Category: Higher Education

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An appreciative inquiry into the transformative learning experiences of students in a family literacy project

Author/s: David Giles and Sharon Alderson

Edition: Volume 48, Number 3, November 2008

Summary: Educational discourse has often struggled to genuinely move beyond deficit-based language. Even action research, a predominant model for teacher development, starts with the identification of a problem (Cardno 2003). It would appear that the vocabulary for a hope-filled discourse which captures the imagination and influences our future educational activity seems to have escaped us. Moreover, we seem bereft of educational contexts where the experience for students is holistic and transformative. Appreciative inquiry is a research approach that seeks to facilitate change based on participants’ actual experiences of best practice (Cady & Caster 2000, Cooperrider & Srivastva 1987, English, Fenwick & Parsons 2003, Hammond 1998, Hammond & Royal 1998). Based on assumptions that ‘in every organisation something works’ and ‘if we are to carry anything of our past forward in our lives, it should be the good things’, appreciative inquiry energises participants to reach for higher ideals (Hammond 1998, Hammond & Royal 1998). Rather than giving priority to the problems in our current practice, appreciative inquiry gives attention to evidence of successful practice. In this way, proponents describe it as ‘dream forming’ and ‘destiny creating’. This paper will outline an appreciative inquiry with adult students in the context of a tertiary bridging program. The inquiry was able to capture the students’ stories of transformative learning experiences.

Keywords: change, experience, appreciative inquiry, adult learners, bridging, transformative learning

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Listening to individual voices and stories – the mature-age student experience

Author/s: Cathy Stone

Edition: Volume 48, Number 2, July 2008

Summary: This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research project, part of a doctoral thesis, which examines the impact of university study on a group of 20 female and male mature-age students at the University of Newcastle, Australia, who have entered university via a non-traditional pathway. These students are in the second to final years of their undergraduate degree programs and have all faced significant hurdles in gaining university entrance and continuing with their studies. The majority have come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, with little, if any, family history of higher education and little positive experience of prior study. This paper gives voice to their stories – their triumphs and achievements as well as their struggles – and highlights the important role that publicly funded institutions can play, not only in widening access to higher education, but also in encouraging and assisting students from a diverse range of backgrounds to participate fully in higher education and achieve their goals.

Keywords: mature-age students, non-traditional pathways, qualitative research

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“Out of the Circle”: international students and the use of university counselling services

Author/s: Pius L.D. Ang and Pranee Liamputtong

Edition: Volume 48, Number 1, April 2008

Summary: In this paper, we attempt to gain a greater understanding of the adjustment experiences of international students from Mainland China in their first year at university. Three themes emerge from our data: lack of confidence in speaking English; the preference for using  family, partners and close friends as their support networks to deal with problems; and the lack of knowledge of university counselling services. The participants did not view the university counselling services as a support service they would use to assist them with their personal difficulties.

Keywords: international students, China, English, support networks, counselling services

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Innovations in bridging and foundation education in a tertiary institution

Author/s: Rae Trewartha

Edition: Volume 48, Number 1, April 2008

Summary: A 2006 survey of programs at Unitec, New Zealand concluded that, in the main, Unitec programs and courses were not meeting student needs in the area of foundation and bridging education. Invoking international research and practice, a report was compiled proposing a number of recommendations to remedy this situation. Academic Board, in accepting recommendations that were based on developing and re-developing foundation and bridging courses and programs to better staircase students into degree programs, and to support first-year students in undergraduate degree programs, has challenged the Unitec community to think in new ways about the needs of students entering the institution. It was argued in the report that the key determinant in developing these strategies should be the need to provide students with bridging/foundation education that supports them to develop the contextualised discipline knowledge and academic literacies they need in order to transition to the next level of study as independent, critical learners – as students who know ‘how to learn’. Over the last few months, many exciting and challenging developments have occurred in relation to this initiative. This paper begins by examining the research that informed the recommendations in the report. Initiatives that are proposed or underway arel then outlined, and discussed in conjunction with examples of the challenges associated with making this shift in institutional thinking and practice.

Keywords: foundation, education, bridging, Unitec, courses, programs, literacies

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Travelling against the current: an examination of upstream and downstream educational interventions across the life span

Author/s: Jenny Silburn and Geraldine Box

Edition: Volume 48, Number 1, April 2008

Summary: Current social and economic circumstances are presenting universities with a more diverse general student intake whose support needs are increasingly similar to those of traditionally
defined equity groups. This paper examines a Murdoch University equity program to demonstrate that simply increasing access does not always translate into increased benefit. It presents an argument for the restructuring of existing equity enabling programs and increasing transitional support for all students to achieve more substantive equality in student outcomes.

