Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Teaching Thai adults”

Research and literature on teaching adults primarily discusses longer courses within the sphere of formal education, that is formal tertiary education and non-formal education (typically work-place or work-related learning). While both these fields provide a rich source of general information, it is difficult to find research texts that specifically deal with teaching adults in a seminar environment, that is, a planned, one-off learning event ranging in length from three hours to two days. While some research has focused on Thai culture in general and the nature of Thai university teaching in particular, very little has been published concerning the teaching of Thai adults, whether in a formal setting such as a university or college, or in a non-formal, work-place or work-related setting. This research reflects an effort to compensate for this pronounced lack of research in teaching adults in a short course environment and the paucity of research on teaching Thai adults. Using a case-study method, fifteen Western or Western-educated Thai trainers in the Thai short-course market were interviewed to determine the characteristics of an effective short-course trainer instructing courses in English. Based on a semi-structured interview format, with questions framed from the literature review, eight key characteristics were determined that reflect the qualities of an effective trainer in the Thai market. Centered on the vital role played by trainers' knowledge of the participants and their culture, the characteristics identified by the research highlight the need to foreground key aspects of participant culture when planning and presenting a short course in the Thai business community. While content expertise and teaching skills remain important, the key to effectiveness lies in acquiring and skillfully applying a knowledge of participants that goes beyond needs analysis to include a generic knowledge of the social norms that identify Thais as a cultural group throughout the training process. The eight characteristics are discussed in detail, and while some aspects of these are consistent with the conventional wisdom discussed in the literature review, most arose from the analyses of comments provided by the interviewees. This discussion leads into a number of recommendations for new trainers in this market and concludes with insights into further areas of study that could prove useful in Thai and other cultures, and for educators involved in short- or long-course events.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo pesquisar o que ensinar, em aula de língua estrangeira, a alunos adultos, de mais de cinquenta anos de idade que, em virtude de sua experiência de vida, muitas vezes, têm mais a ensinar que a aprender. O estudo está vinculado ao Programa de Pós-graduação em Educação, da Universidade de Caxias do Sul- Mestrado em Educação-, dentro da linha de pesquisa “Educação, Linguagem e Tecnologia” e vincula-se, também, ao projeto de pesquisa “Aspectos da formação leitora e sua repercussão na relação entre profissional eficiente e leitura (TEAR 5)”, desenvolvido na Universidade de Caxias do Sul. Os procedimentos metodológicos utilizados incluíram um instrumento de pesquisa que consistiu num questionário, com a inclusão de um relato de experiências, do qual foi feita uma análise textual discursiva (Bardin e Moraes), juntamente com uma análise dialética dos aspectos levantados. Percebe-se que o conteúdo das aulas de língua estrangeira para adultos maiores precisa ser reformulado, a fim de torná-lo significativo. Com base na pesquisa realizada, destacam-se os aspectos: subjetividade e expressão de sentimentos, o que leva a sugerir um “novo” elemento a ser incluído no ensino de língua estrangeira para essa faixa etária: a estética, entendida como uma possibilidade de entender o mundo de outra maneira. O elemento estético, trabalhado por Bense, Ostrower, Hermann, Paviani, vem acompanhado do processo reflexivo no ato de aprender, como forma de atingir a autonomia no desenvolvimento cognitivo do indivíduo histórico (conceito apresentado por Hegel). Relacionando a ética com a estética, a arte e a vida, compõe-se uma proposta que recorre, também, aos usos do texto e da língua na perspectiva de Vygotsky e Bakhtin, como forma de fazer com que o aluno dialogue consigo mesmo, com o outro e com o mundo. O estudo mostra que o aluno, no momento em que consegue estabelecer esse diálogo, aprende, interagindo e construindo sua subjetividade. Dessa forma, este estudo apresenta sugestões de incluir elementos estéticos nos programas de ensino de língua estrangeira para alunos adultos maiores e de continuar pesquisando se esses elementos são relevantes, também, para outras áreas do ensino e da aprendizagem nessa faixa etária.
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The aim of this work is to investigate what to teach, in foreign language classes, to more than fifty-year-old adult learners, who, due to their life experience, have more to teach than to learn. This study is linked to Post-Graduation Program in Education of Universidad de Caxias do Sul- Master in Education- in research line “Education, Language, and Technology” and , it is also linked to a research project “Aspects of reading training and its repercussions in the relationship between efficient professional and reading (TEAR 5)”, also developed at Universidade de Caxias do Sul. The methodological procedures used included a research instrument which consisted in a questionnaire, containing an experience account. From the latter, a textual discourse analysis was done (Bardin and Moraes) together with a dialectic analysis of the referred aspects. It was noticed that the contents of foreign language classes for older adults needs to be reformulated so as to be more significant. Based on the piece of research done, two aspects: subjectivity and expression of feelings are highlighted, which leads to suggest a “new” element to be included in foreign language teaching for this age: aesthetics, considered as a possibility of seeing life in another way. The aesthetic element, as studied by Bense, Ostrower, Hermann, and Paviani appears together with the process of reflection in the act of learning, as a means of attaining autonomy in the cognitive development of the historic individual (concept introduced by Hegel). Relating ethics and aesthetics, art and life, this proposal is composed, also referring to uses of text and language, in Vygotsky‟s and Bakhtin‟s approach, as a way of having the student talking to himself/herself, to others, and to the world. This study shows that, when this dialogue takes place, the student learns, and at the same time, builds his/her subjectivity. So, this study suggests including aesthetics elements in foreign language curricula for older adult students, and continuing research about the possibility of these points being also relevant in other areas of teaching and learning at the referred age.

