Adult Student Teacher Relationships: Impact on Learning and the University Experience

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Adult Student / Teacher Relationships Impact
on Learning and the University Experience

• Marsha Rossiter
• University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

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Assumptions

• Teaching and learning are relational activities.
• Educational helping relationships are important
  to adult undergrad experience.
• Helping relationships are implicated in
  transformational learning.

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Study 1

• Adult Student/Teacher Relationships Impact on
  Learning
• Funded by
• National Center on Adult Learning

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Purpose

• To explore the elements of adult student/teacher
  relationships that contribute to learning, as
  experienced by adult undergraduate students

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Methods

• Phenomenological approach, guided by procedures
  developed by Giorgi, 1985 Becker, 1992
  vanManen, 1990
• Description of educational experience written by
  each participant
• First level of analysis performed by small groups
  of participants
• Interviews conducted with individual participants
  
• Individual participant profiles prepared
• General level analysis performed

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Findings Five Relational Modes

• 1. Teacher as HELPER
• Tutor, counselor
• 2. Teacher as ROLE MODEL
• Positive student as active chooses teacher
  behaviors to emulate
• Teacher as CONSULTANT
• Working relationship
• Practical, outcome-oriented

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Five Relational Modes

• 4. Teacher as FRIEND
• Characterized by equality and reciprocity
• Out-of-class shared interests
• Special communication in class
• 5. Teacher as MATCHMAKER
• Teacher as connecting link between learner and
  content
• (Assumes teacher has strong relationship with
  content)

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Adult Relational Platform

• Adult status of student is a factor in the adult
  learner/teacher relationship.
• Interactions with teachers based on and
  understood in terms of the rules that govern
  other adult-to-adult relationships.

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Adult Relational PlatformIndicators

• Cohort Experiences Students experience a
  connection with a professor that is specifically
  related to being the the same age cohort group or
  having experienced similar life events.
• We both grew up on the east side of Milwaukee
  in the 60s, and we knew some of the same
  places.
• She has a son the same age as one of my
  daughters, so weve shared what its like to have
  a squirrelly teenager in the house.

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Adult Relational PlatformIndicators

• Empathy/Reciprocity Students expressed a feeling
  of mature relational responsibility toward the
  teacher. They were able to put themselves in the
  teachers place.
• She would ask questions and nobody would say
  anything. Everybody would just sit there. I felt
  terrible. . . I thought, well, Im the oldest
  so I would say something. But if I were that
  professor, I would have knocked heads together.

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Adult Relational PlatformIndicators

• Expectation of Reciprocity In accord with the
  adult-to-adult basis for relationship, students
  expressed an expectation of response and
  reciprocity in their interactions with teachers.
• He always said, If you have trouble with your
  homework, you can call me at home. And I did
  that, but then you go into class the next time
  and he never said anything about it. . . . I just
  expected that if Im going to take a chance and
  call you at home, you might at least just
  acknowledge that.

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Elements of Adult Learner / Teacher Relationship

• Student Initiative Adult learners exercise
  initiative and choice in developing relationships
  with teachers. Getting to know teachers is often
  a planful strategy aimed at maximizing learning
  and high grades.
• I make it a point to know my professors. . .
  Every professor knows me and know my name and
  that Im a serious student.
• Some students feel that a relationship with a
  teacher enhances learning because a teacher who
  knows them is more able to make the material and
  activities relevant to their lives.

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Elements of Adult Learner / Teacher Relationship

• Authenticity The professors ability to use and
  value real world knowledge was seen by students
  as an indicator of authenticity. Relating content
  to nonacademic contexts fostered understanding of
  material and made the professor more credible.
• Sometimes you can have professors you could
  swear are just reiterating what theyve read
  rather than what theyve lived or experienced. .
  . When I got to know more about him and his
  life, I guess
• I just had a deeper respect for his knowledge.

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Elements of Adult Learner / Teacher Relationship

• Challenge Students felt that teachers can be too
  easy. Being challenged to question their habits
  of thinking was mentioned by most participants as
  important to a helpful teacher/learner
  relationship.
• He was tough. He was hard. I loved how he made
  me work and think. . . He pushed the way a
  student needs to be pushed in a really
  productive, internal kind of way. I loved it.

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Study 2

• Educational Helping Relationship and Possible
  Selves
• Funded by Kellog Foundation Cyril O. Houle
  Scholars in Adult and Continuing Education program

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FrameworkPossible Selves (Markus Nurius,
1986)

• Future oriented self representations
• Positive ideal, hoped for or
• Negative feared, dreaded
• Constructivist orientation to the self as
  dynamic, culturally interactive

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Question

• How do educational helping relationships
  influence adult students sense of possibility?

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Methods

• Phase 1 - Possible selves / educational helpers
  questionnaire
• Phase 2 - Semi structured interview
• Narrative analysis Holistic form, holistic
  content analyses as described by Lieblich,
  Tuval-Mashiach, Zilber, 1998

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Possible Selves Categories

• Hoped for
• Career
• Financial
• Family
• Education
• Personal
• Soc Responsibility
• Lifestyle/Leisure

• Dreaded
• Career
• Financial
• Family
• Personal
• Physical/Health
• Education
• Relationships
• Failure
• Dependence

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Hoped-for Possible Selves Efficacy Levels
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Dreaded Possible Selves Efficacy Levels
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Phase 2 Interviews

• 18 respondents
• Selection criteria
• presence of well elaborated possible self
• indication of University personnel as influential
• indication of relevance of education

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Theme 1

• Educational relationships as a source of possible
  selves
• Interactions with teachers, advisors mentors
  function as an important point of origin for
  adult students positive possible selves.

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Theme 2

• Educational relationships as a context within
  which tentative possible selves can be more fully
  elaborated
• Advice, direction by teachers and mentors enable
  students to identify with a new possibility and
  to picture themselves in it.

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Theme 3

• Educational relationships as support to
  strengthen efficacy beliefs
• Relationships with teachers and mentors provide
  the scaffolding by which an adult student is able
  to advance toward the rolling horizon of the
  possible.

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Narrative Analysis of Learner Stories

• Participants were asked to tell how they came to
  have the particular educational / career goals
  they currently have.
• Interview data were transcribed verbatim.
• Interpretation of data was guided by the holistic
  form and holistic content approaches to narrative
  analysis.

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Learner Story Lines

• The Quest
• Typically first generation college student
• Degree seen as dream coming true
• Characterized by step-by-step, intermittent
  progress many interruptions
• Peer group does not have degree
• Veronica I just cant believe Ive gotten to
  this point.

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Learner Story Lines

• Catching Up
• Returning students
• Making good on something they started earlier
• Second chance at college degree
• Peer group have degrees
• Ann I started back to school because I had to.
  I mean I couldnt live within my own skin knowing
  that I had it and just walked away from it.

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Learner Story Lines

• Changing Direction
• Goal oriented
• Motivated to prepare for a career change
• Typically, have a degree and/or other credential
  
• Businesslike in their approach to school
• Carol I thought and planned how to make this
  career change. . . . I know what I want its
  just a matter of taking the steps to get there.

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Learner Story Lines

• Finding the Fit
• Enjoy going to school
• Have explored various majors
• Looking for the fit, the intersection of
  interests and employability
• Matt I guess Ive been going to college off and
  on since 1993 . . . Ive got all these credits
  piled up. . . Well, Im this close why dont I
  figure it out and graduate?