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Penn State
University
University Park, Pennsyvlania
Abstracts of Papers
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Select the letter from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the abstracts index. Abstracts are in alphabetical order by the first letter of the author's last name.
NOTE:
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Andruske, Cynthia Lee, University of British
Columbia
Exploring literacy through theatre:
The impact of performing on literacy and upgrading students.
Abstract: This paper explored the impact performing in the literacy play Marks on Paper had on adult literacy and upgrading students in British Columbia, Canada, from 1989-1992. The findings suggest that through performance learner/actors experienced an increased positive self-image and an increased awareness about illiteracy. Often this translated into a sense of empowerment resulting in transformations in perspectives and actions for the students.
Beckstrom, Edward S.
Heuristic research: A new
perspective on research in adult education.
Abstract: The basic concepts and processes inherent in a heuristic search are presented and discussed with some exploration into the relevance of heuristic research for adult educators.
Blowers, Sally S., University of Tennessee,
Knoxville
Self-direction in adult
undergraduates: Perceptions of learner control.
Abstract: This exploratory case study employed qualitative interviews to examine selected aspects of self-directed learning as they were revealed within the context of the collegiate classroom.
Boshier, Roger, University of British Columbia
Constructing HIV and Magic Johnson:
Discourse, education and power.
Abstract: The author analyzed the construction f Magic Johnson in the mainstream media, the gay press, the superpulp press and the black press. Five tropes emerged - heroic figure discourse, homophobia discourse, heterosexual titillation discourse, athletic promscuity discourse, fallen hero discourse. Implications for education are described.
Braden, Warren, R., Northern Illinois University
Homeboys: A study of peer-mentoring
among African-American males in Chicago in adult education.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of peer-mentoring among urban black males and its' effect on their socialization and educational patterns.
Briton, Derek, and Plumb, Donovan, University of
Alberta
The commodification of adult
education.
Abstract: This paper discusses the consequences of cultural commodification for emancipatory adult education, arguing that while cultural commodification may generate a greater demand for adult education such market-driven programming will be stripped of any emancipatory potential.
Brookfield, Stephen, University of St. Thomas
Slipping the reins on the Trojan
horse: Interpreting self-directed learning as a political
concept.
Abstract: This paper argues that self-direction can be interpreted as part of a distinctively American cultural tradition that emphasises the individual's standing against repressive interests. As such, the concept has some powerful political underpinnings which, if made explicit, could play a substantial role in a critical practice of adult education.
In this paper I want to argue that critical adult educators may be making a strategically premature decision to dismiss self-directed learning and practice as wholly accommodative. We could miss an important tactical opening in the fight for a critical practice of adult education if we conclude too decisively that self-directed learning as an idea has been so hopelessly compromised that it can only function as an agent of domestication. If interpreted politically, self-directed learning could play an important role (along with critical theory, critical pedagogy and other work on transformative and emancipatory education) in providing a rationale for a critical practice of adult education. The case for self-direction as an inherently political concept rests on two arguments. First, that at the intellectual heart of self-direction is the issue of control, particularly control over what are conceived as acceptable and appropriate learning activities and processes. Second, that exercising self-direction requires that certain conditions be in place, conditions that are essentially political in nature.
Brooks, Ann K., University of Texas - Austin
Collective group learning.
Abstract: This qualitative case study of four teams sought to understand the process of collective group learning. The study resulted in identification of a general process of group learning. However, this process was found to be profoundly affected by national ideology as manifested in authority structures and policies within the teams' institutional environment.
Caffarella, Rosemary S., and Barnett, Bruce G., University
of Northern Colorado
Psychosocial development of women:
Linking this literature to the study of leadership.
Abstract: Provided in this paper is an overview of the themes and a critique that emerged from a critical review of the literature on the psychosocial development of women, and an exploration of how these themes are linked to the theory of leadership. Observations are made for further research related to leadership in education.
Carriere, Elizabeth, University of British Columbia
Writing wrongs: Implications of
Foucauldian theory for researching racism discourse.
Abstract: The author investigated how theoretical and analytical aspects of Foucauldian poststructuralism might contribute to understanding contemporary meanings of racism. In particular, discourse analysis is examined as an interpretive framework for "reading" theoretical accounts of racism.
