Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Adult and Community Education (ACE)'

The problem that gave rise to this study was to determine how Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) was implemented in the Western Cape and to find answers to the question of "
what exactly is the nature of the relationship between adult education and training"
?

Knowledge of motivation factors can assist conductors and music educators at all levels in planning and implementation of musical goals. The purpose of this study was to identify motivational factors to join the choir and maintain membership in the choir as well as the role of stress/anxiety in maintaining choral membership. In addition, the role of musicianship was evaluated in terms of music aptitude and vocal ability. Participants (N=135) from four adult, auditioned community choirs participated in this study. Data was collected using Advanced Measures of Music Audiation, Singing Coach, measure of vocal ability and a questionnaire relating to topics of motivation, retention and stress and anxiety contained within the sub-constructs of Cusp Catastrophe Theory. The results of this study identified aesthetic motivation as the primary construct as to why members elect to join the choir. In direct relationship to this motivation, lack of aesthetic beauty and truth was identified as why members would not retain their membership in the choir. Members did not experience stress and anxiety while learning or performing choral music. However, they did agree that some level of stress is beneficial to singing. In this study, no participant suggested that stress and anxiety related to vocal ability would prevent them from achieving their performance goal. Implications from this research may include determining program literature to be presented that is perceived as having aesthetic qualities which will be beneficial for membership and retention of choir members.

The purpose of this qualitative, multiple case study was to illuminate the prevalence and configurations of peer mentoring programs at Central California Community Colleges with emphasis on how the programs impacted student retention. The study’s sample was drawn from ten campuses and five centers that operate within five California Community College districts serving approximately 90,000 students annually. Using purposeful sampling, the researcher interviewed five administrators from four campuses and three districts toward obtaining in-depth information about their peer mentoring programs. Eight of the 15 campuses in the subject pool offered a peer mentoring program. All peer mentoring programs were instituted since 2013, and most of the peer mentoring programs were instituted between 2014 and 2016. Diverse peer mentoring programs across sites and districts were instituted between 2013 and 2016. It was revealed that quantitative data to track how peer mentoring impacted retention had not been gathered. This recent proliferation of community college peer mentoring programs refuted the historical underutilization noted in the scholarly literature. Recommendations for future research and practice included investigating whether the Central California Community College peer mentoring program proliferation that was discovered holds true in other areas of the state or country, examining why more campuses in the subject pool did not establish peer mentoring programs, and using quantitative methods to evaluate the efficacy of community college peer mentoring programs.

Community college graduation rates are low, and community colleges have been tasked with producing more graduates to meet workforce needs. Research has determined that engaged students remain at their institutions and complete their degrees. Service learning has been identified as a high-impact practice that engages students with their learning and builds connections between students and campus personnel. The majority of service-learning research, having been conducted with 4-year colleges and universities, may have limited applicability to the community college population. This qualitative descriptive case study describes how institutionalized service learning on 1 community college campus is structured, supported, and operated. The study used the framework of student success, service learning, and institutionalization to determine how the college provided resources and opportunities for service learning. Participants for the study were selected using mixed purposeful sampling to identify individuals recently involved with service learning at the college; data came from document reviews, campus and Internet observations, college staff interviews, and student group online discussions. Data were collected and analyzed using a spiraling technique. Findings indicated that the college's curricular and cocurricular service-learning activities were integrated throughout the campus in many departments and with different groups. While the service-learning coordinators made distinctions between curricular and cocurricular service learning, student participants did not make such distinctions. Students in this study were engaged with their service learning. These findings have applicability for all community college educators, demonstrating that institutionalized community college service learning might lead to greater retention through graduation.

Along with the deinstitutionalization movement, supports for persons with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) have shifted to promotion of person-centered supports inclusive in the community. Although successes have occurred regarding physical inclusion, skill building and social inclusion have not fared as well for those with more significant disabilities. This study evaluated a 5-week intensive, behavioral, specialized training and skill-building program for transition-age youth and emerging adults with more significant intellectual disabilities in a community college setting that utilized Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Positive Behavior Support (PBS) strategies. Eighteen persons with significant IDs participated in the study in a mixed methodology research design. Through voluntary sampling, eight participants received the intervention first, in Group 1, and ten participants received the intervention second, in Group 2, through a quantitative switching replications design. Results were analyzed with a sequential explanatory approach for mixed methodology research. The results demonstrated a statistically significant increase when participants were in the intervention group, as compared to acting as the control group, on the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Program Plan (VB-MAPP), which measures social and communication skills. A similar pattern was trending towards significance on the Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS). No statistically significant difference occurred on the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (ABAS-3). Subscales on the San Martin Scale (SMS) for Quality of Life demonstrated statistically significant interaction effects for five of six subscales, when individuals were in the intervention group, but the treatment gains did not maintain after the intervention ended. The multiple-probe across-behaviors design demonstrated that participants were able to gain one to three skills while in the intervention, but, again, little carry-over effect was found on skills in baseline until the skill teaching was implemented. Further analysis demonstrated high satisfaction on the part of caregivers. Qualitative focus groups demonstrated a significant dichotomy between Theme 1, Fitting into a System, which did not meet individual needs, and Theme 3, Learning is Meaningful, which described successes and skill increases from the intervention as seen by caregivers. Results provided evidence that a short-term behavioral intervention can be effective in increasing skills, demonstrating satisfaction, and improving quality of life, combining a focus on behavior with one deriving from the disability rights movement.

