The purpose of this survey study was to understand the factors that have influenced recent changes in the size of adult education graduate programs. We found that integration has a significant effect on changes in student enrollment while leadership, innovation, and integration all significantly predict variance in faculty growth

Burch, Michele

Karen, Spears

Milton, Judy

Studdard, Scarlette

Watkins,

English

Kansas State University

Kansas State University Libraries New Prairie Press Adult Education Research Conference 2000 Conference Proceedings (Vancouver, BC, Canada) The Ever Widening Gyre: Factors Affecting Change in Adult Education Graduate Programs Judy Milton The University of Georgia, USA Watkins The University of Georgia, USA Spears Karen The University of Georgia, USA Scarlette Studdard The University of Georgia, USA Michele Burch The University of Georgia, USA See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://newprairiepress.org/aerc  Part of the Adult and Continuing Education Administration Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License Recommended Citation Milton, Judy; Watkins; Karen, Spears; Studdard, Scarlette; and Burch, Michele (2000). "The Ever Widening Gyre: Factors Affecting Change in Adult Education Graduate Programs," Adult Education Research Conference. https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2000/papers/54 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in Adult Education Research Conference by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information, please contact cads@k-state.edu. Author Information Judy Milton, Watkins, Spears Karen, Scarlette Studdard, and Michele Burch This is available at New Prairie Press: https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2000/papers/54 The Ever Widening Gyre: Factors Affecting Changein Adult Education Graduate ProgramsJudy Milton, Karen Watkins, Scarlette Spears Studdard and Michele BurchThe University of Georgia, USAAbstract: The purpose of this survey study was to understand the factors that have influencedrecent changes in the size of adult education graduate programs. We found that integration hasa significant effect on changes in student enrollment while leadership, innovation, and integra-tion all significantly predict variance in faculty growth.The Purpose of the StudyOver the last five years, a number of adult edu-cation programs have been dismantled or havemerged with other programs. This fact, combinedwith the loss of key theorists in the field, point to thepossibility of the field diminishing. Others argue thatthe field has always had programs closing at thesame time that other programs were growing ornew ones were opening. Some departments haveincreased enrollment and added faculty membersover the last five years. Furthermore, various fieldsof adult education practice such as human resourcedevelopment have never been stronger. The pur-pose of this study was to understand the factors thathave influenced the recent changes in the size ofadult education graduate programs. This study pro-vides evidence of changes that have occurred inthese programs. Understanding these indicators mayhelp those in academic programs better prepare tocombat negative changes and support continuedgrowth.Historical PerspectiveAdult education graduate programs first emerged inthe 1920’s to meet the needs of teachers and ad-ministrators, with a course title first appearing in1922 at Columbia University and a curricula leadingto an advanced degree established by 1932. The1920’s and the 1930’s saw an expansion of differentforms of adult education in university graduate pro-grams; and, with the exception of a small declineduring World War II, the number of adult educationcourses continued to rise well into the 1980's(Houle, 1988). The foci of programs during the1960s were competence, social understanding ofpractice, philosophy and values, zest for continuedstudy, and conducting and interpreting research(Liveright, 1964).On the other hand, the field has had warning sig-nals. In 1988, Kreitlow identified nine danger signalsfor graduate programs: isolation from other disci-plines, lack of commitment to the department withwhich the program is affiliated, acceptance of edu-cators not trained in adult education, homogeneousage range of faculty members, lack of internalcommunication, decline in funded research, limitedpublication record, decline in image within the col-lege, and concerns by graduate students about thestatus of the program (in Peters & Jarvis, 1991).This study sought to assess the prevalence of thesewarning signs today.MethodologyThe purpose of this study was to understand thefactors that have influenced the recent changes inthe size of adult education graduate programs. Sur-vey methodology was employed to measure facultyand administrators’ perceptions of the factors influ-encing their programs. One primary research ques-tion was addressed in this study:To what extent do leadership, integration, and re-sponsiveness to change predict changes in size ofadult education programs over the past five years?InstrumentationInstrument development drew on findings from anearlier research project involving both qualitativeand quantitative methodologies conducted in a Ph.D.seminar class, a review of relevant literature, andpractical considerations based on conversations withfaculty members and administrators. The earlierstudy was conducted in several phases using amixed-method research design. This was a collec-tive research project initially involving 11 Ph.D. stu-dents in data collection and analysis.1 The facultymember responsible and her graduate assistant de-veloped the research design and guided all phases ofthis project. The first phase focused on the collec-tion of qualitative data through 11 interviews con-ducted with a purposeful sample of faculty andadministrators. Participants were chosen to encom-pass the diverse field of adult education in terms offull-time faculty and those with administrative re-sponsibilities; large and small programs; and amonggeographic regions of the United States. The tran-scripts from these interviews were analyzed usingopen coding to develop preliminary themes (Mer-riam, 1998). Three themes common across all theinterviews were identified and led to a definition ofkey variables that influenced changes in adult edu-cation programs (Corbin & Strauss, 1990). One ofthe themes, program integration, dealt with the iden-tity, image, and value given to the program by boththe college and the institution. The two other themeswere program innovation [or responsiveness tochange] and leadership.In the second phase, survey items were devel-oped based on these variables, using data from theinterviews and informed by the literature review(Fowler, 1993). A pilot survey consisting of 52questions was completed by 13 adult education pro-grams, with one person responding from each pro-gram. Scales were developed which correspondedto the qualitative themes. The survey was refinedbased on input from an expert on survey design andpilot responses.  