Cervero, Ronald M., University of Georgia
Wilson, Arthur L., Ball State University
Power and responsibility in planning
adult education programs.
Abstract: The paper offers adult educators a practical guide to normatively explicit planning practice by taking power and interests as central to action and explaining what adult educators can do to plan programs responsibly.
Chovanec, Donna M., University of Alberta
The experience of
consciousness-raising in abused women.
Abstract: This study suggests a process by which battered women experience emancipatory learning. The participants identify three themes common to a definition of consciousness-raising, i.e., a sense of personal power, realization of societal power, and action. This qualitative research process draws upon feminist research, participatory research and grounded theory method.
Clark, M. Carolyn, Texas, A&M University
Changing course: Initiating the
transformational learning process.
Abstract: This study analyzed the initiating events of nine transformational learning experiences. Two types of initiators were found: the disorienting dilemma as described by Mezirow, and the integrating circumstance. How each functions to begin the transformational process is also discussed.
Conti, Gary J., Montana State University
Measuring teaching effectiveness for
Native American learners.
Abstract: Tribal colleges offer the most hopeful opportunity for quality higher education among Native Americans. To assist in improving teaching effectiveness, an instrument is being developed based upon teaching and learning information generated from field-based interviews with tribal college students. This instrument is designed for completion by students for judging their teacher's effectiveness.
Conti, Gary J., Montana State University
Using discriminant analysis in adult
education.
Abstract: Discriminant analysis is a powerful multivariate statistical technique that has been used successfully in several recent adult education studies. This technique allows the researcher to divide the sample into meaningful groups which reflect real-life situations and to simultaneously analyze multiple variables that have the potential of explaining group placement.
Cook, Douglas L.
The relationship between the
multiple roles and the psychological well-being of the adult
student in higher education.
Abstract: This study examines the relationship between the number and types of roles enacted by adult students in higher education and their mental health as measured by psychological well-being.
Dean, Gary J., Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Community education: A conceptual
framework.
Abstract: This article contains a review of the concept of community education, a matrix for community education activities, and implications for theory and practice in adult and community education.
Dunlop, Catherine C., University of British Columbia
Jumping through the hoops: Program
planning practice in international development.
Abstract: This research looks at how the people involved in planning adult education programs in NGOs make sense of their practice and examines the strategies they use in the face of conflicting expectations and reliance on government funding.
Dyer, Pat, University of British Columbia
Critical ethnography as a research
methodology in adult education.
Abstract: The paper explores the benefits and controversies which arise from the use of Critical Ethnography as a research methodology in adult education.
Dykstra, Corina, University of Waikato, New Zealand
Key words: The dilution of social
change language in adult education.
Abstract: A critique of language of liberal social change adult education and its accommodation of New Right ideology.
Ewert, D. Merrill, Malvicini, Peter, Clark, Peter, and
Deshler, David, Cornell University
Adult literacy and community
development: Exploring the link.
Abstract: Findings, based on surveys of rural literacy directors in New York State, indicate that individual-based as opposed to community-based approaches continue to serve as the driving paradigms for rural literacy programs. Ways to link literacy education to community development efforts, remain relatively unexplored.
Forlizzi, Lori A.
A study of the comprehension skills
and strategies of ABE students.
Abstract: This research revealed that ABE students are surprisingly good monitors of their reading comprehension. However, areas for improvement exist, especially regarding knowledge of variables and strategies that influence reading.
Hian, Chan Choon, University of British Columbia
Operationalization and assessment of
conceptions of teaching.
Abstract: Conceptions of teaching are representational models which people hold concerning teaching. An instrument, Conceptions of Teaching Scale (CTS) was developed to operationalize and assess conceptions of teaching of adult instructors. The instrument was found to be valid and reliable.
Kastner, Andrea
Knowledge and curriculum in
contemporary social movements.
Abstract: A better understanding of the potential and limits of the role of adult education is social movements requires inquiry into social movement theory and the knowledge system revealed in social movement educational activities.
Kim, Kyung Hi, Northern Illinois University
Wisdom, adult education and women:
Confucius and Aristotle revisited.
