor’s beliefs about the ways that adults learn in online professional development courses? 2. What are the instructor’s beliefs about creating an online learning environment for adult learners? 3. What are the instructor’s beliefs about the use of instructional strategies to facilitate online learning with adults? The setting for the study was the professional development program of a large metropolitan school district in the southeastern United States. Data were collected through interviews, discussion board postings, and instructor journals and analyzed using a constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The following themes emerged from the data: • Adult learning in OPD courses is an active process of making connections and applying knowledge and skills. • Learning for adults in OPD courses must be useful, meaningful, relevant, practical, adaptable, and applicable to the work setting. • Learning for adults in an OPD course requires more effort and commitment than learning in face-to-face professional development settings. • Adult learners in OPD courses need a comfort zone where they can feel “safe” communicating and interacting with learners and the instructor. • Adult learners need varying amounts of encouragement, support, guidance, and nurturing within a positive online learning environment(OLE)that supports and sustains them. • Instructors believe that collaboration is an effective strategy for facilitating learning with adults in OPD courses, yet existing barriers limit collaboration. • The OPD instructor is a flexible facilitator of learning who uses different types of feedback to confirm, correct, and inform learning with adults.

The introduction of the New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007) provided both opportunities and challenges to schools. As teaching and learning has continued to evolve and develop in accordance with new research, technological innovations and changing school populations so too has curriculum. The curriculum was designed to initiate a transformation in values, principles, and key competencies that are needed for learners to successfully participate in schooling and society. The New Zealand government introduced a new curriculum in 2007 with the intention of it being implemented into schools by 2010. The content of curriculum was guided by pedagogical understandings supported by research. This included an emphasis on schools having ownership of their curriculum. The 2007 curriculum also had a larger focus on educating the whole child not just on learning objectives. This research investigates how three schools have undertaken the implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum (2007), and the effects this implementation has had on teaching and learning. Using semi-structured interviews, the descriptive narratives of each teacher’s and school’s experience and understanding has been explored. The results indicated that the participating schools are embracing the new curriculum and that changes made due to professional development, teacher collaboration and curriculum implementation are directly affecting learning for children in a positive way.

Malcolm Shepherd Knowles was a key writer and theorist in the field of adult education in the United States. He died in 1997 and left a large legacy of books and journal articles. This thesis traced the development of his thinking over the 46-year period from 1950 to 1995. It examined the 25 works authored, co-authored, edited, reissued and revised by him during that period. The writings were scrutinised using a literature research methodology to expose the theoretical content, and a history of thought lens to identify and account for the development of major ideas. The methodology enabled a gradual unfolding of the history. A broadly-consistent and sequential pattern of thought focusing on the notion of andragogy emerged. The study revealed that after the initial phases of exploratory thinking, Knowles developed a practical-theoretical framework he believed could function as a comprehensive theory of adult learning. As his thinking progressed, his theory developed into a unified framework for human resource development and, later, into a model for the development of self-directed lifelong learners. The study traced the development of Knowles’ thinking through the phases of thought, identified the writings that belonged within each phase and produced a series of diagrammatic representations showing the evolution of his conceptual framework. The production of a history of the development of Knowles’ thought is the major outcome of the study. In addition to plotting the narrative sequence of thought-events, the history helps to explicate the factors and conditions that influenced Knowles’ thinking and to show the interrelationships between ideas. The study should help practitioners in their use and appreciation of Knowles’ works.