The history of the human-canine relationship and the human-canine bond is longstanding and has grown and developed throughout the years. Today, dogs are considered part of the family and are beneficial in impacting people across the United States. Introducing the community to dog safety education may strengthen the awareness and confidence of dog lovers across the state of Florida and hopefully reduce the number of preventable dog emergencies.

This research suggested the reasons for dog ownership and the importance of protecting our beloved canines by presenting a literature review covering the evolution of the human-canine relationship, human-canine bond, positive effects of canines on humans, history of humane education to demonstrate the importance of dogs in the lives of American citizens and an overview of community education and the importance dog safety community education.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to understand the current state of dog safety community education in Florida and to introduce the need for policies and procedures for dog safety training for adults, if needed based on the research. This topic was analyzed through a needs assessment administered through a Parks & Recreation department in south Florida and online through social media. Ten key informants were selected to interview for an in-depth understanding of their perspective on this topic. Document analysis was conducted to see if results of the needs assessment were addressed in brochures and other media locally. The participants were community members of Florida who were also dog owners. Participants were adults over the age of 18. The participants’ anonymity was protected, as no names were collected from the survey.

After carefully examining data collected from 10 interviews, document analysis, and surveys of 150 participants who are dog owners in Florida, the researcher of this study revealed factors that show substantial value that dog owners place on their dogs and interest in educational opportunities to protect their safety. The significance of this study presented additional research dispelling a misconception that dog safety education as easily accessible and available in Florida based communities. This study was also significant because it contributes to the literature by identifying the value dog owners place on their dogs, as demonstrated in both survey and document analysis.

This qualitative case study utilizing in-depth interviews examined academic advisers' perceptions of training and professional development resources at a Midwestern U.S. community college. In addition, the study examined the availability and accessibility of training and professional development resources at the community college. The study sought to gain a better understanding of influences that shaped academic advisers' perceptions. Four themes emerged from the interviews: Educational Experiences, Adviser Participation, New Advising Resources, and Funding. Findings of the study indicated that perceptions of training and professional development varied. However, there was a consensus among advisers that training and professional development opportunities existed on- and off-campus. However, there were divergent perspectives regarding availability, accessibility, and advisers' ability to participate. The findings also indicated that advisers' ability to participate and obtaining new advising resources were tied to funding. The findings of the study can be used by advising managers, administrators, and policymakers to improve advising practice, better serve a changing student population, and fulfill institutional goals and missions.

The purpose of this quantitative research project was to add to the body of knowledge of incivility in the class by examining the perceptions of community college instructors in the State of North Carolina. Instructors were asked to identify behaviors they believed to be disruptive or uncivil in their classroom, indicate how frequent these issues occurred, indicate how they handled the disruptions, and whether or not they believed their practices to be effective. Each of the 58 community colleges in North Carolina was invited to participate of that 58, 13 chose to accept the invitation. The sample included 793 instructors who received the email at the 13 colleges and the respond rate was 162 or 20 percent. The instructors in the community college have a variety of students. Instructors have students in the age range of 14 to over 65 that reflect the community in which the college is located. The survey was adapted from Indiana University which ran an incivility survey in 2000. Instructors taking the quantitative survey also had text boxes in which to add their comments. Behaviors such as chewing gum in class or not being prepared where not considered as disruptive to the instructors as cussing the instructor or making threatening comments during class. Findings included no significant between an instructors race and their perceptive of classroom incivility. There was no significance between the instructors' years of teaching and the size of the classroom and their perceptions of incivility. The findings at the community college level mirror the literature and findings at universities and K-12 schools.

This study examined the impact of dialogue-based group instruction on student learning and engagement in community college meteorology education. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare lecture-based instruction with dialogue-based group instruction during two class sessions at one community college in southern California. Pre- and post-tests were used to measure learning and interest, while surveys were conducted two days after the learning events to assess engagement, perceived learning, and application of content. The results indicated that the dialogue-based group instruction was more successful in helping students learn than the lecture-based instruction. Each question that assessed learning had a higher score for the dialogue group that was statistically significant (alpha < 0.05) compared to the lecture group. The survey questions about perceived learning and application of content also exhibited higher scores that were statistically significant for the dialogue group. The qualitative portion of these survey questions supported the quantitative results and showed that the dialogue students were able to remember more concepts and apply these concepts to their lives.

Dialogue students were also more engaged, as three out of the five engagement-related survey questions revealed statistically significantly higher scores for them. The qualitative data also supported increased engagement for the dialogue students. Interest in specific meteorological topics did not change significantly for either group of students; however, interest in learning about severe weather was higher for the dialogue group. Neither group found the learning events markedly meaningful, although more students from the dialogue group found pronounced meaning centered on applying severe weather knowledge to their lives. Active engagement in the dialogue approach kept these students from becoming distracted and allowed them to become absorbed in the learning event. This higher engagement most likely contributed to the resulting higher learning. Together, these results indicate that dialogue education, especially compared to lecture methods, has a great potential for helping students learn meteorology. Dialogue education can also help students engage in weather-related concepts and potentially develop better-informed citizens in a world with a changing climate.