Abstract: Both Aristotle and Confucius emphasized that the purpose of education is to develop and advance wisdom. One reason for their emphasis on wisdom in education comes from their belief that only through wisdom can humans combine truth and goodness in their endeavors. And this search for truth and goodness is fundamentally related to one's realization of a good human and the pursuit of the good life. Since wisdom is not naturally given t persons but is generated through life experiences in our life-worlds, both philosophers relate the concept and exercise of wisdom to adults who, through experience, have strongly developed judgement and management, and whose reason d'etre is to be self-sufficient, moral and political beings. However, they shared similar negative, noninclusive and deficient views on women when measured against the nature and character of "men". Using Confucian and Aristotelian analyses, I investigate, identify, and elaborate the nature and relationship between wisdom and adult education. I also explore the impact of their analyses on women.
Kizzier, Donna L. and Lavin, Ruth S., University of
Nebraska-Lincoln
A research agenda for
technologically mediated instructional strategies in adult
education.
Abstract: A research agenda has resulted from a developmental process for studying the effectiveness of technologically mediated instructional strategies.
LaPaglia, Nancy
Story-tellers: The image of the
two-year college in American fiction and in women's journals.
Abstract: American fiction portrays the two-year college student as a re-entry woman who is a passive loser. Journals written by re-entry women and women faculty reveal a different image.
Loughlin, Kathleen, St. Joseph's College
Developing a vision of society:
Transformative learning and the emancipatory process.
Abstract: A qualitative study of women change agents suggests an envisioning process as a significant dynamic in commitment-making. This finding and the transformative learning which facilitated it are reviewed.
Mccaulay, Barbara A. and Gonzalez, Virginia G.
The institutional wife syndrome: A
metaphor grounded in reality.
Abstract: The metaphor, institutional wife syndrome, provided a basis on which to examine women's experience in higher education administration. Subsequent research was conducted to examine the effect of this metaphor in transforming perspective.
Merrifield, Juliet and Bingman, Mary Beth
Living and learning: Strategies for
survival in a literate world.
Abstract: Adults with low literacy skills have developed strategies to deal with literacy demands and to learn in their everyday lives. This qualitative research project profiled living and learning by twelve diverse adults.
Mezirow, Jack, Columbia University
How adults learn: The meaning of
adult education.
Abstract: The process of critical reflection, rational discourse and reflective action is central to significant adult learning. This process implies criteria for planning emancipatory adult learning and education and for envisioning a learning society.
Nesbit, Tom, University of British Columbia
Workers education: Conceptual and
practical opportunities for adult educators.
Abstract: This paper describes two research studies that show how adult educators can develop links with, and support workers' educational initiatives, and in so doing, explain the knowledge base of the adult education field.
There have been calls at recent North American adult education gatherings for a strengthening of the links between educational researchers and worker activists, and the reintroduction of workers' education to North American adult education discourse. Unlike British and other European adult education movements, modern adult education in the United States and (to a lesser extent) Canada has largely ignored and been separate from workers' education. The published literature has focused on the historical development of both adult and workers' educational institutions and their movement away from social transformation toward more functionalist and technocratic purposes. However, more recently, adult educators have begun to identify the potential of the workplace as a site of educational as well as economic struggle (Candy and Crebert, 1991: Hart, 1992: Simon et al, 1990) and to recognize the benefits in closer cooperation with worker educators (Kumar, 1990; Mantsios, 1990).
This paper describes two research studies that challenge commonly held assumptions about workplace education, the production of knowledge, and the relationships between work, learning and experience -- all crucial issues for adult educators. Most importantly, they force adult educators to face the question "Education for whom and to what end?" By taking the opportunities that workers' education presents, adult educators can develop their understanding of workers' educational issues and extend and deepen the relationships between the two fields.
Novak, Richard J.
Effects of age composition on
academic achievement in college classrooms.
Abstract: The research explores the effects of age composition on academic achievement in college classrooms. The presence of adults influences expectations for normative behaviors with respect to the role of student and thus affects the classroom social climate and academic performance.
Olgren, Christine H.
Cognitive strategies and the use of
prior knowledge in learning.
Abstract: This study investigated adults' cognitive processes in learning from text and factors influencing cognition. Identified were three groups of learners who differed in cognitive strategies, motivation, and use of prior domain knowledge.
Olson, Glyna, Western Oklahoma State College
Kleine, Paul, University of Oklahoma
Perspective transformation themes
among rural midlife college students: Subtle vs. dramatic
changes.
