Author: Henrik Steenberg

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Group work oral participation: Examining Korean students’ adjustment process in a US university

Author: Jung Yin Kim
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA

Edition: Volume 56, Number 3, November 2016

Summary: This study examines, from a sociocultural perspective, the factors that explain why a group of seven Korean students attending an undergraduate business program in a US university are initially labelled as silent participants when first engaging in group work, and how these factors impacted the students’ overall adjustment process. Data came from in-depth interviews and group work observations. ‘Discourse system’ is used to categorise how they adapt over the course of a semester, with changes in expressing ideas, holding ground, and self-autonomy. The study showed that while various factors, including the students’ English language proficiency, differences in sociocultural values and educational practices, and group work environment were intertwined and informed their group work adjustment process, differences in sociocultural values and educational practices played the most important role in their adjustment process. Regardless of their length of stay in the US, gender, and individual differences, all of the students felt challenged in the initial stages of participation in group work. The findings suggest pedagogical implications for promoting oral participation of Asian international students, especially Korean students, when they first commence in group work.

Keywords: sociocultural features, group work, cultural interaction, Korean students

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Contemporary constructivist practices in higher education settings and academic motivational factors

Author: Dorit Alt
Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee, Israel

Edition: Volume 56, Number 3, November 2016

Summary: This study was aimed at assessing the relationships between college students’ pre-entry factors, self-efficacy and motivation for learning, and the perceived constructivist learning in traditional lecture-based courses and seminars (SM). The study included 411 undergraduate third-year college students. Several scales were administered to the participants: The Constructivist Learning in Higher Education Settings scale (CLHES) aimed at measuring students’ perceptions of occurrences of contemporary constructivist practices in learning environments, along three dimensions: constructive activity, teacher-student interaction and social activity; the Academic Motivation Scale – College (CEGEP); and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Regression analysis main results showed that the constructive activity and teacher- student interaction factors were positively correlated. The teacher- student interaction variable was highly effective in enhancing intrinsic motivation for learning which in turn, contributed primarily to academic self-efficacy. The motivational factors were not solely affected by the learning environment perception but were also informed, to some extent, by several pre-entry factors. Multivariate analysis of covariance results have corroborated the research hypothesis, indicating that students perceive seminar learning environments as more constructivist when compared with lecture-based course perceptions. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: constructivist learning; academic self-efficacy; academic motivation

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Emotional highs in adult experiential learning

Author: Sandris Zeivots
University of Technology, Sydney

Edition: Volume 56, Number 3, November 2016

Summary: Despite knowing that positive emotional experiences tend to be beneficial for adult learning, our incomplete understanding of the emotional system rarely allows us to incorporate emotion adequately in real learning situations. The experience of emotional highs, as observed in adult experiential learning courses, has been selected as the phenomenon of the study. This paper is concerned with developing a more sophisticated understanding of the phenomenon by studying the lived experience of emotional highs. Hermeneutic phenomenology  has been selected as a suitable approach. This approach examines the lived state of emotional highs as well as recognises how adult learners make sense of these experiences. The lived experiences of 15 Australian adult learners were examined. Learners participated in one of three 4–8 day adult experiential learning courses, including two Outward Bound courses. The courses were held half indoors and half outdoors. Learners reflected and made sense of their lived experience through surveys and semi-structured interviews. As a result, a sophisticated definition of emotional highs is proposed.

Keywords: Experiential learning, adults, emotional highs, positive emotions, hermeneutic phenomenology

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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The meanings of learning as described by Polish migrant bloggers

Author: Monika Popow
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland

Edition: Volume 56, Number 3, November 2016

Summary: This paper addresses the meanings given to learning by Polish migrant bloggers. It presents the result of an analysis of ten blogs, written by Poles living abroad. The blogs under analysis were chosen on the basis of random sample. The analysed material was categorised by recurring themes, which included: learning in Poland, language acquisition, formal education, learning about the new culture, discovering the social norms of the host society and seeing immigration as an all-round learning experience. Four types of meanings given by authors were distinguished: migration as learning experience, learning as effort which deserves a reward, learning as a change, and learning as adapting to multiculturalism. The meanings were analysed according to the principles of critical discourse analysis. The paper discusses how the meanings given by authors are linked to a broad socio-cultural context. It analyses also the impact of learning into identity creation processes.