The final survey items were pre-dominately Likert-type questions, and used a 6-pointresponse scale from “strongly disagree” to “stronglyagree.” Section One of the final survey consisted oftwelve items that dealt with the integration of theprogram into the college as well as the institution.Section Two consisted of eight items that measuredperception of changes or innovations in individualprograms. Section Three consisted of eight itemsand dealt with issues of leadership and their impacton the programs. Section Four contained eight ques-tions designed to elicit the actual changes in size ofthe program in terms of numbers of faculty and stu-dents between 1994 and 1999. The final sectionasked for demographic information and solicitedopen-ended comments.Individuals were e-mailed a cover letter re-questing their participation in the study which alsogave the address and password of the web site tocomplete the survey. A copy of the survey was at-tached to the e-mail message. Respondents had theoption of responding by completing the survey onthe web, returning an e-mail, or faxing the com-pleted survey.SampleProgram selection began with the CPAE directoryPart II dated November 1998 which lists AdultEducation Programs in the U.S and Canada. Pro-grams not in the U.S. were automatically eliminated.Individuals were then identified from the CPAE di-rectory of Professional Colleagues, dated October,1999. Individuals who were listed as adjunct or whodid not list an e-mail were eliminated. Two facultymembers with national knowledge of the field werethen asked to review the list, adding new hires,adding adult education programs and faculty fromthe AHRD list, eliminating individuals who were re-tired, not in adult education programs and/or in non-faculty roles.Another 12 individuals either replied and declinedto answer the survey or had permanent fatal-flawswith their e-mail address. Finally, one individual wasasked by a member of her university to completethe survey and was then added to the sample andanother individual in the sample responded from hisnew institution, adding another program to the sam-ple. This left a final sample of 131 individuals and 71adult education programs.Several strategies were used to improve re-sponse rates (Dillman, 1983). These included indi-vidual cover letters sent out via e-mail that assuredindividual confidentiality and stressed the importanceof the participants’ responses. The letter was senton the senior researcher’s e-mail account and con-tained her signature. Follow-up consisted of a sec-ond e-mail message as a reminder.  The finalsample consisted of 78 individuals representing 50programs or an adjusted sample of 60% of individu-als and 70% of adult education programs.Data AnalysisData from the survey were analyzed from the web-based survey using SPSS 5th Edition.2 Data analysisconsisted of again examining the reliability of thescales using Cronbach’s alpha. All scales were reli-able with reliabilities of .8560 [leadership], .9099[integration], .7678 [responsiveness to change]. Wethen sought to answer the research questions usingmultiple regression analyses. All analyses wereconducted at the program level. Wherever therewere multiple responses from the same program,responses were collapsed into one case representingthe mean of responses from that program.FindingsTo what extent do leadership, integration, and re-sponsiveness to change predict changes in size ofadult education programs over the past five years? We found that the dependent variable, changesin size, could not be collapsed into one construct.Therefore, we treated change in student enrollment[consisting of two items, one regarding Master’sstudent enrollment and one regarding doctoral en-rollment] as one dependent variable and change inthe number of FTE faculty as a separate variable.Figure 1 depicts the final simple regression analysisrelated to changes in graduate student enrollments.Although integration was significantly related to in-creasing student enrollments, it only accounts for16% of the variance in student growth. When lead-ership or responsiveness to change were added tothe multiple regression model, the model was notsignificant.   R2.161  Sig. =.038  Figure 1. Determining variance in student growth  Figure 2 indicates that almost 32% of the vari-ance in faculty growth was explained by the threeindependent variables and this relationship washighly significant. Strong programs appear to have strong internal identity and appropriate integra-tion within the university. Leadership and innovationwere also important in predicting variance in size.   r2=.316 Sig. =.005         Figure 2. Determining variance in faculty growth   Additional findings of interest were analyzed us-ing frequency analysis. We asked programs to indi-cate whether or not they had experienced changes Integration  Student Growth   Leadership Integration Responsive-nessto change Faculty Growthof leadership, organizational location or identity. Ta-ble 1 presents these results.   Item  Percent Yes Change in Leadership  63% Change in Program Name  28% Program Mergers  33% Change in Location within the College  31% Change in College Location  9%  Table 1. Percent of Programs reporting Changes Finally, we examined the intercorrelation amongthe dependent variables of faculty and studentgrowth and the relationship was not significant[Sig.=.052].  Discussion From our pilot study, we expected to see a strongrelationship between leadership and changes in size.It was interesting to see that integration was theonly strong correlate of changes in student enroll-ment and that it did not necessarily follow that morestudents led to more faculty. In fact, less than halfof the programs reported an increase in faculty [∑ =2.89] while more than half reported increases inMasters and doctoral students [∑ = 6.65].  