I studied adults' experiences of the ZOU support structures and students' coping strategies: administration of the programme, availability of learning materials, library, information communication technology (ICT) needs, study in isolation, tutorials, assessment and funding of the program. My special acknowledgment to Ms Ruth Searle, the director of the Center for Higher Education Studies who was my steady anchor throughout this study.
THE STUDY AND ITS SETTING
- Introduction
- Key research questions
- Motivation for the study
- Importance of the Study
- Summary
Such considerations led to the start of the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) in 1993 (Dhanarajan 1997; Benza 2001). Therefore, my study was necessary as it sought ways to improve the quality of the teaching-learning process and the degree of program completion among the adult students at ZOU.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Introduction
Key concepts
- Support structures
- Strategies
- Adults
- Cope
- Distance learning (DL)
It extends to the effectiveness of communication between the teacher and the student and also between the teaching material and the student. Transactional distance is measured by the amount of dialogue that occurs between the learner and the instructor and the amount of structure that exists in the course design (Moore and Kearsley 1996).
Learning theories
Andragogy
- Self-concept
- Readiness to learn
- Orientation to learning
- Motivation to learn
- Relevance
Based on humanistic philosophy, Knowles states that self-directed learning focuses on developing the learner's ability to be self-directed. It is through self-directed learning that adults are moved from reliance on transfer learning strategies to developing inquiry skills, making them proactive and responsible for their own learning.
Approach to study
- Deep learning
- Surface learning
- Strategic learning
The choice of approach to study depends on a student's intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Biggs 1979; Entwistle and Ramsden 1983). DL students' approaches to study depend on the motivation for learning and their previous learning experience.
Constructivism
- The roles of the constructivist teacher and learner
The function of the teacher is to help students become active participants in their learning (Ndeya-Ndereya, Mhlanga et al 2003; Hartley, Woods et al 2005). The teacher must help students to make meaningful connections between previous knowledge, new knowledge and learning processes.
Kember’s open learning model
- Students’ entry characteristics
- Social Integration
- External Attribution
- Academic integration or incompatibility
There should be consistency between the student's approach to studies and the course's learning design. The essence of the collective belonging side of academic integration is the quality and quantity of contact between the student and the organization.
Summary
He sought to suggest ways to adjust the courses and the way they are taught in order to maximize students' chances of successfully completing the program. Another strength of Kember's model when compared to others is that it conceptually links theories related to psychological, social, economic, organizational, and instructional factors that affect adult learners. Therefore, Kember's theory was vital as a guide in my exploration of the structures and strategies used by B.Ed.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Introduction
The DL Context
There is evidence that student effort, the quality of teaching and the support provided by the institution have a greater impact on student progress than their entry qualifications and characteristics (Kember 1995; Tam 199). This psychological gap, caused by the separation of students from teachers, represents the challenges that most adult learners in DL face. At OUHK, a sense of isolation was found to be one of the reasons for the high dropout rate (Aylward 2001).
Learner characteristics
- Planning
- Previous distance learning experience
DL students not only need to be able to self-start to cope, but also need to be: focused, responsible and persistent (Lowe 2005). Extrinsic satisfaction, while desirable and not to be discounted, is secondary to an intrinsic sense of accomplishment (Pew 2007). To be successful, a student must learn the rules and integrate behavior with accepted norms.
Integrating study and social commitments
The newly negotiated position is the result of sacrifices made by both the student and others in the student's social environment (Kember 1995). These mechanisms operate in four domains: work, family, social lives, and the self (Kember, Ying et al. 2005). To achieve a balance, students ensure that their families and employers are kept informed of their school schedules and requirements in a timely manner. They, in turn, help maintain balance by planning tasks around the student's schoolwork or assisting in completing undone work.
Academic integration
It also includes the moral and value connection between the academic conventions and norms of the institution and the student's perceptions and performance. I order to achieve success; both parties should strive to develop a sense of belonging between the student and the institution. Normative congruence is the degree of match between the student's and the institution's expectations of each other.
Administrative support
- Regional centre support
- Student support services
- Student orientation into DL
Illustrations of academic integration aspects of the DL program are included in the subsequent administrative and educational support. Collective belonging refers to a student's sense of belonging as a valued member of the institution, including belonging, status, and recognition (Lowe 2005). Part of the responsibility for motivation lies with the administration and its support of DL.
Library
Technology
Research suggests that the effectiveness of education, including DL, depends on preparation and teachers' understanding of students' needs. Valentine (2002) cites (Walcott 1994) who found that faculty need to look at distance learning from the students' point of view to effectively bridge the gap between classroom and distance learning. The DL institutions need to know the characteristics of their students and the environment in which they operate before introducing technology.
Instructional support
- The module
- Contact tutorials
- Study groups
- Assessment
Students adapt their learning approach to the content and context of the learning assignment. The sequence of material should be based on students' understanding and logical structure of the topic. Sherry (1996) borrows from Schamber (1988) that material preparation should focus on the instructional needs of the students rather than on the content itself.
