The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine how docents developed expertise within the context of their work with history museums. Twelve expert docents from four history-themed museums were interviewed to discover how expertise is developed by volunteers working in nonformal settings. Interpretation of the data revealed two primary…

The article concerns the increased use of self-regulated teaching in Swedish schools, where teachers perceive self-regulated teaching as an ideal way of organising schoolwork. Students make their own plans concerning time, content, grades and their own learning. What and how to learn is no longer a question for the teacher only. If self-regulated…

The purpose of this study was to explore how midlevel managers in student affairs learn supervisory skills. Student affairs professionals are given tremendous responsibility for the lives of students outside the classroom. The Association of College Personnel Administrators and other sources outlined the necessary competencies for student affairs…

Adults seek out learning experiences in order to adapt to specific life-changing events such as marriage, divorce, a new job, a promotion, being laid off, retiring, losing a loved one, or moving to a new city (Yopp, 2007; Zemke & Zemke, 1984). It has been suggested that student retention is one of the greatest weaknesses of online education (Allen…

The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of student retention in generic baccalaureate nursing programs. The following question was addressed: How well do the independent variables of Self-Directed Learning Readiness (SDLR), nursing self-efficacy (NSE), and program admission predict retention of students enrolled in the first two…

Middle-school male students currently face a disadvantage in reading comprehension compared to female students. Research suggests the problem is that more male students score below grade level in reading comprehension because they require more cognitive scaffolding. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of text-to-self…

This article depicts challenges for students and teachers involved in developing a reflective portfolio to promote autonomous learning in Taiwan. One hundred and one students in a Taiwan university completed their individual portfolio projects. A pre-course questionnaire, post-course self-evaluation, and the instructor's field notes were the data…

Personality traits of coeducational students have been shown to correlate with early withdrawal intention from college (Lounsbury, Saudargas, & Gibson, 2004). The current study investigated the relationship between the Big Five personality traits as well as seven narrow personality traits in relation to withdrawal intention among 103 female…

The benefits of cooperative learning have been advocated in a wide range of educational contexts in higher education. There is, however, rare information on the contributions of holistic education courses on college students. Using grounded theory methods, this preliminary study was to explore participants' perceptions of a holistic care course…

Growing diversity among international students requires analysis of the experience of particular groups of international students, which would provide implications to understand other groups of students. Changes in the society encouraged the Japanese to seek professional training on postgraduate courses in Japan as well as overseas. Employing a…

Despite holding advanced language qualifications, many overseas students studying at English-speaking universities still have difficulties in formulating grammatically correct sentences. This article introduces an "independent open learner model" for advanced second language speakers of English, which confronts students with the state of their…

In this study, the author conducted in-depth interviews with college students from affluent suburban communities who perform 10 to 20 hours of community service each week. Three fourths of these students attribute their commitment to community service in large part to a single academic experience that influenced their respective worldviews and…

The Commission on International Adult Education (CIAE) of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) provides a forum for the discussion of international issues related to adult education in general, as well as adult education in various countries around the globe. The following purposes summarize the work of the…

Problem-based learning (PBL) can be described as a learning environment where the problem drives the learning. This technique usually involves learning in small groups, which are supervised by tutors. It is becoming evident that PBL in a small-group setting has a robust positive effect on student learning and skills, including better…

Homework has been a controversial teaching strategy throughout the twentieth century and continuing into the twenty-first. This brief presents a history of homework, in which media-fueled outcries for more or less homework occur cyclically, about fifteen to twenty years apart. It describes homework practices today and the beneficial and negative…