It wasinteresting to learn that almost two-thirds of our re-spondents reported changes in leadership in theirprograms over the last 5 years. A number of re-spondents mentioned that there was no longer anadult education program per se, just adult educationfaculty [who were 5 years closer to retirement!]and that the program was now HRD, higher educa-tion, technology, or leadership. Comments from respondents suggest that all isnot well in graduate programs in adult education.The following comments from the survey rangefrom those about issues of responsiveness tochange, to leadership, to integration.• Little change has occurred since the faculty haslittle interest in change.• We have split into two strong, even contested,orientations – HRD and social change/socialaction.• The entire enterprise of academe has changeddrastically in the past five years. We have gonefrom the academy to the business.  . . Studentsare routinely viewed as customers. Researchhas been emphasized above all else. Operationsare more and more chaotic and goals are moreblurred.• Our dean seems to have a pretty narrow world-view – and it is teacher education.• We have a new dean who is focused primarilyon K-12, but willing to learn about AE.• This survey was difficult to complete sincethere is only one coordinator/faculty AND theprogram is being eliminated.• The university has been very supportive, espe-cially my division and dean. Many of the othergraduate school of education faculty do not un-derstand adult education, but are increasinglygaining respect for the program as they see thehigh quality of the work, research and teaching.• I think that the most important change in adulteducation programs could be the integration ofadult education into the main focus of education.Deans do not support what they don’t under-stand.  By engaging in more articulation witheducation in general, programs probably wouldcome out better financially and in the selectionof new resources and faculty.  However, themost disappointing aspect of being a facultymember . . . has been the inability for peopleand programs to change. A lack of leadership isabundant!!!!• We are constantly aware of the need to be visi-ble and our long term survival depends on ourability to find ways to be integrated with teachered. It also helps us that there are now othernon-teacher education master’s programs (i.e.,educational technology).• The current surviving adult ed. program is nowcharged with justifying its existence within acollege that focuses almost exclusively on K-12.. . .  Keeping an adult ed. program going at thisuniversity, in spite of support from the top of theuniversity, is an exhausting and time consumingendeavor.  It steals time from scholarship andfragments focus.  . . . In addition, being in aprogram that everyone seems to like, but is notcentral to anyone’s main purpose (in leadershippositions, that is) means that we are in line forvery few resources and little support. . . .It’sfrustrating and discouraging to be a scholar inthis field…I am an adult educator, but in orderto be so at this institution, I find I must spend atleast half of my time if not more networking,advocating, marketing, etc.Implications for Adult EducationGraduate ProgramsThis study has significant implications for scholarswho would design, develop and administer graduateprograms in adult education. With W. B. Yeats(1921), we see the field “Turning and turning in thewidening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer;things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; mere anar-chy is loosed upon the world; the blood dimmed tideis loosed and everywhere the ceremony of inno-cence is drowned. The best lack all conviction whilethe worst are full of passionate intensity.” What isclear from these data is that graduate programs inadult education have some reason to be concerned.Integration, while strongly correlated with positivechange, also appeared to have the potential to dif-fuse or dilute the program's strengths. In addition,the goal of lifelong learning has been so successfullypromoted that programs throughout the college ofeducation now embrace this mission, making pro-grams in adult education less viable as champions ofthat mission. It would appear that strong programsare those with strong leadership who are well inte-grated into the university, who are also responsive tochange. Clearly, recruiting more students was notsufficient to ensure a positive future for adult edu-cation graduate programs.  “Surely some revelationis at hand; surely the Second Coming is at hand.”ReferencesCorbin, J. & Strauss, A. (1990). Basics of qualita-tive research: Grounded theory proceduresand techniques. Newbury Park, CA: SAGEPublications.Dillman, D. (1983). Mail and telephone surveys.New York: Wiley.Fowler, F. J., Jr. (1993). Survey research methods(2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.Kreitlow, B. W. (1988). Danger signals: Troublebrewing for graduate programs in adult educa-tion.  Proceedings of the 1988 Commission ofProfessors of Adult Education annual con-ference. Tulsa, OK: Commission of Professorsof Adult Education.Liveright, A.A. (1964). The nature and aims of adulteducation as a field of graduate study. InBrookfield, S. (1988). Training educators ofadults: The theory and practice of graduateadult education.  New York: Routledge.Merriam, S.B. (1998). Qualitative research andcase study applications in education (2nd ed.).San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.Houle, C. O. (1988).  The inquiring mind (2nd ed.).Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma.Peters  J.M.,  Jarvis, P., et al. (1991). Adult educa-tion: Evolution and achievements in a devel-oping field of study. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Yeats, W. B. (1921) The second coming. In Thecollected works of W.B. Yeats.1The authors want to thank the students in EADU9600 for their contributions to the initial pilot studyon which this survey was based.2All analyses were done by Dr. Tom Valentine. Theauthors want to thank him for the generous contri-bution of his time.

The Ever Widening Gyre: Factors Affecting Change in Adult Education Graduate Programs

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The Ever Widening Gyre: Factors Affecting Change in Adult Education Graduate Programs

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