Elizabeth J. Tisdell

Interlocking Systems of Power, Privilege, and Oppression in Adult Higher Education Classes

This qualitative comparative case study was guided by a feminist-materialist theoretical framework, and examined how power relationships predominantly based on gender but including race, class, and age were manifested in higher education classrooms of adult students. Two masters level counseling classes were chosen for the study, one was taught by a male professor and the other by a femal professor. The predominant means of data collection were audiotaped participant-observations of the classes; interviews and document analysis were additional sources of data. Data were analyzed according to the constant comparative method. Major findings of the study are: (a) students who benefit from interlockng systems of privilege have more power in the classroom; (b) the male professor tended to exert more control than the female professor; and (c) middle-aged women with more education tend to be more participatory, at least in classes where affective forms of knowledge are valued.

Critical Media Literacy and Transformative Learning Drawing on Pop Culture and Entertainment Media in Teaching for Diversity in Adult Higher Education

The media has a powerful influence on all of us, and has been discussed by critical media literacy scholars largely in K-12 settings. This article explores how, and to what extent, adult educators can draw on popular culture and entertainment media to develop critical media literacy and to facilitate transformative learning around diversity and equity issues, primarily in adult higher education classroom-based settings. It presents a cross-case analysis of the findings related to critical media literacy and transformative learning of three research studies of adult learners and the role of media in higher education around: the notion of pleasure, finding alternative narratives, expanded thinking about marginalized “Others” and hegemonic processes, and new insights through facilitated discussion.

‘Seeing from a different angle’: the role of pop culture in teaching for diversity and critical media literacy in adult education

Entertainment media is a part of everyday life for most adults, including adult educators. This paper reports on a mixed method study, informed by social constructivism and critical media literacy, exploring US adult educators’ consumption of entertainment media, how it affects their thinking about group identities, and how they draw on it in their teaching and learning, particularly in regard to teaching about diversity issues. 215 adult educators from the US responded to the survey and 15 were interviewed. The results of the survey indicated that adult educators both consume media and use it in their teaching. The findings of the qualitative portion of the study focused on how the 15 qualitative participants use of media can facilitate: finding alternative narratives for themselves; expanded thinking about ‘others’ of a different race, gender, or sexual orientation; further interaction and analysis of social relations both in their own lives and in their teaching.

Claiming a Sacred Face: The Role of Spirituality and Cultural Identity in Transformative Adult Higher Education

This article discusses the results of a study examining the role of spirituality in developing a positive cultural identity among a multicultural group of 31 adult educators and what the findings suggest for a spiritually grounded and culturally relevant approach to pedagogy. Findings of the study focus on the role of spirituality in (a) dealing with internalized oppression and reclaiming cultural identity, (b) mediating among multiple identities, (c) crossing culture to facilitate spiritual development, and (d) unconscious knowledge-construction processes that are connected to image, symbol, and ritual that are often cultural. Implications for practice include the importance of (a) the authenticity of teachers and students; (b) an environment that allows for the exploration of the cognitive, the affective or relational, and the symbolic or spiritual domains; and (c) the limitations of the adult learning environment and that transformation is an ongoing process that takes time.

Teaching beliefs of medical educators: perspectives on clinical teaching in pediatrics

Background: Most who teach in clinical settings see themselves primarily as clinicians or physicians responsible for patient care and only secondarily as educators. The education literature suggests that teaching predominantly operates at a tacit level, where teachers rely on core beliefs to guide their practice, and actually spend little time in reflective practice. Given the lack of research on how medical educators in clinical settings view their teaching, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the teaching beliefs of faculty in a pediatrics department in a college of medicine. Methods: Using a Teaching Perspectives Inventory, observations and in-depth interviews, a complex picture was revealed about teaching beliefs of medical educators. Results: Due to contextual constraints of the clinical setting (e.g., time, competing stakeholders) that requires primary attention to patient care, they describe ‘teaching on the fly’. There is a strong emphasis on: delivering content; encouraging thinking among students; providing questioning and engaging learning experiences; and respecting students as learners. Conclusions: The implications of these beliefs are significant and indicate that faculty can benefit from opportunities that make their beliefs about teaching more conscious, particularly in determining how best to prepare future physicians to teach in clinical settings.