Keywords: migration, Internet blogs, learning, discourse analysis

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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A farmer becomes a social pedagogue: A psycho-societal approach

Author: Karsten Mellon
Roskilde University, Denmark

Edition: Volume 56, Number 3, November 2016

Summary: In Denmark various non-traditional students are mature-age students who already have some kind of a vocational background. When applying to do a professional degree, most of them fall outside the traditional admission requirements, which is why individual assessment of applicants is necessary for bachelor programmes. This article examines the case of a woman named Amy, a mature, nontraditional university college student who becomes a social pedagogue. Because of severe allergies, Amy had to quit her job as a farmer and began to study to become a social pedagogue. Becoming a social pedagogue is a tremendously complex process that involves taking on a new professional identity and acquiring new skills. In order to ascertain the extent of this complexity, this article uses a psychosocietal approach derived from a Danish/German life history research approach. This article offers a brief presentation of the theoretical and methodological framework applied before analysing the process Amy undergoes to become a social pedagogue. The analysis demonstrates that this type of significant career change is demanding and, for Amy, filled with feelings of ambivalence and defensiveness.

Keywords: psycho-societal approach, life history, non-traditional, adult learner, social pedagogue, becoming

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Transformative learning challenges in a context of trauma and fear: an educator’s story

Author: Vaughn M. John

University of KwaZulu-Natal

Edition: Volume 56, Number 2, July 2016

Summary: After more than three decades of development, transformative learning theory is currently a major theory of adult learning. It has also attracted substantial critique, leading to further development, application and differentiation. Recent contributions to this vast scholarship show a quest for a more unified theory.
This article examines transformative learning theory via a case study of an adult education project in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Drawing on life and pedagogical experiences of an educator, it focusses on aspects of the theory subjected to critique and raises questions about attempts to foster transformative learning in oppressive contexts involving trauma and fear. The article calls for greater attention to the life and experiences of the educator in the learning process while responding to calls for theoretical examination in more diverse contexts. It thus illustrates how more varied, situated accounts of transformative learning attempts may challenge and improve our understandings of adult learning encounters.

Keywords: Transformative learning theory, educator life experiences, adult education, KwaZulu-Natal

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.OnTrack to university: understanding mechanisms of student retention in an Australian pre-university enabling program

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The juxtaposition of STEPS to the undergraduate arena: The lived experience of transitioning into undergraduate study

Author: Trixie James

Central Queensland University

Edition: Volume 56, Number 2, July 2016

Summary: Australia wide, universities are offering tertiary education to the broader socio-economic cohort; however, alongside this educational reform, there is a concern that students who have been away from the formal education context for many years may not cope with the rigors of university. Consequently, prior to and conditional to admission to undergraduate studies, many universities have placed a greater emphasis on pre-skilling such students through pre-university programs known interchangeably as Enabling, Preparatory, Transition or Access programs. The research findings reported on in this article explore the lived experiences of eight first year undergraduate students, who upon the completion of an Enabling program, successfully articulated into and completed the first year of their university degree. Using a theoretical framework of social-efficacy (Bandura, 1997) and the application of existential phenomenology, commonalities in these experiences of the participants emerged. Four key themes were: (i) a sense of preparedness, (ii) fear of the unknown, (iii) university as an anchor, and (iv) a sense of certainty and rightness. In combination, the degree of self-efficacy demonstrated by each of the eight students can be said to have contributed to the successful completion of their first year of undergraduate studies.

