Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological inquiry was to explore how low-income adult college students engage in online learning environments at a mid-sized state college in the southeast of the United States. This study was guided by a conceptual framework of Knowles et al. (2015) adult learner theory and Garrison et al. (2000) communities of inquiry (CoI) frameworks. By analyzing participant responses through both the community of inquiry and adult learning theory frames, this study perceived the needs and expectations that are distinctive to adult learners through a social, cognitive, and teaching presence in the online learning environment. A transcendental phenomenological design was used to address the three research questions. Eleven college students who fit the scope of low-income adult online learners participated in semi-structured interviews for this study. The themes discovered in this study will allow instructors and leaders in higher education to interpret a more nuanced and in-depth understanding of the characteristics, barriers, and opportunities for engagement in this ever-growing population of adult learners in the online learning environment. Based on the results of this study, recommendations for practice include increasing opportunities for more peer-to-peer engagement, embedded student support services, developing resources to increase online readiness, providing more specific support for adult learners, and exploring more flexible face-to-face course offerings.

Notes

If this is your thesis or dissertation, and want to learn how to access it or for more information about readership statistics, contact us at STARS@ucf.edu

Graduation Date

2021

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Cox, Thomas

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Degree Program

Educational Leadership; Higher Education Track

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008861; DP0026140

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026140

Language

English

Release Date

December 2024

Length of Campus-only Access

3 years

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Campus-only Access)

Download

Restricted to the UCF community until December 2024; it will then be open access.

Share

COinS