Spiritual Development and Cultural Context in the Lives of Women Adult Educators for Social Change

This paper reports the results of a qualitative research study where the purpose was to examine the spiritual development of a multicultural group of women adult educators who are teaching for social justice and are motivated to do so because of their spiritual commitments. Findings reveal 4 themes of spiritual development. It may be described as a spiral process of moving beyond and re-membering spiritual values and symbols of the culture of origin, it includes a deepening awareness and honoring of the Lifeforce, it facilitates authentic identity development, and it requires social action.

The essential value of projects in faculty development.

Projects--planned activities with specific goals and outcomes--have been used in faculty development programs to enhance participant learning and development. Projects have been employed most extensively in programs designed to develop faculty as educators. The authors review the literature and report the results of their 2008 study of the impact of projects within the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine Junior Faculty Development Program, a comprehensive faculty development program. Using a mixed-methods approach, the products of project work, the academic productivity of program graduates, and the impact of projects on career development were analyzed. Faculty who achieved the most progress on their projects reported the highest number of academic products related to their project and the highest number of overall academic achievements. Faculty perceived that their project had three major effects on their professional development: production of a tangible outcome, development of a career focus, and development of relationships with mentors and peers. On the basis of these findings and a review of the literature, the authors conclude that projects are an essential element of a faculty development program. Projects provide a foundation for future academic success by enabling junior faculty to develop and hone knowledge and skills, identify a career focus and gain recognition within their community, generate scholarship, allocate time to academic work, and establish supportive relationships and collaborative networks. A list of best practices to successfully incorporate projects within faculty development programs is provided.

The Meaning and Use of Intuition in Novice Nurses: A Phenomenological Study.

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to determine the meaning and use of intuition in novice nurses with an above-average self-perception of intuitiveness in their 1st year of practice. Sixteen novice nurses from a variety of hospitals and specialty areas were interviewed to discover the meaning of intuitive knowing and to explore how intuitive knowing is manifested in their practice. Data interpretation revealed three dimensions. First, prior experiences were influencers to novice nurses; second, connections were central to making meaning through intuition; and third, dimensions of time, space, and touch proved to be significant in facilitating intuition. Based on the findings that emerged, implications for nursing education and practice and the wider field of adult education are presented.

Negotiating the Labyrinth from Margin to Center: Adult Degree Program Administrators as Program Planners within Higher Education Institutions:

This qualitative study examined how eight adult degree program administrators negotiate power and interest while planning programs in specific higher education settings: small, private, nonprofit, higher education institutions. The conceptual framework was grounded in Cervero and Wilson’s program-planning model in combination with Bourdieu’s concept of cultural and social capital and Raven’s consideration of types of power at play in organizations. The primary means of data collection were in-depth interviews and qualitative questionnaires. There were four primary categories of findings dealing with how these adult degree program planners negotiate power and interest, centering on (a) moving the institutional interest in adult learners from the margins closer to the center, (b) gaining influence by drawing on multiple forms of capital, (c) building a bridge of common interests among key players as a way of leveraging power, and (d) balancing institutional expectations for growth with resource limitations.

Community-Based Financial Literacy Education in a Cultural Context A Study of Teacher Beliefs and Pedagogical Practice

This article presents the findings related to teaching beliefs and pedagogical practices of a study that examined how financial literacy educators educate adults from underserved population groups in community-based settings. The study is theoretically framed in the teaching beliefs and culturally responsive education literature. Findings reveal a complex interaction of educators’ teaching beliefs that affect their pedagogical approaches: financial literacy as understanding, the importance of the cultural context, and emotions and money. These beliefs resulted in a pedagogy that highlighted the everyday financial realities of learners’ lives in a cultural context.