Thomas Valentine

Factor Structure of Deterrents to Public Participation in Adult Education

This study sought to identify the factors that deter the general public from participating in organized adult education. An instrument modeled on the Deterrents to Participation Scale (DPS) reported in an earlier study (Scanlan & Darkenwald, 1984) was developed and mailed to a randomly selected sample of households; 215 usable questionnaires were returned. Principal components analysis yielded six orthogonal factors labelled Lack of Confidence, Lack of Course Relevance, Time Constraints, Low Personal Priority, Cost, and Personal Problems. These conceptually meaningful factors hold promise both for theory-building in the area of participation and for the development of practical strategies to increase the number of adults who engage in organized learning activities.

Deterrents to Participation in Adult Education: Profiles of Potential Learners.

One of the most difficult tasks confronting program planners in adult education is helping adults overcome the forces that deter their participation. In an earlier investigation, six factors of deterrence to participation were identified: Lack of Confidence, Lack of Course Relevance, Time Constraints, Low Personal Priority, Cost, and Personal Problems. Although these empirical factors represent the basic forces that inhibit adults from participating in organized education, in and of themselves they tell us nothing about the extent to which different types of would-be learners experience these forces. This study sought to identify and describe distinctive types of adults, defined with respect to the six deterrent factors, through a cluster analysis of the original data base. The resultant framework, or typology, has considerable practical and theoretical significance for adult education.

Rooted in the Soil: The Social Experiences of Black Graduate Students at a Southern Research University

The social experiences of Black graduate alumni, 1962 to 2003, at a major Southern Research University were examined in a comprehensive forced choice and open-ended survey. Characteristics that distinguish this study from others include the large sample of 678 participants and the longitudinal span of four decades.

Motivational Profiles of Adult Basic Education Students

This study explores the reasons why low-literate adults participate in Adult Basic Education (ABE). A 62-item scale to measure motivations was constructed based on in-depth interviews with learners; the scale was embedded into a questionnaire surveying a broad array of back-ground variables. Questionnaire data were collected by means of face-to-face, structured inter- views from a large random sample (N= 323) of learners currently enrolled in ABE programs in the state of Iowa; a 50%o random subsample was also administered a test of academic ability. Through factor analysis of the motivation items, ten dimensions were identified: (a) self-improvement, (b) family responsibilities, (c) diversion, (d) literacy development, (e) community/church involvement, (f) job advancement, (g) launching, (h) economic need, (i) educational advancement, and (j) urging of others. Cluster analyses based on factor scores revealed six distinct subgroups of students. Implications are discussed.

Dimensions of Program Quality in Web-Based Adult Education.

The purpose of the study was to explore and develop a deeper understanding of the quality dimensions of Web-based adult education. Adult educators were asked to rate their organizations with respect to each of the quality indicator items in a forty-one-question survey instrument. Exploratory factor analysis was utilized to identify a six-factor solution that captured 65% of the variance observed in the forty-one variables. The six-factor solution for dimensions of program quality were quality of instruction, quality of administrative recognition, quality of advisement, quality of technical support, quality of advance information, and quality of course evaluation.

Deterrents to Participation in Web-based Continuing Professional Education.

Abstract This study examined the perceptions of certified public accountants concerning deterrents to participation in Web‐based continuing professional education. A survey instrument was mailed to a random sample of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants’ membership, and 444 usable surveys were returned. Four broad dimensions of deterrence to participation in Web‐based education were identified through factor analysis. The two most influential deterrents were Concerns about Electronically Mediated Communication and Concerns about the Quality of Course Offerings. The other two were Concerns about Access to Technology‐Associated Resources and Concerns about the Availability of Necessary Personal Resources. The vast majority of respondents reported that they had access to the technology and that they perceived themselves as having the personal characteristics necessary for participation in Web‐based education activities. However, the proportion of respondents using Web‐based education for continuing professional learning in 1998 was minimal.

Managing Older Worker Training: A Literature Review and Conceptual Framework.

This article reviews literature on educational gerontology, adult education, and training and identifies factors that may encourage or discourage older workers from participation in training. Previous research has emphasized models based on either motivation or deterrent factors. This article offers a unique exploratory model combining five motivational and two deterrent factors that hold the potential for predicting older workers participation in training. Research based on the proposed model can help explain older learners participation in work-related training and, thereby, provide practitioners with clues to enhance training programs for older workers.

The Functional Literacy Needs of Low-Literate Adult Basic Education Students

This study sought to determine the self-perceived, functional literacy needs of low-literate Adult Basic Education students. A questionnaire was constructed to allow learners to rate the extent to which they felt they needed to learn 20 functional tasks; data were collected from 160 learners functioning at or below the sixth-grade level, as measured by standardized reading tests. Results of a factor analysis suggest that these functional tasks can be conceived of as three broad categories: everyday reading and writing tasks, math and measurement tasks, and special literacy tasks. Through cluster analysis, distinct subgroups of learners were identified based on their comparative needs to learn these categories of tasks. Analysis of follow-up data further revealed that existing programs are less effective than they could be at helping learners meet their self-perceived literacy needs.

Beliefs of Certified Public Accountants toward Distance Education: A Statewide Georgia Survey.

Abstract Although distance education is experiencing rapid growth in the United States, there is little research that measures the beliefs of certified public accountants (CPAs) toward the use of distance education in obtaining continuing professional education (CPE). This study examined the beliefs of CPAs in the state of Georgia concerning the effectiveness of distance education in providing CPE. The basic findings indicate that CPAs in the state of Georgia believe distance education to be an effective mode of learning. In addition, they indicate that the technological capabilities necessary to participate in distance education are available to them. However, with the exception of print‐based distance education, the percent of professional learning received via distance education is minimal. The results of this study may provide information beneficial to program planners of CPE.