Abstract: This perspective-seeking study of ten midlife students in a rural community college environment qualitatively explores life histories, personal meanings of learning/education, and perspective transformation among a scantily researched group. Findings indicate: (1) Life history dictated a devalued view of education, (2) education is valued for its utility, (3) personal change is varied and sometimes left undefined, (4) perspective transformation is feared due to possible cultural alienation, and (5) "trigger" events leading to college entry impede or enable original life goals to be realized.
Ottoson, Judith M.
Implementation research:
Understanding the application of learning following continuing
professional education.
Abstract: This study operationally defines and refines a conceptual framework to analyze the application of learning following continuing professional education (CPE). The factors which affect application are deduced from implementation theory and research and induced from interviews with CPE participants. They are further tested with pre- and post-course questionnaires.
Quiglye, B. Allan and Holsinger, Ella
"Happy consciousness":
Hegemony and hidden curricula in literacy readers between 1977
and 1991.
Abstract: When five widely used literacy series were content analyzed in 1977, racism, sexism and socio-economic stereotyping were discovered to "abound" in the texts. This reconstruction of that study finds today's readers have improved, but only slightly.
Ross-Gordon, Jovita, and Gyant, LaVerne, Penn State
University
Anna Cooper and Nannie Burroughs:
Educating head, heart, and hand in the early 20th
century African American community.
Abstract: The contributions and holistic educational philosophies of Anna Cooper and Nannie Burroughs are examined as examples of the "neglected histories" of adult education. Also discussed are their perspectives on issues of race and gender.
Schied, Fred M., Penn State University
Work, learning and customs in
historical perspective: Education and work in the nineteenth
century.
Abstract: This paper discusses the connection between custom and self-education in early nineteenth century United States. The paper argues that the control of education was of fundamental concern to working people in the early labor movement.
Scott, Sue M., Chovanec, Donna M., Young, Beth, University
of Alberta
Philosophy-in-action in university
teaching.
Abstract: Eleven professors expressed traditional, humanist, and critical philosophies as they dialogued on the relationship between their philosophy of teaching and their practice in the classroom. Four categories emerged using grounded theory, axial coding methods.
Shaw, Margaret
African American
learning-to-learn-to-live in response to diseducation: A
phenomenological investigation.
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to investigate the observed behaviors of successful African Americans and determine their patterns of learning. The "learning-to-learn-to-live" concept explained this pattern.
Sheared, Vanessa, Northern Illinois University
From workfare to edfare: An
Africentric feminist epistemology of welfare, education, and
work.
Abstract: This study offers: 1) a conceptual analysis of "marginalization," and Africentric feminism; and 2) provides a critique of African-American women's experiences with the welfare program, and the corresponding relationship of education to work.
Sissel, Peggy A.
Educational scholarship on women: A
feminist analysis of two decades of adult education literature.
Abstract: Research on women and adult education (AE) remains at low levels, with little evidence of a feminist perspective guiding it. This two-part study explores the need to develop this body of knowledge.
Slama, Patricia Scescke
Developing human resources during
organizational transition: An inductive case study of a corporate
acquisition.
Abstract: Corporate acquisitions cause considerable trauma, for individual employees as well as organizations as a whole. An awareness of the predictable stages of transition can assist in identifying the timing of appropriate strategies.
Stalker, Joyce, University of Waikato, New Zealand
Sexual harassment: The dark side of
the adult learner/teacher relationship.
Abstract: The adult learner/teacher relationship is consistently portrayed in our literature as one which has positive connotations, processes and outcomes. This study illustrates that such a view is overly simplistic for women and perhaps all adult learners.
Stalker, Joyce, University of Waikato, New Zealand
Women teachers mentoring women
learners: On the inside working it out.
Abstract: A feminist critique of the mentoring literature reveals that women academics, located as both 'same' and 'other' within patriarchal academe, are in unique positions as mentors.
Sveinunggaard, Karen L., University of Alberta
Transformative learning in
adulthood: A socio-contextual perspective.
Abstract: This study examined the transformative learning experiences of six adults following a self-identified critical life event. A common six phase learning process was identified which impacted six separate life spheres for each adult.
Taylor, Edward W., University of Georgia
Gatekeeping and the AEQ: An inside
view.
