Within the past ten to fifteen years, there has been a trend among churches to downsize staff and eliminate the role of "Minister of Education." With these changes in staff structure, a need has emerged for assistance in evaluating adult educational programming within the church. For this project, a process was developed called the Adult…

Emerging adults in rural, boom-bust economies face unique challenges, especially in employment and education. Drawing on emerging adult and social disruption hypothesis literatures, this study examined four primary research questions. First, how do emerging adults in rural boom-bust towns in southwest Wyoming understand and experience boom-bust…

Due to a decline in civic engagement as well as civic education initiatives, many adults are left without opportunities to be able to learn more about the skills and knowledge needed to participate within society. This dissertation documents civic education initiatives offered to adults in Central Texas. The research questions guiding the study…

This action research project focused on teacher retention in Adult Education programs. The study was centered on new teachers in Adult Education, as defined as having less than three years of experience teaching in the field of Adult Education. The study concentrated on growing new teachers' senses of belonging, self-efficacy, and new teachers'…

In adult education, the term "interdisciplinarity" is often treated as an agent for transforming teaching, learning, and research. This appreciation of the concept proliferates despite the fact that its actualization often supports competing interpretations and practices. Many adult educators are unaware of the distinctions made among…

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…

This autoethnographic study uses personal memoirs to explore the author's allyship and advocacy efforts throughout the past 24 years in the language teaching profession. Through the process of self-reflexivity and introspection, "turning points" are investigated to understand more about what influences the actions and behaviors of…

This mixed-methods descriptive study (with a qualifying survey to determine participants' eligibility) was conducted to investigate whether student engagement has an impact on academic performance for undergraduate nontraditional students in a community college environment. The research population was undergraduate nontraditional students who were…

The problem addressed in this study was that online training designers experience barriers when implementing evaluations to assess knowledge transfer after 3-6 months. This qualitative exploratory case study aimed to explore online training designers' experiences and perceptions regarding the barriers faced when working with project stakeholders…

This qualitative research examined Adult Education teachers' understanding of the role of formative assessment that will improve their instruction, and the strategies and techniques teaching English as a second Language. The researcher employed a Teacher Learning Community (TLC) model that focused on conversations involving all participants and…

Community colleges in Northern and Southeastern Virginia have struggled with enrollment and retention of adult learners. Addressing adult learners' needs is an important focus for instructors, yet few studies have addressed how instructors can use andragogy, the art and science of adult learning, to influence their instructional practices to…

This qualitative case study focused on career commitment in two types of professional adult educators, extension agents and missionaries. Past research studying extension agents and missionaries had documented decades of early career attrition. Research documented the issues, explored causes, and proposed solutions. Yet, the problem persists. Much…

Research shows that educators working in General Education Development (GED) preparation classes lack research-based instructional practice. Current research further implies that using research-based instructional practices is beneficial to adult learners. The location of this study was a local public community college and satellite locations in a…

Fanfiction is a valid form of literacy expression often overlooked in academic settings. This study used a mixed-methods approach to understand the facets of fanfiction reading and writing in adults. Survey data was first collected to understand who are the adults choosing to read and write fanfiction. Based on survey results, individual cases…

While community colleges have traditionally been the leading providers of adult learner programs and the entry point for many minority students into higher education, very few English language learners (ELLs) transition to higher education. This qualitative gap analysis of the systems in place at a large urban public community college in the…