This study explored the problem of student attrition in beginning courses of an Intensive English Program (IEP) that may affect the sustainability of the IEP. The purpose of the study was to understand the perceptions of continuing students and the factors that influenced their motivation and engagement to persist studying in the IEP. Constructivism and behavioral social learning theory guided this study. The research problem addressed the need for students to remain in IEPs and achieve second language acquisition. The research questions were designed to learn what instructional approaches motivated and engaged participants to persist in successive introductory courses. A qualitative case study design, guided by interpretive epistemology, was used to collect students' opinions, perceptions, and suggestions on their experiences in their first course. The target population was beginners in a second IEP course at a community college. A purposive sample of 16 participants took part in 2 focus groups, individual interviews, and open-ended surveys for data triangulation. Constant comparative analysis using open and axial coding was used to aggregate data themes for inquiry. The findings revealed that poor student engagement, lack of mentorship qualities in instructors, and little inclusion of technology have been persistent reasons for their dissatisfaction. The project, a collaborative professional development effort, was designed for IEP instructors to gain awareness on past and current research about the andragogical framework of student-centeredness which culminated with the cooperative elaboration of a set of best practices. The social impact of the study comes from benefits that sustainable IEP programs could offer to communities with large populations of immigrants and to international visitors to empower them to achieve immersion into English-speaking societies.

Retaining students, particularly in the 16- to- 24-year-old category, is a constant challenge for adult basic education programs nationwide. Educators need to understand factors that affect adult learners' experiences, have a better understanding of ways to motivate adult students in a nontraditional school setting to enhance their engagement, and apply research-based techniques and targeted, practical strategies to improve student persistence. The primary objective of this case study was to investigate the perceived factors that students considered influential on their persistence and retention in adult basic education programs. Knowles's andragogy theory and Tinto's persistence theory were the theoretical frameworks for this study. The research questions were designed to understand the factors that motivate students to remain engaged in academic courses. Ten students enrolled in a high school equivalency program in a large northeastern city participated in semi-structured, individual interviews. Coding and thematic analysis were used to identify, describe, and interpret the data collected. The findings indicated that factors such as individual drive, the instructor's encouragement and high expectations, relevant topics, and connection to school all contributed to sustain a learner's persistence. A professional development project was designed from the findings to provide instructors with research-based best practices and techniques to increase students' motivation and persistence through active learning experiences in student-centered classrooms. The project will impact social change by helping educators to have more insights on theories about adult learning styles and a deeper understanding of current approaches to inspire active participation, sustain learner motivation, and improve student academic performance.