Submitted by Noeme Timbo (noeme.timbo@metodista.br) on 2017-06-30T15:01:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Luiza Correia Hruschka.pdf: 1149081 bytes, checksum: cbbd2671588e2b122c2c2fcc472fff7e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-30T15:01:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luiza Correia Hruschka.pdf: 1149081 bytes, checksum: cbbd2671588e2b122c2c2fcc472fff7e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-05 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This study aims to analyze usage of sociodramatic methodology to improve didactics of Administration undergraduate courses, according to their students’ profiles. The main themes of this research are: Education, Pedagogy and Didactics; Methodology and Didactics of Undergraduate Teaching; Teachers’ Formation and Continuous Development; Teaching-learning Process; Andragogy; Group Theory; Psychodrama and Sociodrama. In that order, a qualitative study with an exploratory approach and experimental aspects was chosen. The instrument used is the TREM – Transform, Highlight, Exclude and Maintain – which refers to an individual evaluation assessment that enables the participant to evaluate the sociodramatic class according to the following criteria: teacher’s posture in the classroom, understanding of the teaching-learning process, and the teacher’s perception about student’s behavior in the class. Nine undergraduate classes’ teachers took part in this study, which seven were from Administration area, one from Pedadogy area and the last one from Automation and High School areas. Collected data from the TREM instrument were divided according to the evaluation criteria in order to improve reader’s understanding about the study. The research concludes that usage of sociodramatic methodology changes the studied teachers’ didactics, since 56% of their difficulties are related do dispersion, disinterest and demotivation, and applying this methodology makes the students more participative and interested in classes, turning them into part of the teaching-learning process. An important result related to the methodology usage is that teachers stimulates students’ participation, improve their listening, includes practical activities, better time management and bigger compliance to proposed program. Relating to teaching-learning process, the students becomes active subject of the process, their experiences are valued, it becomes possible to identify and correct their difficulties, and it highlights teamwork towards developing cooperative construction skills and interpersonal relationships. About the student behavior in the classroom, it becomes protagonist, gains responsibilities and lowers cellphone usage and parallel conversations, since its needed to experience classroom steps, and gives more ease to perform practical activities. As a challenge, for future studies, it needs to improve usage of techniques directed to the stages that compose the sociodramatic classes, mainly, for those teachers who frequently use expository techniques. Another challenge to consider is the technique of dramatization in the teaching-learning process, based on the sociodramatic methodology, which deserves a greater emphasis. / Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar o uso da metodologia sociodramática no aperfeiçoamento da didática dos professores dos cursos de administração, de acordo com o perfil de alunos do nível superior. Os temas que fundamentam esta pesquisa são: Educação, Pedagogia e Didática; Metodologia e Didática do Ensino Superior; Formação e Aperfeiçoamento Contínuo de Professores; Processo de ensino-aprendizagem; Andragogia; Teoria de Grupo; Psicodrama e Sociodrama. Para tanto, optou-se por um estudo de caráter qualitativo com enfoque exploratório e com elementos experimentais. O instrumento utilizado é o TREM – Transformar, Realçar, Excluir e Manter – o qual se refere a um formulário de avaliação individual, em que o participante avalia a aula sociodramática colocada em prática, levando em consideração os seguintes critérios: a postura do professor em sala de aula, a leitura do processo de ensino-aprendizagem e a percepção do professor em relação à postura do aluno com a implantação da referida aula. Os participantes da pesquisa são nove professores, sendo que sete pertencem a área da administração, um a área da pedagogia e outro ao curso de automação e ensino médio. Os dados coletados, por meio do instrumento TREM, estão agrupados de acordo com os critérios de avaliação estabelecidos para facilitar a leitura e a compreensão do estudo. As conclusões da pesquisa revelam que a utilização da metodologia sociodramática produz modificações na didática dos professores pesquisados, uma vez que 56% das suas dificuldades estão relacionadas à dispersão, desinteresse e desmotivação, e com a aplicação da metodologia os alunos tornam-se participativos e interessados na aula, passando a fazer parte do processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Como importantes resultados encontrados, com a utilização da metodologia, em relação à postura do professor tem-se que este passa a estimular a participação do aluno, desenvolve maior escuta, passa a incluir atividades práticas, melhora a administração do tempo e maior fidelidade ao programa. Quanto ao processo de ensino-aprendizagem, o aluno torna-se o sujeito ativo do processo, suas experiências são valorizadas, torna-se possível identificar dificuldades para poder saná-las, além do realce do trabalho em grupo para o desenvolvimento de habilidades de co-construção e de relacionamento interpessoal. E, em relação à postura do aluno em sala de aula, ele torna-se protagonista, aumenta sua responsabilidade, o uso do celular e as conversas paralelas ficam em segundo plano, pois têm que vivenciar as etapas da aula, assim como passam a ter maior facilidade em realizar as atividades práticas. Como desafio, para próximos estudos, faz-se necessário aprimorar a utilização de técnicas voltadas para as etapas que compõem às aulas sociodramática, principalmente, para aqueles professores que empregam frequentemente técnicas expositivas. Outro desafio a se considerar, é quanto a utilização da técnica da dramatização no processo de ensino-aprendizagem, a partir da metodologia sociodramática, a qual merece uma ênfase maior.

