The goal of this dissertation was to explore how self-directed learners assess their learning in informal contexts. Self-directed learners experience high intrinsic motivation and learner control, so studying these learners' experiences provides valuable insights into learning. I pose four questions: 1) How do self-directed learners in informal…

This study sought to determine if critical thinking style and the activities delivered in an educational experience affected the innovativeness of an individual. This study was based on a theoretical framework involving educational experience, critical thinking style, change in knowledge, interest in domain, domain specific innovativeness, and…

The term rebel is virtually nonexistent in academic literature within the field of educational leadership and maintains a generally negative connotation. This research is intended to cast the term in a new light and allow for conceptualization of the word as a positive descriptor for educational leaders. This study explored the impact and efficacy…

This mixed methods, exploratory and confirmatory study was designed to evaluate the theoretical learning impact of a innovative summer engineering program curriculum would have on its audience, middle school minority students. Several theories were used to develop the innovative curriculum including Human Constructivism, cultural learning styles…

This dissertation offers a critique of current approaches to postsecondary vocational education. It concludes that the traditional apprenticeship and didactic model leads to inadequate preparation of students for independent thinking and problem solving. An alternative model is proposed that uses "democratic education" principles. These include…