ANDRAGOGY: HOW DO POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS EDUCATE AND SERVICE ADULT LEARNERS? by Darcy B. Tannehill, Ed.D. B.A., Duquesne University, 1978 M.S.Ed. Duquesne University, 1986 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Pittsburgh in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education University of Pittsburgh 2009 1 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION This dissertation was presented by Darcy B. Tannehill Ed.D. It was defended on April 27, 2009 and approved by Dr. Sean Hughes, Associate Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies Dr. Charlene Trovato, Clinical Associate Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies Dr. Stewart Edward Sutin, Clinical Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies Dissertation Advisor: Dr. John L. Yeager, Associate Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies 2 Copyright © by Darcy B. Tannehill Ed.D 2009 3 Andragogy: How do post-secondary institutions educate and service adult learners? Darcy B. Tannehill, Ed.D. University of Pittsburgh, 2009 Nontraditional students often have many responsibilities beyond those of traditional students. These responsibilities include: full time employment, marriage, children, and large financial commitments. This research will focus on the undergraduate adult learner and will present how institutions of higher learning have begun to respond to the adult learner, the current state of the adult learner, the needs of the adult learner, and the processes and procedures that institutions of higher education implement to educate and support the adult learner. It begins with the history of Andragogy and a discussion of what current literature is saying about andragogy. Then, the research questions are identified and the research methodology used to gather the information and data. The research results are then presented, and the study concludes with the research findings and a discussion on potential future research considerations of andragogy and how post- secondary institutions can better educate and service adult learners. The overall purpose is to demonstrate the importance of improving these services to improve quality of student service and enhancement of the student experience. Eighty-five institutions responded to the survey on current andragogy styles and the results will demonstrate the importance of increased attention to andragogy and its impact on the student experience. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE .................................................................................................................................... 10 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 12 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM ........................................................... 12 1.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ................................................................. 14 1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ............................................................... 14 1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................... 15 1.5 DELIMINATIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ....................... 15 1.5.1 Deliminations ............................................................................................... 15 1.5.2 Limitations ................................................................................................... 16 1.6 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS ............................................................................. 16 1.7 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................ 17 2.0 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .......................................................................... 18 2.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 18 2.2 ANDRAGOGY ................................................................................................... 19 2.3 THE ADULT LEARNER ................................................................................. 27 2.4 FACULTY AND THE ADULT LEARNER ................................................... 29 2.5 CURRICULUM FOR ADULT LEARNERS .................................................. 39 2.6 SUPPORT SERVICES REQUIREMENTS OF THE ADULT LEARNER 44 5 2.7 ADULT LEARNER BARRIERS ..................................................................... 48 2.8 INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS AND SUPPORT .......................................... 50 2.9 SUPPORT SERVICES AND DELIVERY FORMATS FOR ADULT LEARNERS ........................................................................................................................ 54 2.10 CREDIT FOR PRIORLEARNING ................................................................. 64 2.11 INSTITUTIONAL PRACTICES AND BEST PRACTICES ........................ 71 2.12 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................ 85 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................. 89 3.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................... 89 3.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................................................... 90 3.3 RESEARCH POPULATION ............................................................................ 90 3.4 INSTRUMENTATION ..................................................................................... 90 3.5 PILOT TEST ...................................................................................................... 92 3.6 DATA COLLECTION ...................................................................................... 92 3.7 DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................................. 93 3.8 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................ 93 4.0 FINDINGS .................................................................................................................. 96 4.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 96 4.2 DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ............................................................... 96 4.3 RESEARCH QUESTION I ............................................................................ 100 4.4 RESEARCH QUESTION II ........................................................................... 104 4.5 RESEARCH QUESTION III ......................................................................... 107 4.6 RESEARCH QUESTION IV.......................................................................... 110 6 5.0 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ............................................................. 120 5.1 CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................................. 120 5.1.1 Demographic Conclusions ........................................................................ 120 5.1.2 Research Question I Conclusions ............................................................ 121 5.1.3 Research Question II Conclusions ........................................................... 122 5.1.4 Research Question III Conclusions ......................................................... 123 5.1.5 Research Question IV Conclusions ......................................................... 124 5.2 IMPLICATIONS ............................................................................................. 127 APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................ 130 APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................................ 141 APPENDIX C ............................................................................................................................ 143 APPENDIX D ............................................................................................................................ 145 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 154 7 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Assumptions, Pedagogy, and Andragogy ...................................................................... 21 Table 2. Curricula and Learner Features of Andragogy by Theorist ............................................ 42 Table 3. Student Service Features of Andragogy by Theorist ...................................................... 70 Table 4. Survey Questions and Corresponding Research Questions ............................................ 91 Table 5. Definition of Nontraditional Students............................................................................ 97 Table 6. Household Income of Nontraditional Students ............................................................... 98 Table 7. Predominant Race of Nontraditional Students................................................................ 98 Table 8. Percentage of Nontraditional Students at the Institutions ............................................... 99 Table 9. Utilization of the Principles of Andragogy to Educate Adult Learners ........................ 101 Table 10. Delivery Methods for Training Faculty on Andragogy .............................................. 102 Table 11. Principles of Andragogy Used by Faculty Members Teaching Nontraditional Students ....................................................................................................................................................