To offset the cost and meet the demand for high quality nursing graduates, adjunct faculty members are hired to educate students in the practice settings. Adjunct faculty may not have access to the resources allocated to full-time faculty and may not feel empowered to provide the most effective educational experiences for the students. The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure factors that influence empowerment in adjunct faculty members teaching in an associate degree nursing program at a community college located in the Midwestern United States. The study also examined whether there is a difference in the empowerment of novice faculty, defined as instructors who were employed 2 years or less at this institution, and expert faculty who were classified based on their employment 3 years or more. Kanter's theory of structural empowerment and Knowles's principles of adult learning provided the theoretical base for the study. The Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II, which was designed to measure 4 empowerment factors of the workplace, was administered to a convenience sample of 53 adjunct faculty members (20 novice and 33 expert faculty). The Mann-Whitney U test found no significant difference in total survey scores between novice and expert adjunct faculty members. The mean subscale scores identified that limited access to information and support were the 2 factors most influencing empowerment in this sample. Based on the results, a faculty development/mentoring program was developed to provide the adjunct faculty with the resources needed for empowerment. Future research on other factors associated with faculty effectiveness should be explored. Social change can occur by empowering the adjunct faculty members, thereby improving the quality of education afforded to nursing students in this associate degree nursing program.

ICT user skill is a relatively new subject area and has a limited pedagogical history. To date, most of the discussion has been about ICT within schools, particularly integration of ICT into other curriculum areas, with less emphasis on how to teach user skills, especially to adults. This research explores differing teaching practices within the adult ICT user skills environment from a teacher professional knowledge perspective. By examining the ways that teachers develop, maintain and enact pedagogical knowledge and by determining influencing factors, this investigation contributes to the subject and pedagogical understandings vital to an emergent subject area. A naturalistic, qualitative, multi-methodology approach was used, involving interviews, classroom observations, document examination, and learner questionnaires. This enabled flexible examination and triangulation of the varying influences on practice and the development of emergent models. The research identified seven different teaching approaches but concludes that ‘transmissive’ teaching styles focusing on procedural skills dominate. Activity is almost universally perceived by stakeholders as practical, hands-on and individual. The diversity and nature of the teachers’ professional backgrounds, ambiguous subject goals, perceptions of adults as learners, and strong institutional and examination influences all contribute to this narrow perspective. This thesis questions whether such one-dimensional subject and pedagogical outlooks could impact adversely on outcome, leading to skills deficiencies which may limit economic and/or personal ICT potential. Drawing on problem solving examples from the research the thesis proposes a more holistic approach to create a robust theoretical base for both subject and pedagogy.

According to recent research, approximately 40-50% of teachers leave the profession within the first 5 years, creating a constant need for teachers. There is evidence that creating a supportive working environment through effective professional learning, drawing on adult learning theory, may reduce teacher turnover and increase student performance. This study explored teachers' perceptions about the professional development offerings available to them, how these perceptions influence their decisions to remain at the school, and what types of professional learning experiences teachers want to experience. Fourteen high school teachers participated in individual interviews and 2 focus groups, which were analyzed inductively for themes. Participants revealed that voice, choice, effective professional development, time, collaboration, school climate, and the district's professional development program were instrumental in creating a supportive environment. These results suggest that creating professional learning programs that incorporate the attributes of effective professional learning and encourage teacher participation are important at all points of the process. A professional learning plan project was designed in response to the study findings and recommendations. This study may lead to social change by providing the target school district and its building level administrators with a plan for professional learning based on teacher input, effective practices, and adult learning theory to use as a viable method to retain effective educators that, in turn, may result in improved student performance.

A midsize nonprofit blood bank organization is experiencing a high percentage of supervisors and managers not transferring skills taught in leadership development training programs back to the workplace. The purpose of this mixed methods, sequential, explanatory study was to understand the relationship between supervisor support or opposition and trainees' perception on factors that influence transfer of training and to identify strategies to improve transfer of training in the organization. Baldwin and Ford's Model of the training transfer process laid the framework for this study. Quantitative data were collected from trainees (N = 60) who attended leadership development programs between January 2012 and June 2014 and were analyzed using descriptive analysis, correlational analysis, and multiple regression. The correlation analysis indicated positive relationships between transfer of training and supervisor support. Qualitative data, collected during interviews (N = 8) that focused on trainees' perceptions on how to enhance transfer of training in the organization, corroborated the quantitative results. According to thematic analyses of the interview data, supervisor support, training design, opportunity to use skills on the job, and performance coaching and mentoring have the potential to improve training transfer. Policy recommendations were created to increase transfer of training back to the workplace. The findings of the study could help supervisors and managers increase training transfer, which could improve the organization's profits and create collaborative learning environments that benefit the participants and the communities where these participants live and work.

