American Scholars Press

Gabriele Strohschen, a native of Berlin (FRG), completed her studies at Northern Illinois University in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. She worked in Chicago's historically disenfranchised communities until joining joined DePaul University as director for the graduate programs at the School for New Learning in 2003. Dr. Strohschen conducted action research, program design and evaluation, and teacher training in Germany, Czech Republic, Kenya, China, Mexico, Thailand, and around the USA. In Afghanistan, she completed a program evaluation project for the Afghan Ministry of Education’s Women Literacy Project, funded by UNESCO, with Dr. Elazier. Retired from DePaul University with the title of professor emerita, she collaborates with community residents, organizations, institutions of higher education, students, artists, and activists in social justice projects, virtually around the world and locally at her Pilsen Storefront in Chicago. She provides program and resource development along with teacher training services and is currently spearheading the development of an international advocacy and training institute for the education of adults. “Dr. G.” has been working with American Scholars Press since its inception. gstrohsc@depaul.edu

Dr. Carrie Boden, Ph.D. is Professor and former Chair of the Department of Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studies at Texas State University. She has designed and taught courses in traditional, hybrid, and online formats, and has developed and overseen the implementation of several online program initiatives for adult learners. Her research is primarily focused in the areas of adult learning, theory, and practice, specifically credit for prior learning and transformative learning. She has produced numerous articles, book chapters, conference presentations, grants and funded projects, and academic books. Her work has been disseminated nationally and internationally, and she has been recognized for her work with several teaching, innovation, and service awards.

Dr. Amy L. Benton is a Professor at the Orelan Beeson School of Education at Samford University. She received her Ph.D. in Research Methodology from Loyola University Chicago and has co-authored many professional and scholarly papers. Her research is primarily focused on teaching experiences and pathways in education. This agenda melds research and inquiry with experience working in educational sectors and utilizing her training in research methodologies. She has worked extensively with undergraduate and graduate students and consistently serves on Educational Leadership doctoral committees as a methodologist due to her background in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

Kandi Pomeroy is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studies at Texas State University.

Belonging at work is an important aspect of faculty values, motivation, and professional identity. The purpose of this study was to explore individual and institutional factors related to belonging and professional identity for university faculty. Two hundred and thirty-six faculty participated in the study through completing a survey with open and closed-ended questions. Data was analyzed using inductive and sentiment analyses. Six themes emerged from the faculty responses, and finding suggest belonging is associated with faculty rank and roles. Implications for policy and practice and suggestions for future research are offered.

belonging, professional identity formation, faculty values, workplace culture, faculty development, transformative learning

Dr. Luis Baeza earned his Adult Professional and Community Development doctoral degree at Texas State University. He currently works at The University of Texas at Austin as Senior Global Health and Insurance Program Coordinator at the Texas Global Department. He has worked in higher education for over ten years. luis.baeza14@gmail.com

Dr. Clarena Larrotta is a Full Professor at Texas State University. She designs qualitative and mix methods projects focusing on critical pedagogy as well as participatory and action research. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0121-8226

This narrative research reports the experiences of five Mexican migrant workers considering the lifelong learning framework. Storytelling gave the participants the opportunity to share their life stories and workplace learning experiences. They were recruited via referral and snowball sampling from a Texas border town where there is an established migrant worker community. The research question guiding this study included: What can be learned from the workplace experiences of a group of Mexican male migrant workers? Data were collected through a series of conversational interviews and field notes. Through narrative analysis procedures, four major themes were identified: (1) resiliency and work ethics, (2) on the job learning, (3) struggles of migrant work, and (4) achievements and life satisfaction. The labour of migrant workers is vital to the growth of the U.S. economy and the stability of different workplace areas such as construction, agriculture, and factories. Migrant workers are extremely resilient and sacrifice a lifetime of work away from their families. They are a great example of what it means to be a self-directed learner. Their narratives illustrate the need for engaging in lifelong learning to keep up to date in the workplace.

Migrant workers, Mexican migrant workers, workplace learning, lifelong learning

Jan Magree, M.Ed. is a member of the adjunct faculty at DePaul University in Chicago where she has designed and taught undergraduate business-related courses. She holds an M.A. in Adult Education from the University of Illinois and is currently a doctoral student in Value-Creating Education for Global Citizenship at DePaul University. Her research is focusing on incorporating the philosophy of value-creating education into adult learning. She has worked in the corporate learning and development industry for over 15 years, and has experience in the design, development, and implementation of curriculum for adult learners.

