This dissertation proposes a strategy, or set of decision-making principles, for the education of adults. It explores two related questions: What is the purpose of andragogy and why does this work matter? This philosophical inquiry is situated within a broader context of the automation of knowledge work. As advances in information and…

This quantitative study investigates the predictive power of machine learning (ML) models on degree completion among adult learners in higher education, emphasizing the enhancement of data-driven decision-making (DDDM). By analyzing three ML models - Random Forest, Gradient-Boosting machine (GBM), and CART Decision Tree - within a not-for-profit,…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the decision-making process of a group of core elementary teachers in Illinois Metro East districts around attending professional development. 10 teachers from two Metro East districts were interviewed about their motivations, choices, and factors when considering what professional development to…

Military experience alone is no longer enough to replace a college degree for many civilian jobs, leaving nearly 15% of transitioning veterans at a disadvantage without higher education credentials. This study explored how active-duty Marines decide whether to pursue postsecondary education and assessed the role of the voluntary education (VolED)…

Online shopping is a common feature of modern adult life and is made easy with targeted advertisements, a large buy now button, and pre-entered credit card information. However, these features do not support making purchasing decisions based on what is best for the individual. Decision making about buying items requires an understanding of basic…

College and university enrollment has decreased nationwide every year for more than a decade as educational consumers increasingly question the value of higher education and discover alternatives to the traditional university system. Enrollment professionals seeking growth are tasked to develop and implement innovative solutions to address…

This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to understand the time management decisions of persistent non-traditional online learners over 30 at large institutions offering online programs in the United States. The central research question is: What are the shared time management experiences of persistent non-traditional online students over…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the decision-making process of school leaders in ALE settings when determining the resources they provide and whether the resources provided ensure that these students are successful in the classroom, graduate on time, or earn a high school equivalency diploma. In the study, there were 10…

Few family child care providers attain accreditation in the research state and little research existed as to why family childcare providers make the decision to participate or not in National Association for Family Child Care Accreditation (NAFCC). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perspectives and experiences of family…

This dissertation consists of three chapters that study individual investment in human capital and the incidence of economic shocks. I use administrative data to answer these questions, developing and applying structural methods to analyze individual choices in combination with a careful consideration of research design. Chapter 1 studies the…

Initiatives to deliver financial literacy to populations are offered by a wide range of institutions. Among them, central banks focus on financial literacy because when people make wiser financial decisions, the central banks are more likely to fulfill their societal mission. One of the most common initiatives of central banks in this regard is to…

Students, parents, and government leaders continue to question the value of higher education in general and of a liberal arts education in particular (Council of Independent Colleges, 2015; Fischer, 2022; Strauss, 2019). With students enrolling in liberal arts programs in significant numbers, and with the majority of those students now reflecting…

The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of the shared lived experiences of women with ACEs who dropped out of high school, later returning to adult literacy programs to receive remedial education to prepare for and complete GED requirements, and explored the barriers they had to overcome to do so. The following research…

This study was designed to highlight the attitudes of Associate Degree nurses (ADN), who graduated prior to the Baccalaureate in Science in Nursing (BSN) in 10 Law in NYS, regarding returning to school for the BSN. The historical progression of nursing practice and academia, the significance of nurses to continue formal education, attitudes nurses…

Moral decision-making models in game environments have been increasingly reported in research. These models, however, focus on identifying affordances and goals of games and educational interventions rather than tracing the process of moral decision-making in game worlds. This dissertation study addresses this gap in the literature by presenting…