African Americans account for a disproportionate percentage of students who pursue college education in comparison to European Americans. Indeed, a considerable number of African American High School Equivalency (HSE) students are not enrolling in college once they earn their HSE diploma. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine 3 African American HSE students' perceptions about factors that influenced their pursuit of higher education at the selected HSE study site. These 3 students were selected for their inclusion because of their ethnicity, enrollment in the HSE program, academic underpreparedness and lack of pursuit of higher education, and strong feelings to share about the phenomenon under study. The theoretical framework was based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of human learning. The research question focused on assessing African American HSE students' lack of pursuit of higher education. Semistructured focus group interview and individual interview data were thematically analyzed using open-coding. Findings revealed that participants believed the lack of high school credentials, family background, intrinsic motivation and educational values, sociocultural influences, teacher and peer influence, and socioeconomic factors impacted their pursuit of higher education. A professional development project was developed based on study findings to provide HSE educators with training on the HSE exam, Common Core State Standards, and best practices to enrich the academic achievement of African American HSE students at the study site. Results have implications for positive social change among African American HSE students by emphasizing the importance of higher education on educational, sociocultural, professional, and personal advancement.

Abuse of prescription and over-the-counter substances other than alcohol is becoming a prevalent issue; therefore, it is important to identify factors that may help predict risk for this abuse. Some demographic and situational factors have been identified for traditional 4-year college students. However, less is known about community college students, who enter college less academically prepared and may be still enmeshed with family and peer groups from high school. In this correlational study, predictors of substance abuse other than alcohol were explored among a convenience sample of 118 students from an American community college. The research question was developed based on previous research such as Bandura's social learning theory and Arnett's theory of emerging adults. The question explored how well gender (male, female, other) and 2 dimensions from the Ryff scale of psychological well-being (sense of autonomy and positive relationships with others) predict substance use among the community college sample. Use of substances other than alcohol was measured using the Drug Abuse Screening Test-10. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to test the research hypotheses. Although gender was not related to substance use, higher autonomy and more positive relationships scores were statistically significant predictors of higher use of substances other than alcohol among this sample. These findings were consistent with characteristics of emerging adulthood that may present risk factors for this group of college students. Findings support positive social change as they may be considered by stakeholders when considering possible prevention or intervention activities to address substance use issues on community college campuses.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine law enforcement officers' perception of factors within the workplace that influence transfer of training and their perception of the organization being a learning organization. The study actually had three parts. First, it intended to investigate the perception of law enforcement officers regarding factors within their work environment that influence or impede the transfer of training process (specifically, organizational support and transfer climate/culture). Second, it intended to determine the perception of law enforcement officers concerning the promotion of their organization's learning practices, learning culture, and the continuous learning environment at an individual, team, and organizational level (a learning organization). Lastly, it intended to determine if there was a difference in the perception of law enforcement officers related to transfer of training and a learning organization utilizing the variables of rank, posting, gender, years of service, and age. The participants included law enforcement officers within a Caribbean police department. The two theories employed as the theoretical framework for this study are the training transfer process model by Baldwin and Ford (1988) and the Watkins and Marsick's (1997) framework of learning organization, the dimensions of learning organization. Data was collected using qualitative and quantitative methods (focus groups and a paper and pencil version of the Dimension of Learning Organization - A). A pilot study was conducted to establish the integrity of the data collection methods and evaluate the viability of the focus groups. The conclusions that emerged from this research indicated that subordinates and management did not perceive the organization as one that provided support for transfer of training within the work environment. As it relates to the officers' perception of their organization as one that promotes a learning practices and culture, the law enforcement officers had a neutral perception of the organization as one that promoted learning practices, learning culture, and continuous learning at an individual level (group mean = 3.26 with a standard deviation of 0.91). As it relates to the team or group level, the law enforcement officers had a neutral perception of the organization as one that promoted learning practices, learning culture, and continuous learning (group mean = 3.10 with a standard deviation of 1.12). As it relates to the organizational level, the law enforcement officers had a neutral perception of the organization as one that promoted learning practices, learning culture, and continuous learning at an organizational level (group mean = 3.40 with a standard deviation of 1.07). However, this does not mean that the officer's individual scores were in this range.

