Adult Students' Learning and Experiences in a Nonformal Setting: World Languages, Literacies, and Cultures
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
First Statement of Responsibility
Khasilova, Dilnoza F.
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Brock, Cynthia
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
University of Wyoming
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2020
GENERAL NOTES
Text of Note
231 p.
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
Ph.D.
Body granting the degree
University of Wyoming
Text preceding or following the note
2020
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
The purpose of this dissertation was to examine a group of adult students' learning world languages, literacies, and cultures and their experiences in the World Language and Culture Program (WLCP) at a large western land-grant university in the United States during the spring of 2019. I (the author and primary investigator) am the developer and coordinator of the WLCP. The WLCP is a nonformal language learning program where adult students are engaged in a world language and culture learning experience. At the WLCP, the learners are enrolled in a variety of world language and culture classes (e.g., French, Hebrew, Spanish, and Tajik). Drawing from Simons (2009), I framed my research as a qualitative descriptive case study. I selected seven participants for this study. Data sources included interviews, observations, field notes, and artifacts. The findings for this study showed that the seven participants learned functional literacy practices: reading, speaking, and writing. The participants learned these functional literacy practices through the integration of different task domains within contextualized situations. The participants also learned aspects of cultural practices (e.g., religion, traditions, and geography). As a result, the seven cases demonstrated that the adult students learned functional literacy practices and aspects of cultural practices in an interconnected way in the WLCP. With respect to the participants' experiences, the seven participants experienced emotional engagement (e.g., positive and negative emotions), personal engagement (e.g., self-reflection and self-study), and engagement in relationship building (e.g., student-student and student-teacher relationships). In conclusion, the learners in this study had positive learning experiences. Thus, nonformal learning settings, such as the setting described in this study, can positively impact adult students' learning.