This conceptual study of the proposed intersection of transformative learning and human education entails a comparative analysis of certain convergences and divergences between Daisaku Ikeda’s philosophy of human education and the transformative learning theories of Jack Mezirow, and the findings applied to the field of adult learning. It is argued that a combined application of these philosophies provides a more robust learning experience for adults. Specifically, this concept incorporates Mezirow’s idea that adult learners view learning as an autonomous activity for the benefit of the learner and Ikeda’s notion of education expanding adult learning from a self-directed, introspective process to one that is dialogic and will create a network of mutuality within society.

human education, Ikeda, Mezirow, transformative learning

Dr. A. Patricia Aguilera-Hermida is a professor at the Behavioral Sciences and Education School at Penn State Harrisburg. She has a master's degree in Family Therapy and a doctorate in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education. Her research focuses on intergenerational studies, education for older adults, and use and acceptance of technology.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, many higher education institutions are using technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) to support students’ learning process. Therefore, accuracy and efficiency are expected. The purpose of this paper is to create awareness about the importance of accuracy for artificial intelligence chatbots, especially those that can be used in educational settings. Informed by the post phenomenology methodology, this study analyzes the experience of the author with a chatbot called ChatGPT. Results of this study showed that ChatGPT offered false information that sounded convincing. Furthermore, the chatbot included in-text citations from references that did not exist but were fabricated by the software. It is imperative to raise awareness about the importance of accuracy for AI chatbots. The discussion presents some risks of using AI chatbots and some suggestions for preventing them.

ChatGPT, artificial intelligence, AI chatbots, artificial intelligence risks, research misconduct, AI regulations

Mohammad Sharafi is an English language teacher with around 15 years of experience. He completed a master's in English language teaching in 2022. His areas of research and interest centers around ELT, writing, second language motivation, and applied linguistics.

Mohammad Ali Ayatollahi is an assistant professor at Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Islamic Azad University in Sepidan, Iran. His main areas of research are applied linguistics, self-regulated learning, assessment, and feedback.

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of providing unlimited time and access to dictionaries on the writing performance of 50 intermediate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners at a private language institute. Proficiency tests were administered as pre-tests to ensure the homogeneity of learners in terms of proficiency levels. Subsequently, a writing test was conducted in the first session of the academic semester for both control and experimental groups. The writing test allowed intermediate learners one hour to compose on a given topic, with a scoring method deducting half a mark for each grammatical error, focusing on writing accuracy. Following the pre-test, the experimental group had unlimited time and access to dictionaries for their writing activities throughout the academic semester, while the control group adhered to conventional instructional methods without these privileges. At the end of the semester, the same writing test was administered as a post-test. The collected data from pre and post-tests were analyzed, revealing that unlimited time and access to dictionaries significantly influenced EFL learners' writing performance. A notable difference was observed between the control and experimental groups concerning their writing performances.

time constraints, EFL learners, writing performance, dictionaries, language proficiency

Dr. Vincent Wiggins, Ed.D. (DePaul University) is the Director of the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence at Southern California University of Health Sciences. Previously, he was the Dean of Career and Continuing Education Programs at Harry S. Truman College in Chicago. His research focuses on students’ academic success in higher education by using instructional technology and self-directed learning. Dr. Wiggins holds certifications in Adult Education, Professional Leadership Training, IT Project Management, Quality Matters Peer Reviewer, and Six Sigma.  As a Master Online Teacher (MOT) and Certified Online Learning Administrator (COLA), Dr. Wiggins’ commitment to education includes researching multiple delivery modes for learning that include hybrid and online learning. He has presented extensively on pedagogy, andragogy, and technology at professional conferences, including the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE), the International Society for Self-Directed Learning, and The Mentoring Institute at the University of New Mexico – Albuquerque.

The purpose of this reflection is to share my journey in higher education, specifically to look at my attempt to be part of leadership in higher education and the need for change to increase the diversity in leadership in higher education.  The journey has been challenging, yet important to me to accomplish to support the next generation of leaders and the opportunity for everyone to achieve their personal academic goals.  The success in the journey would not have been possible without the opportunity for me to receive valuable mentorship that provided the knowledge, skills, insight, and understanding in navigating a system that can be exclusionary for people of color.  In sharing this journey, I focus on the importance of inclusive mentoring and the inclusive mentoring literature as a way I found myself navigating the system to support our students.   I have included some inspirational quotes given to me from my mentors that have motivated me to continue my journey.  I hope in sharing my journey identifies the critical need to have a more intentional support system for leadership in higher education; a support for leadership and leadership development that is truly inclusive of everyone who looks like our students in community colleges.

Ronald Duncan is a publisher and educator with experience in digital print production and graphic design. He holds a B.S. from DePaul University in Theatre, Arts, and Writing and a M.A. in Publishing, Writing, and Literature from Emerson College. He enjoys road trips, video games, and academic pursuits related to social justice. ronaldiduncan.my-portfolio.com

This article covers points of interest that reflect the stagnant disproportion of student debt throughout minority participation in higher education. It outlines decades of accrued financial carelessness, lack of accountability from all congressional action, and predatorial practices from financial college loan operators. This perspective invites a call to action whereby the crippling effects of student debt have punished the good faith of those who believe in the structure and promise of upward mobility in higher education.