Student funding
Nationally accepted institutional accreditation standards should also be established to ensure the quality of DL (Sherry 1996). I examined structures and strategies that adults use to meet their assessment needs in DL. Sherry (1996) also quotes Schlosser and Anderson (1994) who argue that since the funds come from DL partners, the DL firms must demonstrate a high degree of fiscal accountability.
Summary
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
- Introduction
- Research design
- The Sample
- Research methods
- Phenomenological interviews
- The questionnaire survey
- Data collection
- Interviews
- The questionnaire
- Data presentation and analysis
- Interview data
- Questionnaire data
- Validity and reliability
- Ethical Considerations
- Summary
Data from the use of the questionnaire were used to supplement conclusions from interview data. I bracketed myself and relied on the emic perspectives of the participants' descriptions of their experiences with the support structures and strategies they used to cope with DL. This chapter has outlined the approaches I used to collect data in my exploration of the support structures and strategies used by adults to cope with DL.
INTERVIEW DATA EXPLICATION
Introduction
Those still participating in the program were expected to present the current state of student support and also describe the strategies they used to manage the B.Ed. This gave participants space to provide multiple perspectives on their understanding of each of the aspects under review. DT7 Social-academic integration of work, family and study obligations, DT8 Financial requirements of the program.
Distance learning context
- Reasons for studying through DL
- Perspectives on DL experience
- Lack of self-confidence
- Strategies for coping with lack of self-confidence
- Studying in isolation
- Strategies for coping with studying in isolation
Another male head teacher with extensive DL experience from previous admissions that had prevented completion of the training was driven by enthusiasm to enroll in the training. The above predominantly male group of participants had unimpeded completion of the program and were mostly from previous admissions. Four of the participants who were comfortable studying in isolation had previous DL experience.
Socio-academic integration
- Strategies for coping with socio-academic integration
A school principal with previous DL experience who had been able to complete the program unhindered emphasized that he had succeeded because he had created a tripartite social contract between himself, his family and the employer. A teacher from a previous intake with no previous DL experience and who had also completed the program unhindered, used communication with the family to his advantage. A deputy head of previous intakes with previous DL experience and unimpeded program completion also said: “I made sure I – stuck to my timetable – I realized we had to – scale back the social demands”.
Financial requirements
- Strategies for coping with financial requirements in DL
Most adult learners found it challenging to cope with the financial requirements of the DL programme. A principal from earlier intakes who completed the program unimpeded involved his wife in family budgeting to cope with DL. A rural school principal from earlier intakes who completed the program unimpeded said: “I had to take up a poultry project to support myself (DT8BV:440).
ZOU support mechanisms
- Orientation into DL
- Communication between students and the regional centres
- Strategies for coping with communication in DL
- Student support services
A commended teacher from previous enrollments with no previous DL experience who completed the program smoothly. A male Deputy Head of a City School from previous intakes who has smoothly completed his B.Ed. Some rural students, like the head of department from previous intakes who also completed the program smoothly, said: “It wasn't.
Availability of learning materials
- The print module
- The Library
- Strategies for coping with learning materials
A female senior teacher from previous admissions who had delayed the implementation of the program said: "-there will come a time when the library is overcrowded". Five participants including a female vice-principal from previous admissions who had delayed completing the program borrowed books "-from friends" (DT3S:397). Participants like the female lead from previous recordings who had unimpeded completion of the program "would get some information from the Internet" (DT3V:397).
Information and communication technology
- Learner training in ICT
- Strategies for coping with challenges in ICT
Other participants had experience with access to ICT similar to that of a remote rural teacher from earlier intakes who had unimpeded completion of the B.Ed. For example, a rural female head of department from earlier intakes who completed the program unimpeded said: "there was a course on computers in the B.Ed. Among my participants were those who shared the experience through a deputy principal of earlier intakes that had unimpeded completion of the program and said.
Distance teaching-learning methods
- The module
- Strategies for coping with the challenges in the ZOU module
- Weekend tutorials
- Strategies for coping with challenges in tutorials
- Study groups
- Strategies for coping with challenges in study groups
They shared the opinion expressed by a rural school principal of earlier intakes that had unhindered completion of the program. A deputy principal from earlier intakes who completed the program unimpeded said, "I benefited more from those kinds of discussions" (DT5B:414). An example of this was experienced by a principal from earlier intakes who had unimpeded completion of the program and said.
Distance learning assessment
- Written assignments
- Strategies for coping with written assignments
- Written examinations
- Strategies for coping with written examinations
- Supervision of research projects
- Strategies for coping with the research projects in DL
A female head of department from previous admissions who had successfully completed the program said, "Those who write reviews, I benefited" (DT6R:419). A school leader from previous admissions who had successfully completed the program confirmed this view as he said. A school leader from previous admissions who had successfully completed the program changed supervisors many times.