Den 1 juli 2010 avskaffades värnplikten i förmån för ett yrkesförsvar, varpå premisserna för utbildningen av soldater förändrades. Idag har män och kvinnor från 18 år möjlighet att genomföra s.k. Grundläggande Militär Utbildning (GMU) under tre månader på frivillig basis. De nya premisserna kan m.h.t. frivilligheten ställas i paritet med civil vuxenutbildning, där båda upplever exempelvis avhopp till följd av motivationsbrist. Syftet med studien är delvis att identifiera officerarnas upplevda utmaningar på GMU avseende rekryternas tidigare erfarenheter, motivation samt lärarrollen. Därtill syftar studien till att undersöka om de är desamma för civil vuxenutbildning. Intervjuer av åtta officerare har genomförts för att identifiera de utmaningar som föreligger på GMU, samt en komparativ analys mellan dessa utmaningar och bland annat Knowles andragogikteori, som i den här studien representerar utmaningarna för den civila vuxenutbildningen. Resultatet visar att det föreligger utmaningar på GMU som är desamma för civil vuxenutbildning, särskilt tydligt vad gäller elevens/rekrytens motivation, men å andra sidan visar resultatet på att det föreligger utmaningar på GMU som inte förekommer i samma omfattning som i vuxenutbildning, och vice versa. / In July 2010 Sweden abolished conscription in favor of an all-volunteer military force, whereupon the prerequisites for the recruitment and training of soldiers changed. Today, men and women from the age of 18 can sign up for a so-called Basic Military Training (GMU) for three months on a voluntary basis. The new prerequisites can, with regard to voluntariness, be on par with civilian adult education, both of which are, e.g., experiencing drop-outs as a result of lack of motivation. The purpose of the study is partly to identify the officers’ perceived challenges at GMU regarding recruits earlier experience, motivation and the teacher’s role. In addition, the study aims to examine whether these challenges are the same as for the civilian adult education. Interviews of eight officers have been conducted to distinguish the challenges that exist at GMU, as well as a comparative analysis between these challenges and theory of adult learning, including Knowles’s andragogy model, which in this study represents challenges for the civilian adult education. The result shows that there are challenges at GMU that are the same as for the civilian adult education, particularly evident in terms of the motivation of the pupil/recruit, but on the other hand, the result shows that there are challenges at GMU that do not occur in the same extent as in adult education, and vice versa.

Dit is nie oordrewe om te beweer dat die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwyssisteem tans midde-in 'n krisis staan nie. Dat ook die tersiere onderwyssektor ten nouste deur die omvang van hierdie krisis geraak word, kan nie betwis word nie. Die dilemma soos wat dit huidig binne die onderwys manifesteer, is direk herleibaar tot die jarelange apartheidsbeleid van die verlede. Dit is besonderlik die tersiere onderwyssektor wat 'n onvoldoende verrekening van die behoeftes van die gemeenskap weerspieel - veral die onderwysgerigte probleme en uitdagings binne die breer Afrikakonteks. In 'n poging om die onderwysspeelveld gelyk te maak, is indringende veranderings en hervormings besig om plaas te vind aan die bree onderwysfront. Verskeie onderwysimperatiewe tree na vore:Regstellings met betrekking tot die diskrepansie in onderwysstandaarde; Die toekomstige onderwysbehoeftes van die groeiende bevolking wat geakkommodeer moet word; Opgeleide mannekrag wat voorsien moet word ten einde 'n lewensvatbare en progressiewe ekonomie te verseker Die eiesoortige probleme van groot massas individue wat ongeskoold is of wat beskik oor 'n minderwaardige skoolopleiding, wat aangespreek moet word. Een van die grootste struikelblokke wat staan in die weg om die voorgenoemde probleemareas daadwerklik aan te spreek, is dosente aan tersiere onderwysinstansies se oenskynlike gebrek aan toereikende onderrig- en begeleidingsvaardighede. In die literatuurstudie is verskeie navorsingsbevindinge aangehaal wat daarop dui dat die meerderheid dosente vasgevang is in 'n nimmereindigende gejaag na die verwerwing van kwalifikasies en die publisering van navorsingsresultate - ongelukkig ten koste van doeltreffende onderrig en begeleiding van studente. Hierbenewens het dit ook aan die lig gekom dat meer as 80% van alle dosente aan geselekteerde tersiere onderwysinstansies in Suid-Afrika, oor geen vorm van formele onderrigkwalifikasies beskik nie.n Vraelys is ontwikkel ten einde te bepaal tot watter mate bevestiging vir die literatuurbevindinge in die praktyk gevind kon word