Keywords: Enabling programs, adult education, transitioning; university, self-efficacy, regional campus

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.OnTrack to university: understanding mechanisms of student retention in an Australian pre-university enabling program

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Staying Power: The effect of pathway into university on student achievement and attrition

Author: Jenny Chesters & Louise Watson

University of Canberra

Edition: Volume 56, Number 2, July 2016

Summary: The expansion of the higher education sector in Australia opened
up new pathways into university increasing the diversity of the student population. For non-traditional students, those who did not successfully complete secondary school, barriers to gaining entry into university have been dismantled, however, previous research suggests that non-traditional students are more likely than traditional students to drop out of higher education. This paper analyses administrative data for a cohort of first year undergraduate students attending an Australian university to examine the association between pathway to university and student retention and academic progression. Our findings show that after controlling for grade point average, students who completed an enabling course on campus prior to commencing their undergraduate program were less likely than students admitted on the basis of completing secondary school to discontinue their university studies. This suggests that enabling programs provided on campus may assist students who do not meet the minimum requirements for university entrance to complete a university degree.

Keywords: pathways into higher education; diversity; attrition

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.OnTrack to university: understanding mechanisms of student retention in an Australian pre-university enabling program

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OnTrack to university: understanding mechanisms of student retention in an Australian pre-university enabling program

Author: Joanne G. Lisciandro & Gael Gibbs

Murdoch University

Edition: Volume 56, Number 2, July 2016

Summary: University-based enabling programs have become an important pathway to university for non-traditional students. There is increasing interest in understanding the mechanisms that facilitate retention and success of enabling pathway students, with the aim of developing effective strategies for maximising opportunities for university access and participation. The current study focuses on an Australian enabling program that has achieved and sustained high retention rates, with three-quarters of its 2115 students that enrolled during the last seven years (2008 – 2014) retained until the end of the program. Further, 90 per cent of retained students were successful in receiving an offer to university; and 94 per cent of students that received an offer subsequently enrolled in an undergraduate course. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that demographic and prior educational factors explained little about student retention in the program. The main reasons cited for withdrawal were medical or emotional issues, and family problems or responsibilities. Overall, this data suggests that both pre-program conduct and in-program practices may enhance student retention outcomes. Specifically, practices that support the development of strong peer and tutor-student relationships, and that foster community connections, are thought to provide a significant and positive influence on student retention in enabling programs.

Keywords: enabling programs, retention, attrition, success, non-traditional students

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.OnTrack to university: understanding mechanisms of student retention in an Australian pre-university enabling program

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University Transition Challenges for First Year Domestic CALD Students from Refugee Backgrounds: A Case Study from an Australian Regional University

Author: Eric Kong, Sarah Harmsworth, Mohammad Mehdi Rajaeian, Geoffrey Parkes, Sue Bishop, Bassim AlMansouri, Jill Lawrence

University of Southern Queensland

Edition: Volume 56, Number 2, July 2016

Summary: Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) is used broadly and inclusively to describe communities with diverse language, ethnic background, nationality, dress, traditions, food, societal structures, art and religion characteristics. Domestic CALD people are either refugees or voluntary migrants and have obtained permanent residency or citizenship. This paper identifies the key issues, challenges and needs of first year domestic CALD students from refugee backgrounds at a multi-campus regional university in Queensland, Australia. The term refugee background is used in the paper as the students are no longer refugees having successfully transitioned from refugee status to being permanent residents. Qualitative data was collected through one-on-one semi-structured interviews and focus groups with domestic CALD students from refugee backgrounds, and from key informants including teaching, administrative, and senior management staff members. Other than language and differences in education styles, this cohort of students faced other challenges, particularly in a regional setting, including socio-cultural issues, technology issues, family and health challenges and limited staff awareness of refugee needs. The findings provide insights into how Australian regional university policy makers could develop effective strategies, practices, procedures and policies to support CALD students from refugee backgrounds and to improve their retention and progression.

Keywords: Domestic culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students, refugees, Australian regional university, higher education, equity

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 56_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.