Administrative assistants (AAs) provide critical office support for modern businesses, yet many do not participate in the continuing education and training (CE&T) required for rapidly changing technologies and new office procedures. The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative correlational study was to investigate whether a significant predictive relationship exists between AAs' general self-efficacy (GSE), locus of control (LOC), and their participation in CE&T activities. The primary research question examined whether a significant predictive relationship existed among these variables, factoring in generation cohort and education level. Bandura's self-efficacy theory and Rotter's LOC theory provided the theoretical foundations. Volunteer AAs (n = 125) from the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) answered online survey questions from the New General Self-efficacy Scale, the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External scale, and the Adult Training and Education Survey. Data analysis was descriptive and inferential, included regression and correlational analysis, and revealed no significant relationship between AAs' GSE, LOC, and their participation in CE&T activities even when examining generation cohort and education level variables. Future researchers may conduct a similar study with a larger heterogeneous sample or a descriptive qualitative design that improves the understanding of the AA perspective. Because no significant relationships were identified within this IAAP branch, the findings in this study were unique and contradicted prior comparable research. Positive social change is maintained for those who participate with IAAP by successfully instilling virtues of lifelong learning of the administrative membership.

Professional development is used by teachers to improve their teaching to enhance student learning, and research indicates that the National Board Certification (NBC) process contains high-quality professional development characteristics. Engagement in the NBC process can lead to professional growth by changing teachers’ knowledge, instructional practices, and students’ learning. This quantitative study investigated the extent to which characteristics of the NBC process influenced National Board Certified Teachers’ (NBCTs) professional growth. Using an online survey, the study collected responses from 119 NBCTs who participated in a specific NBC support program. Key findings included that all 20 high-quality professional development characteristics investigated had a perceived positive influence on professional growth, with some notable differences. The characteristics involving individual analysis of student work and teaching videos along with reflection were perceived to be most important, while those centering on collaboration with other candidates were perceived as less important. Second, characteristics that had the greatest perceived impact were those that focused on changing pedagogy rather than increasing content knowledge. Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between the perceived importance of duration in the experience and the length of time the candidate was in the process: NBCTs who achieved in one year, as compared to NBCTs who achieved in two or three years, had statistically significant lower ratings on the influence that the duration had on their professional growth. Additionally, those who engaged in the process for financial reasons, as compared to professional growth, had a lower rating of perceived importance when all characteristics were combined.

This qualitative study of the values, beliefs and teaching practices of four teachers at a small private college with a diverse adult student population attempts to bring to light what teaching behaviors help to create an educational climate which includes people of both genders and of different ethnic, racial backgrounds and allows them to succeed in an academic environment. The teachers and students completed weekly teaching and learning journals (derived from Brookfield's (1991) student learning journals) during one semester (spring, 1994). Using grounded theory technique, I uncovered eight activities that both teachers and students felt were effective in providing an inclusive educational environment: (1) use of groups for support, creativity and personal change; (2) conscious student metacognition and self-assessment; (3) interactive classroom activities; (4) exercises which utilize different learning styles; (5) integrative learning which calls upon the different student cultures; (6) close teacher/student and peer/peer feedback connections; (7) academic support components built into the curriculum; and (8) the teacher acting as facilitator. Through a series of teacher interviews, I determined three shared values which appeared congruent with the teachers' actions in the classroom: (1) awareness of the difference between the student cultures, but a reluctance to pre-judge individuals based on cultural assumptions; (2) awareness and utilization of the affective aspects of learning; and (3) a conception of the role of teacher as empowerer. End of the semester focus groups with students added to data obtained from student learning journals to reveal three areas of the learning deemed important for growth: (1) the importance of the social dimension of teaching and learning; (2) the powerful role of the teacher in the learning process; and (3) the importance of applying and integrating the learning into the students' lives. Two problematic areas in the teaching of these four instructors were: (1) a lack of multicultural reading materials within the courses and (2) evaluations methods that were not authentic or inclusive of different learning style orientations. The results of this study hold implications for the administration of programs for adult students of targeted social groups, such as admission policies, class size and teacher training.