en ook om dosente se algemene persepsies te toets met betrekking tot die doseerprofessie in sy geheel. Daar is veral klem gele op die onderskeie komponente van dosentskap - begeleiding en onderrig, navorsing, administrasie en gemeenskapsdiens. Drie bree kategoriee dosente is betrek by die studie, naamlik diegene verteenwoordigend van: Histories Afrikaanse Instellings; Histories Engelse Instellings; en Histories Swart Instellings. Uit hoofde van die bevindinge van die empiriese ondersoek, is praktykgerigte riglyne vir onderrig en begeleiding binne andragogiese konteks neergele. / It is not an exaggeration to maintain that the educational system in South Africa finds itself in the midst of a crisis. It can furthermore not be denied that tertiary education in particular is profoundly involved in this crisis. The dilemma which presently manifests in the educational sector is without doubt the result of the prolonged apartheidspolicy of the past. The tertiary sector, in particular, reflects an inadequate consideration of the unique needs of the broader community. In an effort to level the educational playfield, incisive changes and reconstruction are currently taking place in the broader educational sector. Various educational imperatives emerge:Affirmative action with regard to the discrepency in educational standards have to be addressed; The future educational needs of the growing South African population have to be accommodated; Qualified manpower that has to be provided so as to ensure a viable and progressive economy; The unique problems of large numbers of individuals who are unskilled or who are in possession of an inferior school education, have to be considered. A major obstacle in the way of addressing the aforementioned problem areas, is lecturers' apparent lack of sufficient teaching and accompaniment skills. Various research findings are quoted which point to the fact that the majority of lecturers are trapped in a spiral of obtaining qualifications and publishing research findings. This process unfortunately impacts negatively on effective teaching and the accompaniment of students. ·A related finding confirms that more than 80% of all lecturers at selected tertiary institutions in South Africa are not in possession of a professional teaching qualification. A questionnaire was developed in order to establish to which degree confirmation could be found in practice for the literature findings and also to establish lecturers' general perceptions with regard to the teaching profession. Emphasis was placed on the different components of the lecturing task. Three broad categories of lecturers were involved in the study, namely those representing: Historically Afrikaans Institutions; Historically English Institutions; and Historically black institutions. In view of the findings of the empirical study, practice-based guidelines for teaching and accompaniment within andragogical context were put forward. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Orthopedagogics)

People-against-the-law is a societal phenomenon that will never disappear, even in societies where law and order are effectively enforced and practised. Political, economic and social conditions contribute to reasons why some people end up in correctional facilities. This study investigated the perceptions of offenders enrolled in education and training programmes offered by three correctional centres in Pretoria. The study adopted a pragmatic qualitative methodology in which the perceptions of the offenders in the educational programmes, and officials were investigated on whether the programmes addressed their personal development and that of their communities. Interviews and observations were used to collect data during tuition activities. Sixty-five (65) males, females, youth offenders, ex-convicts and officials from Correctional Services and non-governmental organisations participated in the study. Bronfenbrenner’s systems and Knowles’ andragogy were used as the theoretical base to understand the dynamics of adult learning in challenging prison environments. The study concluded that educational programmes offered by the Department of Correctional Services must be needs-based and align to employment opportunities, self-esteem and proper rehabilitation of individual offenders. Adult education programmes grounded on andragogic principles and practices should be revisited in correctional centres’ contexts. Thus educational programmes within Correctional Services should not only be mandatory, but teaching and learning activities should be conducted by qualified adult educators, and address the social needs of the adult offenders. / Educational Foundations / D. Ed. (Socio Education)