From 1990 to 1993 I was engaged as the Information Technology (IT) Workshop manager at Mid-Cornwall College, St. Austell. My mission during this period was to develop a new kind of IT learning environment. The main purpose was - and continues to be - to provide for mixed 'open-access’ student targets wishing to pursue generic IT activities and gain commensurate vocational qualifications. This Open-Learning (OL) environment provides on-the-job curriculum development of IT learning support systems, through a Flexible Learning (FL) management policy. An action research approach based on S-O-L provides both the methodology and technology for implementing a learning organisation. A key objective was institutional change towards the learning management policy of IT, through appropriate deployment of staffing and courseware resources to enable the practice of student centred learning. Another aim was to integrate and mix all target groups of learners together in the same domain, i. e. school leavers with adult returners for the achievement of a cost-effective, well-co-ordinated and productive learning environment. My action research applied the Centre for the Study of Human Learning's (CSHL's) ideas and tools towards the development of the IT Workshop's learning policy. I have sought to make the connection between FL delivery of the generic IT curriculum and the SOL approach towards individual and organisational learning. This came about from the link between the FL philosophy of learner-centred activity and the SOL philosophy of empowering individuals via Learning Conversations. S-O-L'Systems-7' was adopted as a conversational tool for developing the educational roles and practices of the IT Workshop. This influenced my college to make essential environmental changes to the workshop in order to develop these activities. The project also used the Personal Learning Contract (PLC) to manage and enable the 'learning-to-learn' activities of individual IT learners. With the PLC as the central tool for implementing Learning Conversations, there evolved the idea of 'Group Learning Contracts' (GLCs). This led to the practical development of 'Learning Plans' (LPs), such that IT flexible modules could be transferred to the autonomy of the learner. Evaluations from this project included sample case-study evidences of Learning Conversations obtained from individual IT case-load students. Repertory grid feedback conversations of learning experienced by individual staff members taking part in the project were also obtained. Questionnaire results from IT learners was used as another method of feedback, and conversationally evaluated using factor analysis and 'talkback' records. All the action research qualitative evidences were finally analysed using conversational techniques, leading to the overall project 'findings'.

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.

自1994年開始推動的「社區總體營造」，可謂台灣近十年來最具朝野共識的政策方案之ㄧ。研究者在長達十餘年的實際參與執行過程中，觀察到有兩項未曾間斷且持續操作的社區營造重點工作，其一為社造人才的培育，其二為社區環境空間的改造。而這兩項工作其實就是社區總體營造在台灣推動這十年來，亟欲達成的階段性目標，也對於往後社區營造的永續發展有著關鍵性的影響。 本研究嘗試從參與主體互動關係的角度切入，探討在「社區培力」的觀點下，在民眾參與社區環境空間改造時，所產生的政府、非政府組織與社區民眾，三個參與主體所扮演的角色、定位、功能與任務，以及各參與主體在人才培育的工作中，如何在學習成長的過程中，運用培力的方式以達成有效益的成果累積。 研究者採用行動研究的方法，以苗栗縣為研究場域，並透過對於社區營造、社區培力、民眾參與、社區環境改造與國內外多個案例等的課題分析歸納，並結合苗栗縣推動社區總體營造與社區規畫師等計畫的執行過程中，探究各參與主題的互動關係變化，進而影響其各自的角色、定位、功能與任務的網絡結構，以及有效的社區培力機制。 在經過2001-2005五年間的行動研究歷程，研究者發現三個參與主體間的關係應是由最初的「上下互賴關係」，轉變為「水平互動關係」，方有可能達成「三角互補關係」的理想社區總體營造網絡結構。而在不同的階段中，三參與主體的也應動態的變換不同的角色與相對應的功能與任務，以因時、因地制宜的推動社造工作。尤其非政府組織除了必須具備有「中介、潤滑與形塑」的功能外，還要能「提升社區民眾公共參與層級」的能力。因為，民眾對於公共事務的決策能力並非由其他主體移轉而來，而是在有效的學習成長過程中，創發出來的。而透過本研究引入「契約學習」的學習方式，更確認有效的學習過程應提供「提問式的教育環境」，教學者與學習者在一定的知識基礎上，於動態的互動過程中調整所扮演的角色，進而將所習得的知識內化為生活的一部份，再透過行為外顯呈現。 本研究在苗栗縣的特定情境脈絡下，探討民眾參與社區環境改造此類與生活密切關聯，但又需要專業知識與技能的社區營造面向，如何藉由參與主體間的關係轉變與互動過程，以及學習成長的社區培力機制的運作，應可提供相關研究人員參考，並作為政府、非政府組織與社區民眾彼此互動的依據，進而共同攜手打造社區願景。 關鍵詞：社區總體營造、民眾參與、社區培力、契約學習、社區規畫師、行動研究 / Community building can be seen as one of the most common understanding policies in Taiwan since 1994. Author of this research has been participating in the practical operation for over ten years, and observing two key points. One is talent cultivation; the other one is community space transformation. These two achievements are de facto the staged goals of Taiwan community building through these years. Most importantly, they have potentially influenced the sustainable development of community building. With the angle of interaction of participants, this research tries to discuss that under the view of community empowerment, government, NGOs and community residents become the three main participants when the public takes part in the community space transformation. The roles, position, function and mission of the three participants will be examined here. Besides, for talents cultivation, how do they exert empowerment to accumulate the efficient achievement in the learning process? Action research method is used in this research. MiaoLi County is the research area. Through analyzing the subjects of community building, community empowerment, public participation, community space transformation and overseas cases, and combining the executing process of the community building and community planner plans promoted by MiaoLi County, this research is to study the interacting changes of the above subjects. Furthermore, these subjects are to influence their own roles, position, function, mission network and effective community empowerment mechanism. After five-year action research from 2001 to 2005, this research found that the relation of the above three main participants has changed from “Top-Bottom Dependent Relationship” into “Balanced interaction Relationship”, and been finally moving to “Triangle Inter-complementary Relationship ”, an ideal net structure of community building. In the different stages, the three main participants should also shift different roles, related function and mission to promote community building timely and properly. Especially, except intermediary, lubricating and molding, NGOs should have the capability to promote the level of the public community participation. For the public’s decision ability toward public affairs is not transferred from other objects, but created from the effective learning process. This research introduced “contract learning” to confirm that an adequate learning process should provide an “asking- question education environment ”. Based on certain knowledge basis, teachers and learners have to adjust their roles during interacting, internalize the new knowledge into part of their lives, and behave properly. Under some special situations in Miao-li County, this research talks about the close relation between daily life, professional knowledge and skill of community building while the public participates community environment building. It also examines how these main participants transfer their relation and interacting process, and how to learn the operation of a growing community empowerment mechanism. These related findings and conclusions could provide some positive reference for other researchers. More importantly, it is hoped that government, NGOs and communities to cooperate to accomplish a concrete community vision in accordance with this research in the future. Key words：community building, public participation, community empowerment, contract learning, community planner, action research