Abstract: The Adult Education Quarterly publication activity from 1988-1992 was analyzed for gender and background (academic, practitioner, student) of authorship, geographic region of origin, type and subject of research and publication status. This analysis includes not only what was published, but all submitted manuscripts.
Taylor, Edward W., University of Georgia
Intercultural competency: A
transformative learning process.
Abstract: This paper presents findings of a qualitative study which examined how adults learned to live and work successfully in cultures other than their primary culture. Discussed are theory, experiences, and skills essential to understanding the learning process of intercultural competency. The findings are explored within the context of transformative learning theory.
thINQ
Adult learning through collaborative
inquiry.
Abstract: thINQ, a group of doctoral candidates, examines collaborative inquiry, a new-paradigm approach to research, as a learning strategy that may have practical significance for adult education practitioners.
Thompson, Melody M.
The rhetoric of leadership in the
history of adult education: Implications for the acceptance of
women as leaders.
Abstract: Although early histories of the field recognized women as leaders of adult education, later histories minimized or ignored their leadership activities. What have been the mechanisms of women's invisibility in adult education history? This study investigates issues of language and power that contribute to an understanding of this question.
Tisdell, Elizabeth J.
Power relations in higher education
classes of nontraditional-age adults: Issues of gender, race and
class.
Abstract: This qualitative comparative case study examined how power relationships predominantly based on gender but including race, class, and age were manifested in higher education classrooms of nontraditional-age adult students.
Townsend, Kimberly A.
Adult education and working women: A
perspective on the life and work of Eva vom Hansl.
Abstract: This paper presents an historical review of working women from colonial times through World War II and links working women and adult education through the work of Eva vom Hansl.
Townsend, Kimberly A.
Voices revealed: A case for oral
history in adult education research.
Abstract: This paper presents an argument for the use of oral history in adult education research. It discusses the concepts of "voice"; the techniques of oral history; and provides examples of oral history sources.
Watkins, Karen E. and Marsick, Victoria J.
Designing an empirical audit of the
learning organization.
Abstract: In this paper, we describe our approach to studying the learning organization. We begin with our framework for understanding the learning organization, describe seven defining characteristics, and pose measures for each characteristic.
Wiese, Dorothy
Perceptions of success and the power
and control over change in women's lives with implications for
adult education.
Abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine perceptions of success and the power and control over change in women's lives based on interviews with professional women living in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Wilson, Arthur L., Ball State University
Adult learning, situated cognition,
and authentic activity: Relocating adult education in the context
of experience.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to situate adult learning as a complex social phenomenon in which people, setting, and culturally-provided tools contribute essential elements to adult cognition.
Zacharakis-Jutz, Jeff, Northern Illinois University
Highlander Folk School and the
industrial labor movement: Using the FBI files to develop a third
perspective.
Abstract: This research analyzes the potential of using the main case FBI files as a primary source in reconstructing the history of Highlander Folk School between the early 1930s and the mid-1950s when the school was most active in the labor movement.
Ziegahn, Linda, and Hinchman, Kathleen H.
The tutor-learner relationship in
literacy education: Redefinition or reproduction?
Abstract: A qualitative study of university students working in literacy classrooms suggested that tutors felt most successful when they helped low-literate adults to develop academically and personally. There was minimal evidence of tutors playing the role of critical educators in questioning social inequities.
Beder, Hal
Graves, Mary
Coleman, Colleen
Deely, Sarah
Droppers, Kristi
Eberly, Marian
Leanhey, Pat
Karlson, Tom
Keppel, Bo
Kring, David
Quaglino, Eileen
Ribeiro, Mary
Singleton, Ollie
Sutdhibhaslip, Noulmook
Toole, Karen
Zimmerman, Connie
and others
Research in action: Making popular
education work.
Purposes: 1. to stimulate reflection on the nature and use of research in a popular education context. 2. to promote dialogue on the problems and issues associated with adapting Latin American forms of popular education to a North American context.
Dirkx, John M.
Cunningham, Phyllis
Hart, Mecthild
Mezirow, Jack
Scott, Sue
Conceptions of transformation in
adult education: Views of self, society, and social change.
Abstract: The purpose of this symposium is to identify and
critically examine theoretical assumptions implicit in four views
of transformative adult education, with particular emphasis on
notions of self, society, social change, and the role of the
adult educator in transformation.
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