Keywords: equity, social, economic, access, transitional support

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Regional academics’ perceptions of the love of learning and its importance for their students

Author/s: Joy Penman and Bronwyn Ellis

Edition: Volume 49, Number 1, April 2009

Summary: Whatever the course, mode of delivery or type of institution, most characteristics of good teaching remain the same. The teacher’s ability to convey personal enthusiasm for learning is crucial in arousing and sustaining students’ interest and curiosity in their discipline and beyond. This love of learning can be liberating and empowering as the students discover and construct their own knowledge. However, there is limited research addressing the development of a love of learning in the Australian context. This article draws on a small study – a survey of regional campus academics’ perceptions of the love of learning and its importance, and how they sought to foster its development in their students. The interviewed academics affirmed the importance of a love of learning, but had varied ideas concerning what this meant and how to inspire it in students. A range of approaches to developing this quality is suggested.

Keywords: love of learning, case study, inspiring learners

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 49_1. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.]

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Teaching adult education history in a time of uncertainty and hope

Author/s: Tony Brown

Edition: Volume 50, Number 3, November 2010

Summary: Adult education’s continuing purpose has been questioned by writers for over twenty years and today the re-organisation and closure of some University departments brings this issue to the fore. This paper takes up the theme of really useful knowledge in a changing world from the standpoint of teaching adult education history to graduate students. Many enter their new field of practice unaware of the specific social contexts of the foundations of adult education in different places, or the genealogy of its current manifestations. Examining these different contexts, traditions, practices and practitioners can enable students to better locate themselves, connect with different traditions, understand the past and position themselves for their future. Secondly, the paper considers the idea of locating oneself in a rapidly changing political economy that has emerged from the global economic crisis and recession, the effects of which are expected to continue into the next decade.

Keywords: adult education, history, graduates, social context, political economy

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 50_3. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Approaches to the postgraduate education of business coaches

Author/s: Grace McCarthy

Edition: Volume 50, Number 2, July 2010

Summary: This paper focuses on the education and training of business coaches, specifically at the Masters/graduate level. The paper first reviews the knowledge and skills required of business coaches, comparing the recommendations of professional associations and the literature. Next the paper reviews the approaches to education which are best suited to help students acquire knowledge and skills, and how these may be assessed. The paper discusses the challenge of developing both knowledge and skills, and the use of e-learning as an on-going support for students. The benefits of authentic assessment and a varied approach to learning are also reviewed. Thirdly, the paper reports on the experiences of a new Master of Business Coaching at Sydney Business School, University of Wollongong, Australia, providing both performance and perception data from the first cohort of students. Possible reasons for the students’ strong performance are suggested.

Keywords: business coaches, education, knowledge, skills, e-learning

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 50_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Using Appreciative Inquiry to explore the professional practice of a lecturer in higher education: Moving towards life-centric practice

Author/s: David Giles and Susie Kung

Edition: Volume 50, Number 2, July 2010

Summary: This paper reports on a strategy for exploring the life-centric practice of a lecturer in Higher Education. The initiative for this inquiry arose out of the realisation that there did not appear to be positive, heart-lifting stories in a lecturer’s current teaching experiences. Using an appreciative eye and supported by a critical friend, life-giving experiences were ‘stalked’ from the past. The hope in this endeavour was to find greater meaning in the lecturer’s best professional practice. Using an Appreciative Inquiry approach, this endeavour rejuvenated the lecturer’s professional practice. As life-centric stories were recalled, provocative propositions were constructed that became the basis of a personalised action plan for future professional practice. This paper outlines the nature of the journey and the heartfelt discoveries.

Keywords: life-centric practice, professional practice, appreciative inquiry approach

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 50_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.

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Pathway for student self-development: A learning orientated internship approach

Author/s: Bonnie Cord and Mike Clements

Edition: Volume 50, Number 2, July 2010

Summary: Higher education is facing new challenges in preparing students for the workforce. As demands increase for students to differentiate themselves when seeking employment, it becomes necessary for higher education and vocational providers not only to understand these challenges, but also to provide a pathway for students to develop the skills necessary to become sought-after employees. This paper presents a learning orientated internship approach as one such pathway that aims to provide students, as adult learners, with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and gain new skills in a work context. The paper provides insight into students self-reported learning outcomes after undertaking the learning orientated internship program. Preliminary findings reveal that communication, interpersonal skills and personal insights are common areas of self-development through this program.

Keywords: workforce preparation, internship program

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This article is part of AJAL, Volume 50_2. The entire volume is available in .pdf for purchase here.