This exploratory study, in which the participants portrayed a critical role, aimed to discover the perceptions of professional development in changing educator practice at the secondary level with middle school teachers in an urban school district. The data collection process included semi-structured interviews with nine secondary teachers via…

This research study sought to examine the relationship between classroom culture, active learning strategies, and higher education success for adult learners. This mixed-method correlational and causal-comparative research design determined that adult learners have a readiness to learn and an increased need for the teaching to be centered around…

History museum professionals make many assumptions about how visitors learn at their sites but, for various reasons, they rarely do research to test those assumptions. The primary purpose of this study was to explore how adults learn in history museums to fill that gap in understanding. This research utilized a conceptual framework that combined…

Literature has argued that starting new churches is biblical and strategic, requiring the effective equipping of church planters and leaders through adult learning methods (Acts 13:1-4 and 14:20-23; Keller, 2003, p. 1; Reimer, 2016, p. 74). The sobering reality is that about one-third of church plants do not survive (Stetzer & Bird, 2007, p.…

21st century preparedness is a prevalent topic in the field of education. The Common Core State Standards were developed to promote continuity for all students. Research indicates that student preparedness for college and the workforce is lacking. In order to bridge the gap, students must become intellectually autonomous. In addition to content…

Purpose. The first purpose of this study was to identify and describe what actions faculty experts recommend for California Community Colleges to ensure maximum effectiveness of instructional strategies and related academic support programs in developmental mathematics by the year 2020. The second purpose of the study was to identify and describe…

An Investigation of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching and its Influence on Beginning Teacher Retention: A Companion Dissertation. Shook, Anna, 2015. Dissertation, Gardner-Webb University, Adult Learning Theory/Adult Developmental Theory/Professional Development/Beginning Teacher/North Carolina Center for the Advancement of…

This action research study was designed to elicit urban, secondary school teachers' understandings of themselves as adult learners and their perceptions of job-embedded professional development in a single, urban school district in Connecticut. The conceptual framework that guided this study was derived from Knowles, Holton, and Swanson's (2011)…

The way training is delivered in a corporate environment has a tremendous effect on its results. This study investigated the role of culture in the learning styles of adult French and American learners working in an international corporate setting. The assumption was that Americans prefer to learn from action-oriented methods and are more…

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the extent of agreement with the principles of Confucian philosophy on the learning preferences of students enrolled in a research extensive university in the southern region of the United States. This study also compared the extent of agreement with the Confucian philosophy and…