Community college faculty attitudes about adult students : implications for faculty development /
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| Other Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1992.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Link to OAKTrust copy |
| Abstract: | Taking into consideration that well over half of all community college students are adults, the attitude that faculty hold toward these non-traditional students is of great importance in the teaching-learning transaction. While community colleges have made great efforts to accommodate this ever-growing group of students, little attention has been given to implementing faculty acceptance of these adult students. The purpose of this study was to discover, by a review of adult education literature, what the desired attitude of educators toward adult students should be; discover, by gathering data at three community colleges, what the current attitude of community college faculty actually was toward adult students; compare these two profiles in order to develop a needs statement; and propose strategies for addressing these professional development needs in the community college setting. The investigation of the literature revealed that adult educators should be student-centered, possessing attitudes of empathy, enthusiasm, support, sensitivity, responsiveness, respect, warmth, trust, acceptance, cooperation/collaboration, understanding, responsibility, openness, caring, safety, and helpfulness toward their adult students. Yet, the investigation of the field data revealed that only 16 of the 30 faculty interviewed had developed a wide range of these attitudes toward their adult students. Therefore, faculty development needs in the area of attitude toward adult students do exist. This study utilized a functional attitude change theory to propose strategies for addressing attitudinal faculty development needs and relating these strategies to existing programs and activities already in place at the three colleges under consideration. Strategies include teaching awards, promotions, research grants, campus support groups, team teaching, faculty mentoring, workshops, seminars, microteaching, and orientations. While faculty attitude does not appear to be related to age, years of experience, or preparation for teaching, relationships may exist between faculty attitude and subject matter, gender of faculty members, or gender of students. Recommendations include increasing the frequency of faculty development activities on the subject of the adult learner and underscoring institutional support of adult students. |
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| Item Description: | Typescript (photocopy). Vita. "Major subject: Adult and Extension Education." |
| Physical Description: | ix, 278 leaves ; 29 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |