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This is to certify that the
dissertation entitled

CLAIMING AN EDUCATION: THE JOURNEY OF THREE
ADULT WOMEN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN A COMMUNITY
COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH COURSE

presented by

CAROL A. BROWN

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for the

 

 

 

 

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CLAIMING AN EDUCATION:
THE JOURNEY OF THREE ADULT WOMEN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN A
COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL ENGLISH COURSE
By

Carol A. Brown

A DISSERTATION
Submitted to
Michigan State University
Impartial fulfillment of the requirements
For the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Higher, Adult, Lifelong Education

2006

ABSTRACT
CLAIMING AN EDUCATION: THE JOURNEY OF THREE ADULT WOMEN
STUDENTS ENROLLED IN A COMMUNITY COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL
ENGLISH COURSE
By
Carol A. Brown
The purpose of this study was to understand better how three adult women

students enrolled in a developmental English class at a community college made sense of
their educational experience. All of the subjects can be classified as ‘hon-traditional”
students and included a women returning after thirty years to school and two that had
recently emigrated from the Middle East. The study examined the relationship of the
classroom educational environment and the academic achievement and self confidence of -
the women while enrolled in this course. Within the single site of the classroom, what
factors hindered or supported these women’s construction of their personal and academic
identities? Through formal and informal interviews and classroom observations, an
educational narrative for each wOman was developed. This study expanded the definition

of learning beyond the acquisition of specific knowledge and skills as it aligned the

cognitive and affective experiences of the adult women students within the classroom.

Cepyright by
CAROL A. BROWN
2006

PREFACE

“I learn on my own. . . this is the first step. . .I’m taking it one step at a time”
“That day I think maybe I join the university. . .I feel educated”

“I have to learn, I don’t care I will take one class a semester. . ..I have to finish”

In 1976, I began my community college career teaching innoductory American
History at Houston Community College. The first semester I taught at night in a high
school located in a Mexican American neighborhood. Most of my students were women
between the ages of 22-5 0. They had little or no support from their families or their
community for the decision to return to school. It was an amazing semester for the
students and me. These women would come early and stay late just to discuss the day’s
assignment. They did their homework in the bathroom of their homes or after their
families were asleep. In spite of their difficulties, few dropped out and many ended up
with grades of C or better. We had a wonderful time that semester, and I watched their
self-confidence grow as students. By the end of the semester you could see the difference
in how they defined themselves as students and women. I returned the second semester,
and several were back to take the second half of the course. Though I had lost a few,
those who stayed were even more determined to get an education and perhaps even go on
to the University of Houston.

Over the next twenty years my classes would be filled with women just like those
of the first semester. For the college, they were classified as “non-traditional students”

since they did not fit into the “typical” 18-21college cohort. Like my first set of students

iv

would watch these women grow as learners and gain self-confidence as individuals a they
successfully completed mycourse. Often at the beginning of class they would tell me that
they had not been in school for several years and therefore, would probably not do as
well as the younger students. Inevitably these adult women students would have the
highest grades in the course, and other students would rely upon them when they were
having problems understanding the subject matter. Each semester these women seemed to
find learning an empowering experience in which they could make connections between
the formal education of the classroom and their personal growth and development. This
dissertation is dedicated to them, and I thank them for allowing me to participate in this

process with them.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 1

CHAPTER 1

BACKGROUND .................................................................... 3
Significance of the Study ..................................................... 4
Statement of the Problem ...................................................... 5
Assumptions ..................................................................... 6

. Purpose of the Study ............................................................ 8

Design ............................................................................ 9
Description of the Study ..................................................... 11
Classroom Context ............................................................ 13

CHAPTER 2

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY ................. l7
Methodology .................................................................... 22
Design of Study ................................................................ 24
Data Collection ................................................................ 28
Interviews. ...................................................................... 29
Observation ..................................................................... 33
Role of the Researcher ........................................................ 36
Analysis ........................................................................ 40

CHAPTER 3

A DIFFERENT JOURNEY ...................................................... 46
Introduction .................................................................... 46
A Path To Self Discovery .................................................... 47
Background: Placing The Study .......................................... 47
Kate’s Journey ................................................................. 50
The Background .............................................................. 50
Taking The First Step ...................................................... 52
Classroom Dynamics: Instructor ........................................... 55
Classroom: Interacting with Others ........................................ 57
Finding A Place ............................................................... 59
Growing as a Learner: Defining Identity and Acquiring Agency . .. 61
Within The Classroom Environment ...................................... 67
Test Taking ................................................................... 69
Conclusion ................................................................... 71

CHAPTER 4

FINDING THEIR WAY ........................................................ 72
Introduction: Strangers in the Land ........................................ 72
Facing Unique Challenges .................................................. 74

Masa: A Path to Assimilation ................................................ 76

The Classroom Environment: Defining Position .......................... 77
A Different Path to Learning ................................................. 80
Support Systems for Success ................................................. 83
Defining Identity: Gaining Agency ......................................... 85
F ena: Difficult Steps along a Similar Path ................................. 86
Finding A Place Within the Classroom:

Building Support Systems ........................................... 89
Understanding the Classroom Culture ..................................... 92
Influencing the Learning Environment .................................... 94
Defining Self .................................................................. 97

CHAPTER 5
UNDERSTANDING THE EXPERIENCE ...................................... 99
Introduction ..................................................................... 99
Motivation and Determination .............................................. 100
Classroom as Support and Validation ..................................... 104
Adult Learners and Support Systems ....................................... 107
Multicultural Learners and the Classroom ................................ 109
Pedagogy and the Learning Environment ................................. 113
Integrating Academic Achievement and Self Confidence .............. 118
Understanding Their Journey ..................... 121
Implications of the Researcher .............................................. 122
Role of the Researcher ....................................................... 124
APPENDICES
APPENDD( A: Letters Affirming Study ...................................... 127
APPENDIX B: Consent Form ................................................... 131
APPENDD( C: Protocol Questions: Interview One Students .............. 134
APPENDD( D: Protocol Questions: Interview One Instructor .......... 135
APPENDD( E: Protocol Questions: Interview Two Students .............. 136
APPENDD( F: Protocol Questions: Interview Two Instructor ............. 137
APPENDD< G: Course Syllabus ................................................ 138
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................. , ............................ 1 44

vii

INTRODUCTION

Community colleges are one of the fastest growing institutions of post secondary
education. Increasing numbers of women are entering higher education through the
portals of community colleges and make up almost sixty per cent of the student
population (Phillippe, 2005). Given the easy accessibility they provide for women into
higher education, community colleges have been the major venue for them to achieve
formal education. What are the learning experiences of these adult women students
within the educational setting of community colleges? According to McCabe (2003),
community colleges support the fundamental American belief in the worth and potential
of the individual. Taylor and Marienau (1995) note that for adult women, education
represents a change and a shifi in how they live their lives in terms of who they have been
and who they may become. Adult women students are making a conscious effort to try
and take charge of their lives and have power over the direction of their future (LaPaglia,
1 995).

Do adult female students find “meaningful experiences” within the classroom
setting that allow them to grow and develop as learners and individuals? What type of
educational environment allows adult women students to claim their education by
believing they are empowered over their learning? Are there educational environments
that support these students and their learning experiences? Does this type of experience
change them as learners and individuals? These questions became the central focus for
developing a study designed to better understand how adult women students in '

community colleges define their educational experience as learners and individuals. Can

linkages be found between their classroom and learning experiences that support the self-

development of adult women students (Taylor, 1995)?

Chapter 1
Background

Flannery and Hays (2000) note that the research on adult learning has been
shaped by the universality of its theories and the assumption that these theories can be
used in all educational settings for all adult learners. The theories have not been
specifically tested against the experiences of adult women students in community
colleges. Similarly, feminist pedagogical research (Maher & Tetrault, 1994) has looked at
a “traditional female student” as the prototype for understanding and modeling positive
learning environments for women. These types of feminist pedagogical theories (Taylor
& Marenau, 1995; Gabriel & Smith, 1990; Maher & Tetrault, 1994) assume there is one
type of learning environment in which women can be successful. However, the impact of
race, class and other demographics has been absent in many of these women’s studies.
Researchers have not given consideration to the unique learning experiences of adult
female students (F lannery & Hayes, 2000).

This inquiry became a case study of three women enrolled in a developmental
English course for one semester at a community college. A developmental English course
was chosen for several reasons. One of the most important trends in community college
education has been the increasing number of first time students who are under-prepared
for college work (McCabe, 2000; Rouche & Rouche, 1999). With nearly one-half of all
community college students enrolled in developmental courses ( McCabe,2003),
developmental education has become an integral part of the community college mission.
Developmental education courses are seen as the most viable means to increase student

preparedness for mainstream courses (Perin, 2002). The goal of developmental courses is

to bring a student’s basic academic skills to a level which prepares them for college level
courses. These basic skill courses are an entry point to college that can hinder or support
student success in college. However, studies indicate retention rates of less than 50%
within these courses (McCabe 2000). Women students make up an important percentage
within this at-risk student population and exceed male enrollment in developmental
courses (McCabe, 2003). These courses provide adult women students with their primary
access to higher education (Goto, 1999). It is important to consider the types of classroom
environments for development courses that will be supportive of adult women students.
Significance of the Study

Research concerning students enrolled in developmental courses looks at the
context of classroom learning and not at the specific experiences of adult women
students. These studies (McGrath & Van Ruskirk, 1999) state that a positive educational
setting within developmental courses can engage students, transform them into active
participants and provide them with confidence in their ability to succeed. Goto (1999)
describes a developmental course as a contact zone between the student and the learning
experience. Student success is tied to the ability of students to control their own
educational path and negotiate any differences with the instructor. Accordingly, the
classroom can create a transformative culture that supports the academic achievement
and self confidence of students (McGrath & Van Ruskirk, 1999). This research was
concerned with a specific developmental classroom and the experiences of adult women
within it. The research holds significance for community colleges as they construct their

developmental courses. Given the increasing number of women enrolled in

developmental courses, but the low retention rates, it is important to understand what
types of educational environments support their learning experiences.
Statement of the Problem

The absence of research that looks at the adult woman student experience can
limit higher education’s ability to create supportive learning environments that are
engaging for them. Can the structure of the educational environment influence the level
of involvement of adult women learners in their own learning? The focus of this study
was to better understand how adult women students enrolled in a developmental English
class at a community college make sense of their educational experience. This study
examined the relationship of the classroom educational environment and the academic
achievement and self confidence of the women while enrolled in the course. The research
analyzed whether or not the educational environment of the classroom engaged and
transformed these students. The educational environment included the pedagogical
approach of the instructor, the way the course was structured, the composition of the
class, the interaction between the instructor and the students, the sequence of this course
within the developmental courses of the college and the relationship of these students to
the instructor and other students in the classroom. Within the single site of the classroom,
what factors hindered or supported these women’s construction of their identity as
learners?

The central research question for the study was, “Within a developmental English
classroom, how does the educational environment affect the experiences of adult women

students as learners and individuals?”

To examine the phenomena of these students’ experiences, the study was
concerned with understanding whether or not this specific experience was positive or
negative for the adult women students of the study. It looked for evidence of academic
achievement and self confidence by these students at the end of the semester. Was there
evidence that the educational experience engaged and mattered to the students? Whether
or not academic success and personal growth occurred was determined by the self-
analysis of each of the students. What was their perception of this specific experience?
Did they believe that a change occurred to them as learners and individuals?

Assumptions

The assumption of the study was learning can be empowering or disempowering
for women students. The study took into consideration learning is situated within larger
social realities (Tierney, 1993) that link learners to their own perceptions of themselves
and their worlds. Educational environments need to consider the experiences and context
in which adult women are coming to school (White, 2001). Shifting identities, social
practices and cultural representations (Fine, 1992) are part of the situational determinants
(Unger, 1989) around which development and learning occur. Situated learners bring
their identity and self-esteem into the learning experiences. This becomes particularly
important for adult women students who are often motivated to return to school because
of a personal, life-changing event (Anderson, Fine, Geissler & Landenson,l998). Their
learning experiences can transform perceptions of themselves and lead to new
construction of their identity (F lannery, 2000). Given that most curricula are generically
developed, course content has the ability to restrict or validate the educational horizons of

students (Shaw, Rhoads, & Valadez, 1999). Giroux (1983) notes pedagogy must be

attentive to the histories;, dreams and experiences students bring to school. When
learning environments are transformed to become personal and emancipatory (Harding,
1991; Minnch, 1990), adult female students can articulate their voice and develop
positive identities and sense of self (W eiler, 1988) so that they are empowered over their
learning experience.

The educational environment should support the development of a “valid”
student voice (Ortner, 1996). This voice occurs when learning becomes personal and
emancipatory (F reire, 1970). Through this experience, a new definition of self can occur
that allows women students to have greater agency over their lives. Coming to voice
(books, 1994) means a reposition of power and knowledge relations for women learners.
It allows those who were marginalized to move from silence to speech (books, 1994). A
fundamental change occurs in the way women learners view themselves and their social
setting.

The position and status of women learners within the classroom is determined by
how they define and are defined by others within these environments (Fine, 1992; Lather,
1991; Luke & Gore, 1992; Middleton, I993, Tisdell, 2000). This study expanded the
definition of learning beyond the acquisition of specific knowledge and skills as it
aligned the cognitive and affective experiences of the adult women students within the
classroom.

The learning experience can be transformative for adult women students.
Experience, history and individual social and cultural contexts impact the learning
experience (Merriam, 1993). Adult learners see their learning as more personally

significant and grounded in their own concerns and circumstances (Brookfield, 1987;

Cross, 1981; Knowles, 1975). Education can lead to change within the individual
(Cranton, 1994, I997; Dirkx, 1997; Meizrow, 1990). For adult women students, positive
educational environments can foster agency and support their development and change as
they reflect on their assumptions and beliefs and look inward to themselves (Dirkx, I997;
Grabove, 1997).
Purpose of the Study

What are the connections between formal education and personal growth and
development? Is learning a personal and educational experience that connects the
personal and educational lives of adult women students (Meinow, 1997)? Feminist
pedagogy points to creating learner-centered environments where the classroombecomes
a place to make meaning of the learning experience (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger &
Tarule, 1986; Maher & Tetrault, 1994). The climate of the learning experience will help
determine the level of involvement of women learners in their own learning. While
focusing on women and their learning experiences, these pedagogies speak to creating
environments in which all students are agents in the learning experiences and
constructing knowledge in relationship to their identities and sense of themselves.
Through the learning process there can be a cognitive and afl‘ective restructuring of their ‘
world, as they know it. However, I was interested in the confluence of factors within a
classroom setting that affect the learning experiences of adult women students as learners
and women. Situated within a classroom environment not specifically focused on adult
women students, how did they experience learning? What would determine their success

and would it be different fiorn other students in the same class?

Gilligan (1982) notes that the interpersonal process of learning can be
transformed into an intra-personal experience for women students. Accordingly, for adult
women students, as learners and individuals, a successful learning experience could be
defined as a transformative experience. They not only improve their academic abilities
but also achieve new levels of self-worth as individuals. Enhanced self-esteem, a clear
sense of identity and finding their voice are directly related to their learning experience
(Hays & F lannery, 2000).

The purpose of the study was to understand what effect the educational
experiences of adult women students enrolled in a community college course had on their
academic achievement and self confidence. While the study began with a stated research
question, it did not have a stated hypothesis concerning what were the most influential
learning environments for adult women students. The study was exploratory, intending to
have the hypothesis come from the research. Through the process of discovery and
analysis, the research could have led to a theory.

Design

The study was designed to explore and study the experiences of adult women
students within one course for one semester. The classroom was the primary site for the
research situating these students and focusing on their learning experiences. Through
interviews with the students, observation of the classroom, interviews with the instructor
and examination of classroom artifacts, I examined, experienced and inquired about the
learning experiences of adult women students enrolled in this course. Through these
inquiry methods, I attempted to understand how an educational environment could

marginalize or empower adult women students. The text of the study was shaped by the

interactions of the adult women students with their learning experiences. It focused on
their experiences in the classroom and how its educational culture affected them as
students and individuals. Through the narrative provided by the students, I looked for
themes and patterns in the discussion that could validate whether or not the informal and
formal attributes of the classroom marginalized or empowered these students as learners
and individuals. These were students who enrolled in the course to enhance their skills
and prepare themselves for college level courses. They came to “learn” in the traditional
sense: the imparting of a set of skills and knowledge that would make them proficient in
English grammar and paragraph writing. What happened to them over the course of the
semester? Were there situational factors within the classroom setting that made a
difference for the students? Did they leave the course not only proficient in writing a
paragraph but also with a validation of self? Was there greater self-confidence in who
they were and what they could accomplish?

The study was informed by several theories that included; feminist development
, (Gilligan, 1988,1982; Harding, 1991; Taylor & Marienau, 1995; Unger, 1989), feminist
pedagogy (Anderson, Fine, Geissler & Ladenson, 1998; Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, &
Tarule, 1986; Hayes, Brooks, Tisdell & Hugo, 2000; Kenway & Morda,1992; Maher &
Tetrault, 1994) and adult learning (Cranton, 1994; Daloz, 2000; Keghan,1994; Knowles,
1986; Mezirow, 2000; Tennant & Pogson, 1995).They provided a set of theoretical and
philosophical perspectives for research that was directed at understanding the educational
and learning experiences of adult women. However, while each theory informed the
study around specific components of the research, there was not a single theory that

adequately served as the basis for the study. I sought to understand the “meaning” of the

10

experience of these women in this classroom setting. The study tested the universality of
these theories against the experience of the students. Did their experiences affirm current
theories concerning feminist pedagogy, feminist development and adult learning? While
the theories guided the study, the themes of the research emerged fi'om the experiences of
these students.
Description of the Study

The purpose of the study was to understand the educational experiences of adult
women students enrolled in a community college developmental course. The study was
limited to a single comprehensive community college located in the suburbs of a
metropolitan area in the Midwest. The college was chosen because it was a single campus
and had a well-defined developmental education program. Given its service area, it was
hoped that a cross-section of adult women students would participate in the study. I had
the support of the Vice President of Instruction and the Chair of the English department
of the college. The course chosen was the second course in the developmental English
sequence and offered during the spring semester. As the catalogue description indicated,
it was designed to prepare students for composition courses. Placement in this course
depended on either a satisfactory placement test score, passing of the first developmental
English class or English for Second Language students. The instructor had taught this
sequence of courses for several years at the college.

The instructor was very receptive to the study and throughout the semester was
very supportive of the project. While the course met twice a week, I observed the class on
a weekly basis throughout the semester. The study was originally designed to interview

five adult women students twice in the sixteen-week course. It was hoped that a limited

ll

number of students to interview allowed me the opportunity for in-depth interviews and
follow-up analysis. However, the composition of the class saw fewer adult women
students, and a number of them indicated that they did not want to participate in the
study. From my conversation with the instructor and the Director of the Women’s Center,
we concluded the reluctance to join the study came from the concerns of the time
commitment. Most students were working and going to school and, therefore, felt they
would be unable to participate. As a result, the sample for the study became three adult
women students who were interviewed at the beginning and the end of the semester. The
interviews were semi-structured for one hour with open-ended questions that allowed
them to describe themselves, their educational goals and objectives and their experiences
in the course. Their interests and focus often shaped the interviews. The instructor also
participated in the study and agreed to be interviewed. Again, the interviews were semi-
structured and allowed the instructor to discuss her background, goals for the course,
teaching methodologies and observations of the students.

The central phenomenon situated these students within their classroom experience
and focused on their perceptions of the learning experience over the course of the
semester. This study focused on the three women as they were located within this specific
class. While the class was the site of the research, it was the narrative of the students that
shaped the study. The women’s “stories” flamed the direction of the study. The
interaction with the students was both formal and informal. The structm'ed conversations
occurred in the interviews. However, over time there were a series of informal
conversations with the students before and after class. The informal discussions with the

students often provided a sense of what they were experiencing at a particular time in the

12

class. It also helped to create a less formal relationship between myself as the researcher
and the students. One student and I often discussed the parallels between our lives. We
were both older when we returned to school, had jobs and felt that our husbands were
very supportive of our education. From both types of interactions, formal and informal, it
became clear each student brought to class different life experiences, their own socio-
cultural positions and ways of defining themselves.

All of the subjects could be classified as “non-tradition ” students since they
were women students over the age of 25. Their backgrounds were quite different from
each other. One student decided to return to school after thirty years and raising her
children. She had a terrible experience in high school but had spent most of her adult life
educating herself. One recently emigrated from the Middle East and had teenage children.
She already had a two-year degree from her native country. The third was a wife with a
young child. Her family had decided to immigrate to the United States fiom the Middle
East and become citizens. Her decision to go to school was based on a desire to interact
with people and not sit home all day. In spite of the differences in their backgrounds, the
standpoint for each woman was how they viewed what happened to them over the course
of the semester.

Classroom Context

By observing the class each week, I had a context for their experiences. The
composition of the class included twenty-eight students who were equally divided
between male and female students. Almost half were out of district students who chose to
attend this particular college. This designation meant they chose not to go to their local

community college and had to pay higher fee rates than in-district students. Placement in

13

the class was based upon three criteria; the score of the placement exam, passing the first
developmental English course, or passing the course for non-English speaking students.
As the instructor noted, the composition of the class was unusual for a developmental
course. The majority of the students appeared to be younger than 24 and had only
attended this institution. From casual conversations, it was clear that most students were
working and attending school. There were five African American students and five non-
native students. The instructor indicated that she had rarely seen so many Afi'ican
American students in one class.

Classes often develop their own personalities and this was particularly true for
this one. The instructor described the class as “energetic, like a sock hop, you never know
who will go dancing in the middle of the center of the stage.” The students appeared to
have good interactions between themselves and the instructor. The instructor saw the
class as “joyful. . .they seemed to enjoy themselves. . .they did not bring their crabby faces
often.” The students remained responsive and involved in class activities throughout the
semester.

Having established a “picture” of the class the next step was to see how and
where these three women students “fit” into it. The study focused on the experiences of
these three women and the objective was to profile and analyze their stories within the
context of the classroom. From their stories and experiences within the classroom would
emerge the themes of my study. As the observer, it was important to see how they
positioned themselves within the classroom. Was there interaction with other students
and the instructor? Did they participate in class discussion and complete the required

assignments? What was their motivation for enrolling in the course?

14

In the first several classes, all three seemed to struggle at times to understand the
class and homework assignments. As one noted, “If only I can get over the homework
hump.” She often completed more than what was assigned for homework. One had
difficulty in understanding the assignments. Several times she completed the wrong
assignment. From the beginning of the course, she often asked questions to the instructor
and her fellow students. The third struggled with note taking. She often sat quietly
through the entire class period. By the end of the semester, the women believed that they
were different as students and individuals. Observing them from the beginning of the
semester, they behaved differently by the end of the semester. One student had clearly
become a leader among the students. Students often came to her before and after class for
help. She received calls at home to discuss homework assignments. Another was actively
involved in class discussions. The third student expressed a new confidence in herself as
a student.

Had the students found the semester to be meaningful for them? From their own
words, and my observations of them, all three subjects believed that the course had been
a positive experience for them. Each expressed that the course made a difference for
them. Kate felt “it has been an excellent experience. . .I have more confidence .. .my skill
in writing improved.. . I think about school all the time)” Masa indicated “1 like to
know. . .school taught me a lot. . .I feel better.” F ena behaved “I learned a lot of things in
this semester.” All of them decided to continue taking courses the following fall
semester. This included the next level of English composition. When asked what made
the experience positive, they cited their confidence in their abilities to be successful

students. One decided she wanted to be a teacher and another was thinking about the

15

medical field. From this experience, they gained validation of their abilities as learners
and confidence in themselves. Their perceptions of themselves as learners and individuals
were tied to a definition of self and identity. Within this classroom, the learning
experience came to mean more than the imparting of knowledge. These women gained

agency and voice over their learning experience.

16

Chapter 2

Conceptual Framework and Methodology

The purpose of the study was to understand the affect of the learning environment
of the classroom on the development of adult women students as learners and individuals.
Specifically, I was interested in understanding the experience of three adult women as
they enrolled and completed a developmental English course at a suburban community
college in the Midwest.

The focus of the study was on the students and not on the instructor , the
pedagogy or the classroom. However, these factors became important to how the students
in my study defined the experience they had over the course of the semester. It was
important to pay attention to their understanding of the educational and personal
experiences they had during this time period. The research centered on understanding
what types of educational environments help adult women students to have successful
learning experiences. The study took a non-traditional view of the academic experience
by focusing on the women’s perception of whether or not they believed there was
evidence of their growth and development as learners and individuals. The measures of
success were determined by their ability to successfully master the course content and the
changes they saw in themselves as individuals.

As the researcher, I established the parameters of the study and its conceptual
framework. I have spent most of my educational career in community college classrooms
as an instructor of American History. During that time period, I have been blessed to
work with hundreds of adult women students who entered college with fears and worries

about their abilities to succeed. I listened to their stories as they started the semester

l7

worried they could successful complete the course. Often, I found them to be the best
students in the class. I struggled with my own abilities as an instructor trying to support
them while creating a learning environment that recognized the multiplicity of types of
learners in these classrooms. By the end of the semester many of the adult women
students succeeded as students and, fiom their conversations with me, it was apparent
they felt empowered as learners and individuals. Yet, I never knew if these were unique
experiences I saw or whether they represented themes that could be translated to other
classroom environments.

As I entered graduate school I focused my course work in areas that could lead to
a research project about adult women students. These courses enriched my own
tmderstanding of adult learners, feminist theory, cognitive development, and critical and
feminist pedagogy. There was never any doubt that my research would follow a path
toward the same question I struggled with as an instructor: can learning environments be
created that support the academic and personal growth of adult women students? How do
these students negotiate meaning making of their lives through an educational setting
(Bogden & Bilken, 2003)? The essay of Adrienne Rich (1979) Med my thoughts as she
urged women students to claim their education and take it as the rightful owner. Not
unlike the work of Baxter-Magolda (1992), my research would focus on listening to what
the students had to say and trying to understand their flames of reference for their
educational and personal experiences.

As I began to structure the conceptual framework for the study, it became evident
that my standpoint would be as a feminist researcher. Reinharz (1992) states that feminist

researchers do not consider feminism to be a method, but rather a perspective on an

18

existing method in a given field of inquiry or a perspective that can be used to develop an
innovative method. For me, the lives of adult women students are important and are
worth examining for the richness and diversity of their experience (books, 1989). For
adult women, education represents a major change and shift in how they live their lives,
who they have been and who they might become (Taylor & Marienu, 1995). They have
made conscious efforts to change their lives (LaPaglia, 1995). The dilemma as the
researcher would be to ensure that I provided appropriate representation to their
experience (Gordon, 1995). As I undertook the study it was important to reflect on why I
would do the study. Could I have a personal interest and still guide the research process
(Stacey, 1991)? As Stacey (1991) notes what is germane in feminist research is to
understand the issues as a female and a researcher.

The study allowed me access to these women’s lives as they negotiated issues of
agency, voice and identity in an educational setting. It was not just about the knowledge
they attained but how they were shaped, as individuals, by this particular experience.
Given the complexity of their lives, were there learning environments that Could support
and acknowledge their development (Taylor & Marienau, 1995)? Could these
environments help them to overcome internal and external barriers to their success? Was
claiming an education an opportunity for empowerment by these women?

Lather (1991) states that there is no neutral research or neutral education. In
establishing the parameters of the study I worked toward a level of research that
encouraged self reflection and deeper understanding of their situations by the students
(Lather, 1991). There was another level to the research that was important to me. As a

community college educator I am very aware of the depiction of community colleges

l9

within higher education. Society’s image of community colleges is a place for the
powerless, uneducated, non-traditional student, those who are on the margins of life
(LaPaglia, 1995). Shaw, Rhoads and Valadez (1999) believe the diverse students in
community colleges face an array of experiences and attitudes that distinguishes them
fiom traditional students and often places them at odds with the values of the institution. I
hoped the study would bring forth a different picture of community college education,
one that spoke to empowerment and supportive environments where students could
achieve personal and professional success (Landon & Turner, 1995).

Within the research matrix developed, I understood that, as the researcher, I
became part of the study. Gluck and Patai (1991) believe research has on-going
negotiations between the narrator, the text and the readers. These negotiations mitigate
the distance between the subject and the researcher as the researcher acknowledges her
place within the study. The context of the researcher and the subject shifts as the
researcher deals with issues of self, as a female and a researcher. According to Stacey
(1991), this creates an intimacy between the researcher and the subject. She continues
that women studying women is an interactive process in which the feminist researcher is
a collaborator in the research process. Her personal interest and skill guide the research
process. Feminist researchers are cognizant of their stance within the research, their
acknowledgement of lack of neutrality and their representation with the study (Stacey,
1991). I knew I would go into the study with a proactive stance that brought my own
experiences as a woman and an educator. However, this time I was situated as the

researcher and not the teacher.

20

The struggle for me would be in determining who controlled the text (Borland,
1991). As Borland (1991) notes, the dichotomy occurs in reconciling the desire to
empower women and their voices while acknowledging that it would be my voice
interpreting the experience. If the text no longer stood apart from the researcher, then the
shape of the text would change. As Behar (1996) states, the text becomes the researcher
as the researcher becomes part of the totality of the research experience. As the study
progressed, I found an intimacy grew between the students and me. It became about
women talking to other women. Again, I hoped that I was also a careful listener. The
semi- structured interviews were only part of the discourse I had with them. I found
myself before and after class talking about our lives and the issues all of us were facing
as students. They saw me as another student struggling to balance school, work and
family.

The choice of a female instructor brought another dynamic into the research. We
found many commonalties in our personal and professional experiences. We were both
first generation to attend college, our progression to community college education came
from other educational venues and we were committed to the role of community colleges.
We were more than two educators reflecting upon our experiences in the classroom. Our
conversations were often natural and reflective. The instructor remarked on several
occasions how much she liked having me in class. She commented that it made a positive
difference knowing a colleague was there. I found myself renewed as an educator as I
watched her interact with her students. I brought it back. into my own professional career,
citing examples of her teaching pedagogy to faculty and deans at my institution. I later
thought about how this affected my role as a researcher. Geertz (1988) writes of the webs

21

of significance to see or be seen as the researcher. Clearly, I had high visibility as a
researcher. My presence on a weekly basis in the classroom did make a difference in the
relationship I established with the students and the instructor.

Lather states that “research illustrates rather than provides a truth test” (Lather,
1991, pg.522). In some ways this study was a truth test for me. I believed there were
classroom environments with particular characteristics that could emancipate and support
adult women students as they constructed the future direction of their educational and
personal lives. The study allowed me to see if this was, in fact, true for three adult women
students.

Methodology

The purpose of the study was to understand the impact of a classroom setting on
the academic achievement and self confidence of adult women students. The focus was to
be on the adult women students and their experience. From their perspective, did they
believe their experience within the classroom had been successful for them? The
definition of success was not defined only by mastery of the course, but also by their self-
perceptions of growth and development over time. This study was concerned with three
women’s educational and personal experience in that course and how they saw
themselves as learners and individuals. It paid attention to the educational experience
from the personal perspective. What defined it as a meaningful experience? I was
interested in hearing the voice of the students. Voice was defined by having them tell me
how they defined their educational experience. Were they meeting the educational and
personal goals that were the reasons the women enrolled in the course? How would they

define whether or not it had been a meaningful experience? Did they feel transformed as

22

learners and individuals as a result of this educational experience? As Masa remarked, “It
has been an excellent experience. . .I have more confidence. . . my skill in writing has
improved. . .I think about school all the time.”

Light (1990) indicates that a study’s design is the single most important factor
determining whether or not your findings will be stellar. Given the research question, the
study was flamed through qualitative methodologies that sought to understand and
interpret the personal experiences of three adult women enrolled in a developmental
English course at a Midwest suburban community college. It was exploratory as the
emphasis was on the context of these students’ educational experiences. As Creswell
(1998) notes, I understood there could be variables that were unknown at the beginning
of the study. The only context was the classroom setting in which the participants were
placed. Not beginning with a single theory to be tested, the study was flamed by the
context of the students’ experiences in the classroom. The classroom became the locus of
phenomena and events that constituted the basis for the study (Schuhnan, 1988).

The methodology used to achieve this goal relied upon qualitative techniques that
included in-depth interviews, observations of the classroom, and examination of
classroom artifacts. It centered on description of places, people and conversations. Within
this section is a discussion of the plan of the study and the methodologies utilized during
the course of the study. Carefirl attention was given to my role of the researcher as a
participant observer, data analysis and synthesis, methods chosen and the limitations of
the study.

The general logic and theoretical perspective (Bogdan & Bilken, 2003) of the

study was to understand the lives of the students within the context of the classroom

23

setting. Following in the tradition of student studies such as the work of Baxter-Magolda
(1992), the focus of the study was to listen to what the students said and use their
experiences as the flames of reference for the research. Creswell (1998) defines it as the
“essence of the experience.” What are they experiencing, how are they interpreting their
experience and what is the structure of the world they live in? Given this focus and
direction, the study integrated elements of both phenomenology and case study.

Methodology should become the operational flamework in which the research is
placed (Leedy, 1997). Kreiger (1991) notes that people are differently situated in relation
to their environments and there are different possibilities for experiencing the world and
knowing themselves. Given that the focus of the study was on the lives of the participants
within the context of the classroom setting, it was important to understand the essence
and experiences flom their perspectives and the views they held throughout the semester
(Creswell, 1998). The research became three case studies of the experiences of the
participants in the classroom. The time and activity of this class, one semester, meeting
twice a week, bound the research of the participants’ experiences. Through a
phenomenological approach, I could understand the meaning of the events of these
participants in this particular situation. It was important to understand how and what
meaning they constructed around the events of the classroom for their lives
(Bogdan & Biklen, 2003).

Design of Study

The design of the study began with the decision to choose a community college as

a site for the research. Given their theoretical and ideological tenants, a community

college was a logical choice for a study of adult women in a developmental course.

24

Community colleges were founded as Open door institutions that provide access into
higher education for groups other wise denied this opportunity. They embrace their
ability to be comprehensive, inclusive, multifaceted organizations that define their role by
the abilities, needs and achievements of their students (Savage, 1989). Some argue
(McGrath and Spear, 1991) that as open access institutions, community colleges believe
that they can be the instruments for equity and mobility. Unlike other higher education
institutions, community colleges see their mandate as serving the needs of a
representative community. According to McCabe (2000), community colleges support
fire fundamental American belief in the worth and potential of the individual. Females
comprise almost 60% of the student populations of community colleges (Phillipe, 2005).
Given the large number of adult women enrolled in community colleges, I hoped the
identified site would provide participants for the study.

The college chosen was located in the suburbs of a major Midwestern city. It had
one major campus and several satellite locations. Over 12,000 students were enrolled as
part-time and firll—time students. In many ways it fit the profile of a typical community
college, providing transfer courses, occupational and professional programs and persOnal
enrichment. The college mission statement indicated, “College programs are designed to
help individuals realize and develop their potential.” The college was an active
participant in a recent national movement to become a learner centered college
(O’Banion 1997; Taggett & Barr, 1995). This movement has focused on moving
institutions fl'orn being teacher center to learner centered. Community colleges have
shifted their emphasis to putting the learner first. As fire catalogue for fire college stated,

“it (the college) provided the right choices and fire right styles of learning for students.”

25

Shaw, Rhoads and Valdez (1999) conclude that academic success for the diverse student
populations of community colleges hinges upon strong institutional commitment, .
leadership flom both faculty and administration, allocation of resources, and the
development and maintenance of programs and services that support students. Given the
profile of the institution, it appeared that this was a college committed to student success.

The Vice President of Academic Affairs was quite willing to have the college
participate in the study. He stated firat fire college’s developmental program focused on
having students become ready for college courses. Working wifir fire chair of fire English
department, he recommended an instructor who was recognized as one of the outstanding
faculty on campus. Her credentials included teaching both the honors and developmental
English courses. In addition, she served as the editor for a community college research
journal. After contacting the instructor, it was agreed that fire study would focus on a
developmental English course she would teach in fire spring semester. This was the
second course in the sequence of developmental English at the college.

A developmental English course was chosen for several reasons. Developmental
education is one of the most important trends in community college education (McCabe,
2000; Rouche & Rouche, 1999). Nearly one-half of all community college students are
enrolled in developmental education courses (McCabe, 2003). As Perin (2002) notes,
developmental education has become an integral part of the community college mission.
A large portion of entering community college students are asked to take assessment
exams that indicate whether or not they are ready to enroll in college-level courses. These
basic skill courses are an entry point to college firat can hinder or support student success

in college as they ready students who are defined as under prepared to master college

26

level work. Women students make up an important percentage within firis at-risk student
population and exceed male enrollment in developmental courses (McCabe, 2000). These
courses provide adult women students with their primary access to higher education
(Goto, 1999).

Most research has focused on the ways women learn and not on the challenges
and limitations that are placed on women students in developmental learning
environments (Key, 1988). Research concerning students enrolled in developmental
courses has been concerned with the context of classroom learning and has not looked at
the specific experiences of adult women students. Goto (1999) indicates that in
developmental courses, student success is closely tied to their ability to control their own
educational path. By capturing the experience of firese women students in firis course, the
study could lead to greater understanding of how a classroom environment can create a
transformative culture that supports the cognitive and affect development of adult women
students (McGrath & Van Ruskirk, 1999). The study could help educators in considering
how developmental educational courses impact students and their lives.

The course firat was observed focused on building writing skills. As its catalogue
description stated, it was designed to prepare students for traditional English composition
courses. Its major goals included mastering basic paragraph structure and ways for
students to improve their writing skills. Successfully completing firis course brought
students’ basic skills to a level that prepared them for college level courses. Success in
firis course could determine future student success in college.

The course was scheduled to meet twice a week for an hour and a halfduring the

spring semester of 2002. The composition of the class included students who took the

27

first course in fire developmental English sequence, students who completed the
appropriate English grammar for Second Language Students, and students who were
placed in the course through the college assessment process.

Data Collection

Three data collection strategies were used during the course of the study:
interviewing, observation and examination of classroom artifacts. At fire beginning of the
semester, the course selected included a total enrollment of twenty-eight students.
Selection criteria for the interviewing process included that the female students would not
be traditional college age of 18-24 and that this was the only higher education institution
they had attended. It was hoped that between 5-7 students would be interviewed. Several
factors mitigated the selection process. The class composition presented immediate
problems in acquiring an appropriate sample for the study. Among the twenty-eight
students enrolled, fourteen were female but only eight fit fire non-traditional student
profile. The eight adult female students included four Aflican American students and
three non-native students. The male students included a large number that were between
fire ages of 18-24, one Afl'ican American male and one non-native student.

On my first day of observation the instructor introduced me and had me explain
the background of the study. I explained that the study would focus on interviewing
several of the female students. I hoped to obtain information that would be helpful to
instructors in working with adult female students. There were several questions fl'orn the
class concerning why females and not males, and why I was focusing on a particular type
of student. The instructor suggested to the students that they talk to me about fire study

and indicate if they were interested in participating. By the second week fire instructor

28

and I discussed having me approach several of the women in the class. She met with
them as well to discuss participating in fire study. The Afi'ican American women
indicated that they were unwilling to participate in the study. It appeared I would have
difficulty finding participants. However, I then met one-on-one with four of fire women,
three non-native students and one white middle age student. They agreed to participate
and signed consent forms to be interviewed. The instructor also agreed to be interviewed
for the study. I felt it was important to have her perceptions of the students’ experiences
during the semester. Though I never revealed my conversations with the students to her,
her observations often paralleled those of the students.

Interviews

There were two sets of interviews wifir the students and the instructor. Though I
set up two interviews with her, one student found that she could not make the time and
never participated in the study. While fire sample was small, I believed correlating the
interviews to my classroom observations provided the appropriate data for the study. The
interviews with the students were held in a room within the Women’s Center on campus.
The Center staff was very accommodating, providing me with coffee and additional
information about the college and their perceptions of adult women students. The
interviews with the instructor took place in her office.

The interviews were semi-structured wifir a set of protocol questions that allowed
for some open-ended conversation intended to capture their own feelings and perceptions.
I found there was often a “free-flow” of conversation between the students and myself.
The same process was followed with the instructor. I often found that fire conversation

continued after the tape recorder was turned off. The first set of interviews began at the

29

fourth week of class. By this time, the students were somewhat acclimated to the course
but were still fresh in their perceptions of themselves as students in the course. One
student requested that I not use a tape recorder. She indicated it made her uncomfortable
even though she knew her answers were part of my research. I often had to go back after
the interview to my notes to make sure I captured all of the information she provided.
The second set of interviews occurred at the end of the semester so that I could capture
the women’s analysis of the experience at its completion. One of fire participants was
unable to attend but sent me her written responses to the questions. It is important to note
I had informal conversations with the participants before and after class. As the semester
progressed, these conversations occurred on a weekly basis. While the two formal
interviews provided a basis for the self-analysis as individuals and learners, the informal
conversations allowed me to “fill in” on a regular basis. It was often through these
conversations that I learned how they were feeling, what challenges they were facing and
if they were feeling positive about themselves and fire course.

The interviews were organized to allow me to establish a level of rapport with the
participants (Leedy, 1997). They were semi-structured so I could build upon their
answers and ask follow-up questions that helped clarify what they were saying. The
setting for the interviews helped to make them feel comfortable with the process. All
agreed that they were glad to be part of the study and looked forward to the results of fire
research. In bofir sets of interviews I was guided by the desire to capture the students’
self-perceptions of what was occurring to them as a result of being in fire course. Was
there evidence they had gained self esteem as learners and individuals through this

experience? The first set of interviews focused on who they were and why firey were

30

enrolled in the course. These questions asked them to provide information about
themselves. I asked them to discuss why they were in school and what their goals and
expectation were for the course. We discussed the learning environment and fireir
perceptions of the instructor and their classmates. The interview was guided by their
perceptions and analysis of what was occurring to them as a result of being in the course.

The questions for the first interview with the instructor were aligned to those of
the students. She also provided me with background information about herself that
included education and teaching experiences. I was interested in knowing why she
decided to teach at a community college. Her perspective was quite clear that this
decision was a conscious choice on her part. We spent time discussing the course itself,
and her expectations for the students. Not unlike fire students, I focused on her
perceptions of herself as an instructor and her role in supporting the learning needs of the
students.

The first set of interviews provided me with a platform for understanding the
students and the instructors. I certainly better understood fire motivation the students had
for being in the course and their expectations for firemselves. Their motivations varied
from “...this is the first stepmtaking it one step at a time...in my education” to “my
reason to come to school was to know people.” Anofirer stated, “That day (when she
enrolled in school) I think maybe I join the university, I feel educated.” One of the
primary goals of the instructor was to have her students become, “good student citizens-
professional citizens.” She believed her role was to “take their work seriously and have

respect for their ideas.”

31

The second set of interviews with the students occurred during the last week of
class. They were required to complete a standardized writing prompt that helped
determine whefirer or not they could move on to the English composition courses. As the
interview began, I firanked them for the opportunity to get to know them and told them
how much I appreciated the time I spent with them. I indicated that I wanted to talk about
their observations of this experience and how it impacted firem as students and
individuals. We talked about fireir relationship to fire other students, the instructor and
their firture educational plans.

The instructor and I met the week after classes were over. Like the students, fire
questions focused on having her reflect on fire semester. We discussed whether or not
she met her goals for herself and her students, and if she saw a difference in the students
by the end of the course. I asked her if fire experience of the class led to any changes for
her as an instructor.

The second sets of interviews were the other book end to the research project.
Through the voice of fire students and instructor, I came to see what impact the class had
for them. All three students felt it was a very positive for them as learners and
individuals. One tied it to gender by stating,” being a woman and getting older, I have
more confidence, more sense of identity, you know what you want and how to achieve
it.” She had already enrolled for courses in the fall semester. A second noted that her
primary education goal was to learn English and now she wanted to become a teacher. A
third felt she achieved her goal of being more confident as a learner. She wanted to

become a Medical Assistant

32

The instructor felt it was a tough semester for her. She had gotten ill and had
missed several days of class. The school had also been closed for a snow day. In spite of
these setbacks, her highlight was “. . .to see so many students do so well.” Her analogy for
the class was to see it as a “sock hop.” When I asked her why, she indicated firat the class
had a rhythm and motion that reminded her of it. We talked about the incremental
changes that could be seen in the students. She wanted them to leave fire course feeling
they were empowered to take charge of their educational careers. The instructor wanted
to create an environment that challenged and supported students in fireir learning
experience. From the comments of the participants, it appeared the teacher achieved this
goal. Each of fire three women students successfirlly completed the course. Each believed
that they grew as learners and individuals.

Observation

The second data collection strategy focused on direct observation of the
classroom environment. The class met twice a week for one and one half-hour; I attended
one classroom session each week for the sixteen weeks. There were two settings for the
classroom meeting; a regular classroom with tables and chairs and a computer writing lab
that was located next door to the classroom. The seating arrangements in fire classroom
included tables and chairs facing a blackboard and monitor for the instructor’s computer.
The students sat next to each other in four rows. For the first several weeks, female
students sat on one side of fire room and male students sat on the other side. Younger-
students often sat with their male and female counterparts. A few students shifted their
place in fire classroom as the semester progressed. However, most students did not

change their seating arrangement after the first week. Two of the three participants in the

33

study sat next to each other the entire semester. They were located in fire second row of
the classroom. The other moved her seat, but it was always to be near her fiiend. The
seating arrangements provided insights into certain classroom dynamics. Younger
students sitting together often talked about social events rafirer than classroom
assignments. Some pairs of students worked closely together on assignments both before
and after class. Some students arrived late and always sat in the back of the class.

The computer lab had a different configuration wifir the computers arranged in
three rows, with two rows facing each other. There was a large screen in the {tent of the
room that showed the work of the instructor. The class met, on the average, once every
other week in the computer lab. Certain assignments were to be done during that time
period. The dynamics within the computer lab were different fi'om what I observed in the
classroom. The younger students tended to finish their assignments quickly and talked to
their fi'iends. The participants worked much longer on their assignments and often
required the help of the instructor or other students.

The instructor clearly set the tone for both classroom environments. By the
second week she knew the names of all fire students. She began each class by saying
good morning and sometimes commenting on the hats or apparel that students wore. The
instructor’s comments were positive and not derogatory. She then discussed the
assignments for fire day. She clearly established fire parameters for each class meeting.
Her expectations were that students would support each other’s learning. As an example,
in her early comments in the computer lab, she told students to make sure that they knew

each other’s names and that fireir colleagues were in the same place on the assignment.

34

The classroom artifacts that were provided to me by the instructor supported my
observations. They included the college catalog, textbook, fire syllabus, handouts and
additional assignments given during the semester. On several occasions in their
interviews, fire participants made reference to assignments in the textbook or projects
firey had been assigned. The instructor also provided me with copies of fire student work
for fire first assignment of the semester. The students were asked to write a topic sentence
about firemselves and five firings firat were most important to them. This background
information gave me a context for understanding fire complexion of the class. From fire
individual narratives, I learned about their personal backgrounds, which helped to
understand the personality of the class. There were several papers that discussed why the
students came to college and their expectations as students. This was important in
understanding whether or not the participants in fire study were similar or different from
the other students. Were firey aligned in their expectations, goals and backgrounds?
While the majority of the class was younger than the participants, it appeared that there
were many similarities between the two groups.

Though the research was a case study of three adult women students, by
observing the participants in the natural setting of the classroom, I hoped that there would
be a context for understanding their school experiences during the semester. I was
seeking to enter their world and have some familiarity with it. As Creswell (1998) notes,
I was trying to comprehend the structure of the educational world they lived in while
taking this course. I looked for critical incidents in this environment firroughout the
semester firat might help to explain their interpretations of their experiences in the class.

Through firese observations I wanted to be able to convey dimensions of life within the

35

classroom. As I observed the dynamics of fire classroom, it was going to be important to
be able to convey what was going on, what the setting looked like and what people were
involved (Strauss & Cobin, 1998). It was important to document fire complex interactions
that might occur wifirin firis environment between student and instructor or student and
student (Marshall & Rosman, 1998).

Not unlike fire interviews, my classroom observations did not have predetermined
categories. I observed general patterns of behavior of the students and the participants in
the study. While I had the outline for class activities, I was not looking for any specific
actions but rather fire more broadly based dynamics of the interactions of the participants
to fellow students, the instructor and the classroom environment. It was important to
observe these interactions, not only to understand their perceptions of fireir experience
but also to have a picture of how fire class worked. How did fire instructor structure the
class, what types of pedagogues were being used and what similarities and differences
were there between the participants and other students in the class?

Role of the Researcher

My role in the classroom was a participant observer. According to Bogdan and
Biklen (2003), in this role the researcher spends “prolonged periods of time in the
subject’s natural environment. . . collecting data and simultaneously participating and
observing.” My goal was to observe and understand (Geertz, 1988). As noted by Marshall
and Rossman (1999), I wanted to be able to hear, see and experience the same reality firat
the participants were having. Would my observations be similar to those of the
participants? Would I observe nuances firat might not be captured in the interviews? Did

having an observer in the classroom change behaviors (Bodgan & Biklen, 2003) ?

36

On the first day I entered the class, fire instructor introduced me to the students.
She explained why I was there, what I hoped to accomplish and provided me with an
opportunity to talk about the research. There were several questions fiom students
concerning the study. For the younger students, there was interest in why I had chosen
adult women students and not younger students. Male students asked why I was studying
female students and not them. I had a second occasion to talk direcfiy to the class when
the instructor and I asked for volunteers for the study. The instructor later noted in her
second interview that she liked having me in the class as a colleague. She did not indicate
that it had changed any of her approaches to teaching the students. However, she
described it as having another professional in the room, a colleague that understood her
goals for the class.

I would arrive early, sit in the back of the classroom and try to be as unobtrusive
as possible. I sensed by the third classroom visit that the students seemed comfortable
having me there. In the hallway prior to class beginning, I found myself talking not only
to the study participants, but to other students as well. They would freely discuss their
lives fi'om where they were taking vacations to issues they were having at their job. When
not talking direcfiy to me, they did not shield their conversations from me. In firese direct
and indirect ways, I was better able to understand who these students were. On several
occasions, I spent that time with one of the study participants discussing our experiences
as students, wives and mothers. From firese discussions I gained as much insight into her
experience with the course as I did in the interviews. We grew to be quite comfortable

with each other. I looked forward to those discussions and saw myself not as a researcher

37

but a fellow student. These out of class times gave me important insights into the lives of
the participants and other students.

Did the class change because of my presence? Since I was there almost from the
first week, firere was no way to benchmark differences in the classroom environment. I
did not notice any shifts over time in the behavior of the students or fire instructor as a
result of my presence. Changes that did occur were more likely the result of other factors
such as the time of the semester; for example the behavior of the class changed just prior
to spring break. The students were much more focused on where they were going on
vacation than fire material being discussed in class. As the semester grew closer to the
end, many students seemed to focus on whether or not they were caught up on the class
assignments.

In class, the students talked rather freely with each other in front of me.
Occasionally they would glance over to see if I was writing in my notebook. During one
of the classroom discussions, the student sitting next to me asked if I had gotten what was
said. He indicated that he wanted to make sure I had written it in my notebook. Students
sitting next to me would talk about the class, ask if I was getting enough information and
sometimes volunteer if they were having difficulties with the assignments. One student
wanted to know if I enjoyed being in the class. I found over time that I was drawn into
the discussions of the students. There was one student who I began to worry about as he
often shared his late night and weekend activities with me and the class.

I had prior experiences in observing fire educational environments of classrooms.
As a department chair and dean, I had observed more than 200 full- time and part- time
faculty in the classroom. In making the decision to include observation as part of my

38

research, I wanted to be able to draw fi'om my prior experiences. From these experiences,
I learned firat to capture fire essence of firis learning environment, it was important to
develop notes that were descriptive and later reflective of class meetings (Creswell,
1998). I knew my attention had to be on the instructor, the students and the study
participants. I began each class by noting the topic for the day, the method of presentation
and fire assignments firat were given prior to class. I noted seating patterns of students,
pre and post class dialogue and who was in attendance that day. Was the topic of the day
clear to students? What was the method of presentation? Was the instructor able to draw
them into the learning experience? How were the study participants reacting to the
presentation and expectations? Were they asking questions, did the instructor call on
them and if it was a paired exercise, who was fireir partner? I tried to capture specific
dialogue of the instructor and the students.

As fire class progressed I noted my firoughts on what was occurring in fire
classroom. Did the instructor integrate fire students into the learning experience? Were
there key phrases from the instructor or the participants that indicated how comfortable
they were with the discussion? As an example, one pattern I noted in the teaching
methods of the instructor was her use of personal examples, such as learning to swim or
watching a soccer game, to help explain an assignment. I noted how often the study
participants asked questions or participated in class discussion. One study participant
actively pursued asking questions about fire material or the assignment. A second one
always asked someone else. The third rarely asked questions and sat passively throughout
the class meeting. I found I was much more comfortable as a participant observer firan as

an interviewer. In the classroom environment I cOuld see a broader picture of the students

39

and their experiences throughout the semester. Perhaps it was the snapshot over time of
whether or not there were differences firat could be noted in them as learners and
individuals.

Analysis

The methodologies were defined by classroom observations and semi-structured
interviews. As noted, fire parameters for research were expanded by the informal
conversations held with the study participants, fire instructors and other students of the
class. Data analysis involved looking for patterns from the interviews and classroom
observations. As I looked for those patterns, the classroom artifacts were helpful in
understanding the outcomes and direction that the instructor established for the course.

Patton (1987) states that analysis should bring order to the research. It allows the
researcher to attach meaning and significance and to develop coherent patterns. The focus
of this analysis was to look for categories and themes that supported the research
question. From fire interviews and observations, was there evidence that this had been a
positive experience for the study participants? Could I verify that, by the end of the
semester, the learning environment of this classroom had created a supportive setting for
the participants to grow and develop as learners and individuals?

The questions of the interviews were open ended to allow the participants the
opportunity to describe their experiences. I took each respondent through the same
sequence of questions using the same words (Patton, 1987). My goal was to have the
participants reveal themselves and allow me to see the world through their eyes. As
Patton (1987) notes, the purpose of the interview was to find out what was on their mind

and not to observe their behavior.

40

I wanted to create a systematic way to analyze the interviews. Given the small
sample of the study participants, 1 did not rely upon research software programs to codify
the interviews. After each interview I listened to the tape and transcribed it verbatim. I
found it important to listen several times, not only to capture fire words but fire inflections
of the participant. I then noted key issues that were discussed, how I thought the
participant approached questions and the direction firat the interview went. At several
points in the interview, I stopped fire tape and reviewed what was said. This allowed me
time to write key phrases and statements. At fire end of the transcription I reviewed my
notes.

Choosing to transcribe the interviews could be seen as arduous and time
consuming. However, I used it as a time for reflection and review. As I listened to the
tapes, I highlighted statements firat I found characterized the experience of the
participant. I was interested in changes in speech patterns as firey addressed the questions
being asked. I was unable to do this for the student who was not tape recorded. Through
this process I hoped to develop a methodology through which the participants could self
identify the experience of being in this class. Within their narrative, I looked for
indicators that told me their perceptions of themselves as learners and individuals. Were
there important statements that helped me to see how they characterized their classroom
experience? As I reviewed the tapes I came to realize that, though the study focused on
the classroom experience, their outside lives were also important to the study. The
interviews transcended into fireir life stories, the reasons they came to school, their goals
and expectations for themselves. The tapes provided a venue to understanding issues such

as low self-esteem, anxiety as a student or fireir opinions concerning education. For one

41

student, the negative experience of high school meant she waited 30 years to enter
college. Another saw school as a way to expand her horizons beyond being a mofirer and
a wife. Two of the participants started their schooling in other countries. Consideration of
codifying significant themes and meanings had to take in a much broader picture that
transcended the participants as just students in the classroom.

For fourteen weeks I sat in the class as a participant observer. Being there on a
regular basis helped me to gain acceptance fi'om fire students. While recording the events
of the classroom was important, I also noted my immediate reflections and analysis of
what was occurring. For example, not only would I state what a study participant said but
the inflection of the voice or body language firat I saw. One participant struggled through
a computer lab assignment. At the end of the class she told everyone, “I appreciate
everyone’s help” and waved the printed page. I noted the look of amazement on her face
as she continued, “The computer age is amazing.” I used words like animated, frustrated,
and passive as I observed the participants. This became very helpful when I later
analyzed the notes fi'om each class meeting.

In fire early sessions, I focused on the class as a whole, what was the topic of the
day, seating patterns, and interactions between students. Were their identified leaders
within the class who dominated discussions? Sitting in the back of the class, I sometimes
experienced difficulty hearing the one-on-one conversation between students. Once fire
study participants were identified, I tried to place them wifirin the context or environment
of the class. Were there on-going patterns of behavior for them as the semester
progressed? How closely could I correlate what was occurring in fire classroom to the

interviews and my outside discussion with the students? One participant indicated in her

42

first interview that she spent most of her life learning on her own. She saw this as a “fast
step” toward a formal education. From my observations in class I found she never missed
a class nor failed to have an assignment completed on time. A second participant stated
that she came to school to “get to know people.” Yet wifirin the classroom she rarely
participated in discussions and always sat with fire same fi'iend.

Observing the instructor was very helpful in understanding her teaching style and
outcomes for the class. As with the participants, I found recurring patterns of behavior
through firese observations. As I noted one day, the teacher had wonderful facial
expressions when explaining an assignment. She often injected humor into the
conversations and carefully watched for who was and was not participating. She regularly
used examples that might be relevant to fire students, such as the latest rock band or what
they would be doing over spring break. I reviewed my observation notes every two to
three weeks. At firat time I would draw to key themes fiom the notes. Though I kept
carefirl notes of each class meeting, this proved to be more of a challenge than
transcribing fire interview notes. In addition, I had my notes fiom the informal
conversations. The test was whether or not I could shape the information into a rich
portrayal of what occurred during the semester (Leedy, 1997).

My challenge was to decide what types of data were important. Primary was the
students’ self-identification of their experience during the semester. This came from the
interviews, my observations and fire informal conversations. My objective was to give
“voice” to their experience. From the observations and interviews, I tried to pull out key
phrases or statements I believed were reflective of their behavior and activity during the

semester. This included my notations fi'om fire classroom observations where they had

43

expressed a sense of fiustration, anxiety or feelings of success. Because the study focused
on affective development, it was important to include self-identification of their
experience, their perceptions of the learning experience and how they felt during fire
semester and once it was completed.

The second challenge related to the situational component of the study: the
classroom and the instructor. While this was not the focus of the research, it created the
context for the study. From fire classroom observations, I developed a separate set of
categories. I looked for patterns of teaching pedagogy, strategies and approaches by the
instructor and the general outcomes for the course. If the outcome for the course was to
prepare students to develop appropriate written skills, how was this translated into
educational strategies and teaching techniques? From fire instructor interviews, I learned
her goals for the students. Within the context of the classroom, was I finding tensions
between what she wanted them to accomplish and their ability to achieve those
outcomes? For example, as they received grades for fireir assignments, what impact did it
have on their self-esteem? One participant told me that the “best experience is getting
good grades and not flunking.”

I struggled with developing a single coding pattern for the research. I found that
the research was rich wifir droughts and phrases that described the participants’
experience fi'orn their perspective, fire instructor’s perspective and my own. What were
fire feelings and perceptions the participants had about themselves and firis experience?
Given the focus on the students’ experience, I wanted to be careful to create as broad a
template as possible. Ultimately, I chose to understand the experience in a holistic

fashion. The analysis was driven by what I heard and saw throughout the semester.

After much review I came to understand that the study was about fire women’s
perspective of firis experience. According to Patton (1987), qualitative research and
analysis depends upon the researcher providing rich descriptions of what has been
collected. My challenge again was to provide the descriptions that told the story of fireir
experience. It was clear that fireir own words were the basis for firis study. What emerged
was a part of their life stories, the experience they had in the course and how it affected

firem as learners and individuals.

45

Chapter 3
A Different Journey
Introduction

The purpose of fire study was to provide an authentic voice to three women’s
experiences during the course of one semester in their developmental English class. It
was important firat fire study give significance to fire feelings and reflections of their
individual experiences. Each woman was quite different in her background, educational
experience and age. Two were returning students and for one, this was the first college-
credit course she had taken. There was no commonality in their socio-economic
background. Two of the students had emigrated fiom Asia and the Middle East and the
firird had never left the state or the region where fire college was located. Interestingly,
fireir initial motivation for attending school was not degree oriented but one of
educational exploration. One had a successfirl business but felt it was time to expand her
educational horizons. She was coming back to school after almost thirty-five years and
with the memory of a very negative experience in high school. One wanted to expand her
experiences beyond taking care of her child and living in her community. The firird had a
degree fi'om another country and enrolled at the college at the suggestion of her friend.
The consistent theme for the three students was a desire to acquire an education. In
Claiming An Education (1979), Adrienne Rich delineates between receiving an education
and claiming one. According to Rich, to claim an education is to take it as a rightful
owner. Each of these women made a conscious choice to move forward in their

educational careers.

46

A Path To Self Discovery

According to Tierney (1993), learning is situated wifirin larger social realities that
link learners to their own perceptions of themselves and their worlds. In entering college
each of these students had a purpose and direction for their educational experience. While
these goals differed from student to student, the women understood taking firis course
was an important step in changing their lives. Each woman brought her own identity and
definition of self-esteem into the learning experience (F lannery, 2000). As their stories
unfolded, it was important to remember that their identities were multifaceted and being
reconstructed through this learning experience (Shaw, 1999). Like many other adult
women students, they were making a conscious effort to take charge of their lives and
have power over the direction of their future (LaPaglia, 1995). It was not an easy journey.
As Fine (1992) notes, shifting identities are part of the situational determinants around
which development and learning occur. Throughout fire semester, in different ways, they
struggled to make sense and meaning of the circumstances they found in this class.

Background: Placing The Study

The location of their story is primarin the classroom. Through personal
interviews, interviews with the instructor, and my observations of the classroom, their
story unfolded. While the focus of the study was not centered on the instructor, she could
not be divorced from the story. Francis had been an English instructor at the college for
ten years. She described her work as a “passion.” “I am a classroom teacher first, it is
very important to me to see people apply what they have learned.” While Francis had
taught an array of courses at the college, she felt that “developmental classes are some of

the most important ones we teach.” According to Roueche and Roueche (1999), the key

47

to successful educational experiences for developmental students is having an instructor
who understands firat her students may be under prepared for college level work but does
not view them as being incapable of moving forward in their academic development.

Theories concerning developmental education (McCabe, 2000, 2003; McGrafir &
Spear, 1987; Roueche & Roueche, 1999) emphasize focusing on the whole student to
encourage fireir academic and personal growth. Francis understood the complexity of the
issues facing developmental students. She commented that students in developmental
courses often were coming back to school or continuing their education under duress.
“For some reason they are not well prepared. . .their learning styles were never addressed.
It could be they had some bad experiences with not very sensitive teachers. . .but they are
finding they have to go to college for some reason.” Francis saw each student as an
individual, understanding who they were, setting goals for them, and working with them
to achieve firose goals. She created a balance between a supportive and nurturing
environment and bringing them to a higher level of proficiency in their writing skills. “ I
want them to feel more independent as learners; I want to influence them in many ways
to be good student citizens, to be professional, to take pride in their learning. I know firat
some of the reasons they are in a developmental class is because they have not succeeded
before. . .firey need to learn quickly to navigate in a professional environment. I have
enough arrogance to believe that I can answer their needs”

Francis structured fire course to create an environment that facilitated student
learning in a welcoming and positive environment. Francis’ academic goals were to have
her students learn “simple content and skills grammar, to be editors and writers.” Francis

created an atmosphere of trust, respect and community within the classroom. Given the

48

high level of trust, she was able to produce an accepting atmosphere that was integral to
how fire students developed as learners and individuals. Francis saw each student as an
individual, understood who they were, set goals and worked wifir them to achieve them in
a supportive and nurturing environment Her strategies balanced mastery of course
content with instilling confidence in the students. The syllabus for the course (Appendix
G) states it is a skills class that “takes a step-by-step approach to all writing tas .”

The classroom was a learner-centered environment and a place where students could
make meaning of the learning experience (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger & Tarule, 1986;
Maher & Tetreault, 1994). Their ability to achieve new levels of self worth as
individuals, develop enhanced self-esteem, have a clearer sense of identity and find their
voices were direcfiy related to their learning experiences ( Hays & Flannery, 2000).
Through shared trust, safety and enthusiasm for learning, it was an educational setting in
which students were engaged and active participants in the learning experience.

Francis created a welcoming and positive environment for the students. Given her
significant classroom experiences and teaching techniques, she was able to create an
environment firat facilitated student learning ( Roueche & Roueche,l999). Within firis
educational environment, Francis shaped a learning culture of academic and personal
support (McGrath & Van Ruskirk, 1999). Her academic goals and expectations for her
students were clear. “I want them to feel more independent as learners. I want to
influence them in many ways to be good student citizens, to be professional, to take pride
in their learning. .I want everyone to be able to communicate and be understood, the way
he/she wishes to be.” It was an environment that would give firese women the confidence

that they could succeed (McGrafir & Van Ruskirk, 1999).

49

Kate’s Journey
In the following two chapters, I group the students by backgrounds, goals and

experiences. By following this format, it provides the opportunity to see fire

similarities and differences in the experiences of the three women students. This

chapter focuses on Kate. As a “tradition ” non-traditional student, she seemed to test

the theories related to adult learning and development. The following chapter

concentrates on Fena and Masa. As non-native students, they faced unique cultural

and educational issues during the semester. In their stories, much of their experience

related to their ability to overcome traditional learning concerns related to their foreign

backgrounds and experiences. Working fi'om the concept of “other” (hooks, 1994),

through firis experience these students would have greater agency over their lives. It

created fundamental changes in fire way they viewed themselves and their world.

The Background
My introduction to Kate was on the first day I attended class. I arrived early and
sat in the back of the class to watch students enter and take their seats. I noticed an older,
white female student who sat in the second row. She turned to a fellow female student
and said, “This whole thing makes me nervous. I got my book binder for class, the
journal and an extra one for myself.” In so many ways that statement represented her
early days in the course. Kate worried about her educational abilities, would over
compensate by doing more than required, and fiequently questioned whether or not she
would succeed in fire course.
Kate was a 52-year-old woman who lived in this region of the state all of her life.

As she later explained in her first interview, Kate graduated from high school at eighteen

50

and fire next week married. She was married to fire same man since high school
graduation, had two adult sons and was self-employed. Kate’s journey during the
semester became one of self-discovery and liberation. I watched her grow from being
tentative about herself and her educational abilities to becoming confident and self-
assured.

In many ways, Kate seemed to fit the profile of a traditional adult female student,
lacking confidence in her ability to learn, uncertain about what to expect from-college
and believing that she did not have fire skills to be successful in college (Clark, 1993).
For adult women, education represents a major change and shift in how firey live their
lives, who they have been, and who they might become. The barriers to their success can
be external or internal (Taylor & Manenau, 1995). Kate was often concerned about how
she appeared to herself and others. In our first interview Kate told me that she did not
want me to record the interview. She expressed concern firat, “. . .her words not be heard
ten years fi'om now.”

Kegan (2000) tells us that every student comes with a learning past that creates a
disposition toward learning. Kate’s prior educational experiences had not been positive.
From her earliest experiences in elementary school, she expressed disdain for public
school education. Kate talked about her memory of the smell of school and how glad she
was that college did not have that odor. By the time Kate went to high school, she was
turned off by formal education. She hated high school and could not wait to graduate.
Each day her husband drove her to school on his motorcycle and had to convince her to
enter fire school building. Following a brofirer who was considered “bright,” Kate

described her experience as “sliding through.” She often wandered the halls, isolated

51

from most of fire school activities. Kate had instructors who made fun of her in class and
she felt firere was no one to talk to about her situation. The year she graduated, she
refused to have her picture in the yearbook. In telling me, “I did not want to be in it,” she
expressed her sense of disconnect to the educational experience. “I was really a miserable
child during firose years.” Thus, the concept of formal education Kate brought to this
learning environment was partially shaped by her earlier experiences in public schools. It
was an experience where Kate believed she had performed poorly and been passed on
just to get her through school. It brought her personal discomfort and dissatisfaction
(F erro, 1993). This perspective became extremely important once she enrolled in college.

In the intervening years after high school, Kate raised her family and became self-
educated. When I asked her about attending college, she explained that she loved
education and learning things, but Kate described it as,” I learn on my own.” Through her
local library, she read most of the classics including Pride and Prejudice and The Count
of Monte Crisco. “I read to learn and for pleasure. One day I will own my own library
and not have to return books in three weeks to the library.” Through her visits to the
library she taught herself to be a master gardener. This led her to starting her own
horticulture business. With help fi'om her sons, she stufi‘ed mailboxes with flyers and her
business grew to serving 12 clients. In our first interview Kate mentioned her concern
firat in the spring her business might affect her schoolwork.

Taking The First Steps

Kate exhibited many of fire characteristics of a self-directed adult learner

(Brookfield, 1985; Cross, 1981; Knowles, 1975, 1980; Merriam & Caffarella, 1999). As

Merriam and Cafi‘arella (1999) note, the context of adult life shapes what an adult needs

52

and wants to learn and to a lesser extent, when and where learning takes place. As Kate
entered college, it was important for fire instructor to consider Kate’s prior knowledge
and experiences (Merriam & Caffarella, 1999). Kate was used to planning and managing
her own learning (Cross, 1981). In her adult years, Kate became focused on her
professional and personal enrichment. In reaction to her high school experiences, Kate set
her own course to become educated.

Given all that Kate had accomplished, she had great fear and trepidation in
attending college. With her children grown, she decided it was time to go to school. The
college was out of her district, which meant paying out-of-district tuition fees. She chose
the college for its reputation. She saw the community college as convenient. Alfirough
she did not know what she wanted to do and had not declared a major, she decided to get
her ‘basics’ at the community college. If she was successful Kate thought she would
move on to a four-year college. “This is the first step to going to a four year school.” It
was interesting that Kate did not have a particular program or major in mind; rather the
goal was to be able to complete school.

Kate explained her reason for attending college was that she “. . . loved education
and learning things.” She mentioned that her sons were grown and firat it was the right
time for it. During her adult years, Kate moved herself along an independent path of
learning. Her journey after high school began fi'om a position of silence to one where she
learned the somces for knowledge (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger & Tarule, 1986). As
Women 19 Ways of Knowing (1986) notes, Kate was moving along a development

sequence in fire construction of knowledge. Her learning began as a personal journey and

53

Kate was ready for new challenges. She realized that the time was right for her to embark
on a new educational experience.

Her actual journey to college was a difficult one. She drove to the campus several
times but did not go in. Kate described it as “a first step, tried, got frightened, went home
and came back again.” When she finally entered one of the buildings, Kate firought it
“did not smell like a school but more like an office.” Her first step was to take continuing
education courses to make sure she could make it through the semester. They were
refi'esher courses in English and math. Kate saw it as “Going to school, complete the
exercises at home and show up the next time.” It was “taking it one step at a time.” That
first successful step was an important one for Kate. Merriam and Caffarella (1999) state
that the way a woman feels about herself, her self—esteem and self confidence are
significant elements in the decision to participate in a formal educational setting.

The next major educational event for Kate was to take the placement exam for
college credit courses. This assessment helps determine the college readiness of students
through a series of tests that are focused on reading, writing and mathematics. Kate
walked firrough fire student services building several times before she went in and took
the test. Once she was given the score and recommendation, she enrolled in the
developmental English course firat focused on building writing skills. Strrdents were
placed in the course if they did not meet a minimum score for English Composition 1.
This developmental English course was the one firat I observed. Kate’s instructor,
Francis, believed Kate was capable of taking English Composition 1. While Kate may
have had the skill set for the composition course, she had not scored high enough on fire

assessment to be placed in that course. According to Flannery (1993), fire affective

54

cannot be separated fi'om fire cognitive dimensions since emotions are involved in every
aspect of learning. Her fears about returning to school could have prevented Kate from
scoring high enough to be placed in English Composition 1. Kate was operating at an
affective level where she perceived herself incapable of being successful in that course.
Classroom Dynamics: Instructor

Given her background and experiences, Kate brought with her to this class a
unique identity and prior history. Since her prior formal educational encounters were
negative, would firey hinder her success in this class? What hurdles would she need to get
over in order to see herself as a successful learner in this situation? If her learning
experience in this class was tied to her earlier life experiences, could she create a new
socio-cultrrral context that would be more positive about formal education (Luke & Gore,
1992; Weiler, 1988)? In the intervening years fi'om high school, Kate exhibited
independence as a learner and a woman. In her first interview, I asked her about fire
structure of the class. She noted it was going a little too fast, “I am used to my own pace,
this is a little fast.” Being self educated, starting her own business and raising two
children taught her a level of independence. Kate saw herself as passionate. “I speak first
and then think later, I guess I am opinionated.” Would it be difficult to be in the
“traditional” learning environment of the classroom? Her expectations were that the
come would help her to build skills in writing and grammar. She wanted to be able to
take the first English composition course and complete a term paper successfully.

Post structural feminist theorists (Fine, 1992; Lather, 1991; Luke & Gore, 1992;
Middleton, 1993; Tisdell, 2000) believe that fire position and status of women learners

within the classroom are determined by how they define and are defined by others within

55

the environment. Kate was fortunate to have an instructor who believed that
developmental courses “need a good teacher.” Creating this type of structure and
environment was important for students like Kate whose prior experiences were with
teachers expecting her to fail. Now she had an instructor who worked with her to
succeed. Francis’ goals for the course were clearly aligned with Kate’s, who wanted to
learn grammar and improve her writing. Francis wanted students to feel empowered in
their learning. Francis looked for improvement in her students and showed respect for
their ideas. Her classroom was a balance of expectations between teaching her students to
be “editors and writers,” and having them “feel more independent as learners.” For Kate,
success in the course reached beyond fire development of skills; it gave her greater
agency over the development of her voice and identity (Harding, 1996).

Feminist pedagogy is shaped by its concern to understand how the processes of
teaching and learning can facilitate women’s learning (T isdell, 2000). Working fium a
gender standpoint, feminist pedagogy assumes there are unique educational environments
that support women’s learning. Learning can be a transforming experience in which
women find their voices or authentic selves through the learning experience (Maher and
Tetrault, 1994). Within this context learning becomes personal and emancipatory
(W eiler, 1988). In the learning experience, women then build bridges between fireir
academic achievement and self-confidence. It is a learning environment that supports the
development of agency and identity. In creating learner-centered environments, the
classroom becomes a place to make meaning of the learning experience (Belenky,

Clinchy, Goldberger & Tarule, 1986; Maher & Tetrault, 1994).

56

Though Francis had not named her classroom as a feminist environment it held
many of those characteristics. Her sensitivity to students and her understanding that for
many of the students, like Kate, returning to school was aligned to who they were and
what they hoped to achieve as students and individuals. Francis utilized feminist
pedagogy with all the students in the class. She understood these students needed an
educational environment that understood and supported them. It was a classroom
environment, as Kate described it, that helped students to “have more confidence and a
sense of identity.” Francis’ emphasis on the concept of the whole learner made a
difference for Kate. As Kate noted, during fire course of the semester, she came to “know
what you want and how to achieve it.”

Classroom: Interacting With Others

The experiences and exchanges within each classroom setting influence the way
people go about learning and their success at it (F lannery, 1993). Kate found herself in a
unique situation. The students represented a range of age, gender, race and ethnic
backgrounds. The majority of the students were traditional age students (18-24) and there
were more males than females. Kate was probably one of the oldest students in the class.
There were only a few other adult women students over the age of 25. Initially, the
makeup of the class was a challenge for Kate. Returning to school required Kate to
establish relationships with her fellow students. She entered the classroom feeling
uncomfortable; could she build a sense of community with her fellow students? If she
did, this would help to create a supportive environment in which Kate could become

more confident about herselfas a learner and a person (Mezirow, 2000)?

57

In the early part of the semester Kate struggled with the chatter firat often went on
before and after class. The younger students talked about weekend activities, cars and fire
latest bands. These discussions seemed to resonate throughout the classroom. Kate
reminded me that she was there to learn and it seemed firat the younger students had an
attitude. Landen and Turner (1995) note that adult women treated like traditional students
are more likely to drop out. Kate faced the difficulty of being an older woman in a world
of younger students. Her peer relationship initially focused on F ena and two other adult
women students. It took several weeks before Kate expanded her acquaintances beyond
those relationships.

The instructional strategies of Francis were instrumental in having Kate move
beyond her initial circle of peers. The classroom activities included group work and peer
review of the assignments. In fire computer lab, students were given the instructions
“make sure yorn' colleagues are in fire same place.” This was particularly important for
Kate in fire first series of computer assignments as she had to ask fellow students for help.
As the semester progressed, Kate became one of the stronger students in the class and
often received some of the higher grades on assignments. Kate found herself in the
situation where other students asked her for help. Though proclaiming “I am not the
teacher,” Kate helwd those who asked her. The more engaged she became in the class,
the more Kate appeared comfortable and confident.

In the early classes Kate’s greatest concerns were her homework assignments and
the computer lab work. Though she said that firere were several computers at home, this
was her first experience with Microsoft Word and formal writing on the computer. The

students spent more than half their time in fire computer writing lab, completing

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assignments. The fust time Kate worked in the lab, she encountered difficulties. She was
unable to save her work and was fearfirl that it would be lost. Her initial reaction was one
of fiustration but then she found herself asking for help. Jose, one of the younger male
students, quickly came to her aid and patiently walked her firrough the assignment. Upon
successfully completing the assignment in the lab, she noted “the computer age is
amazing.” As fire semester progressed, Kate turned to her fellow students in the computer
lab when she needed it. In an environment where students were expected to help one
another, Kate reached out to her follow students. In a traditional classroom environment
she probably would not have asked for help. Remembering that Kate saw herselfas an
independent learner, her willingness to seek and acknowledge help was an important step
in becoming more integrated into the classroom environment. These were important
changes for Kate, who came into the class with her high school perspective of no one
wanting to help her. With each academic success, Kate was beginning to change a
fundamental belief about her academic abilities. As Kate’s self esteem grew, it became
easier to reach out to ofirers in fire class.
Finding A Place

In the beginning weeks of the semester, I found Kate’s relationship to Francis
quite interesting. Tennant and Pogson (1995) state that adult expectations for education
are associated with childhood feelings, especially towards parents and teachers. The
instructor can be seen in a number of different ways including as a judge and aufirority
figure. Under this model, the adult student attributes considerable power to the instructor.
Kate felt mm and she was struggling at times, but she would not see Francis during the

posted office hours. When I asked her why, Kate told me that oflice hours were like

59

being at work and you do not disturb people at work. “It is like my dad in his office and
we did not bofirer him. I will not bother her. You respect firem and you don’t bug them.”
Kate went on to discuss how her fafirer intimidated her. Though Francis worked hard to
create a warm, inviting and nurturing relationship with her students, Kate continued to
see Francis as fire same type of authority figure as her father. It took Kate a number of
weeks to finally go to Francis’ office. Francis commented to me on how uncomfortable
Kate was during their discussion. For Kate, it was much easier when she was learning on
her own. Could she begin to develop a different flame of reference for her relationship
with Francis? One that would allow her to move beyond the vulnerable relationship she
had with her father?

In fire early part of the semester Kate appeared uncomfortable when the instructor
called on her. “I am not there to be a teacher but to learn.” Not having found her place in
the classroom and not having established relationships wifir many of the students, she
worried that, “You are called on, and everyone is watching and waiting for you to talk.”
She seemed to struggle with the homework assignments, often not mm which exercises
to complete. More often than not, she completed more assignments than required. Kate
called it the “homework hump” and worried that she would be able to get over it. In fire
first interview, Kate told me, “I am not psychologically dealing with it and I get
nervous.” When I asked why she did not ask about fire assignments, Kate told me she did
not want to interrupt the instructor. In the first few weeks, she only asked Francis
questions before and after class. Once again, Kate saw Francis in an authority role and
wanted to make sure she was not challenging that authority. For Kate, Francis held the

power wifirin fire classroom. Kate’s earlier educational experiences in high school made

60

her feel marginalized and alienated fi'om the learning process. To change this perspective,
Kate had to come to a different understanding of Francis. Her prior educational
relationships were built upon issues of power and knowledge being held by the instructor
(Friere, 1970; Giroux, 1983). Could she come to understand there was now a different
relationship that would support her learning (Minnich, 1990)? This relationship would
emphasize her strengths and make her an active constructor in her own knowledge
(Belenky, 2000).

In firose first weeks, it seemed as if Kate was trying to find the “rhythm” of the
course. Given her desire to succeed she struggled with what she perceived of as
roadblocks: homework and the computers. When the first assignment was returned, Kate
questioned Francis about her comments on the paper. Francis explained that Kate should
firink of her as an editor. Kate asked how she could use the suggestions wifirout turning it
into the editor’s paper. It appeared from this that Kate wanted to take ownership for her
work. It was difficult for her to understand that she did not have to do it all on her own.
There was an inherent struggle to succeed and when Kate was particularly fiustrated, she
would cross her arms and say, “I don’t understand.” Her body language and statement
indicated an inability to reach out for the help she needed from Francis. For Kate, these
feelings initially created tensions in her relationship with Francis.

While Kate appeared to struggle in the first weeks of class, it was clear that she
was becoming a successful student. She did well on her first major exam and on several
in-class assignments. She still continued to do more homework exercises than assigned.
However, as fire weeks progressed, there was less anxiety about completing firem. She

was available to help her classmates. She often met with F ena before and after class to

61

discuss the assignments. Kate continued to struggle wifir her place in the class. While she
told me it took too much time to help Fena, she was always available for Fena.

Growing as a Learner: Defining Identity and Acquiring Agency

As the semester progressed, there were clear signs filat Kate was becoming more
secure about herself as a student and achieving levels of personal empowerment. These
transformations occurred slowly, yet Kate knew they were happening. In our second
interview Kate noted that, “Being a woman and getting older, I have more confidence, a
sense of identity, you know what you want and how to achieve it.” By fire end of the
semester, the change in Kate was quite remarkable. Increasingly, she took on a leadership
role in the class, actively participating in class discussions, talking with her fellow
students, asking questions and probing for further understanding of fire lessons. She even
received phone calls at home from other students asking for help on the class
assignments. In discussing the change, Kate told me she was uncomfortable in this new
role. She felt firat “I am not the teacher and don’t have the patience to be one.” This
comment indicated some of the struggle for Kate as she redefined herself. She was no
longer the invisible high school student ignored by students and teachers. Kate’s new
visibility and respect were helping to shape how she dealt with an identity that did not
match with her past.

It was dificult to pinpoint the moment in which fire change happened. As I
observed, wifir each class, Kate seemed to grow more confident, interacting with other
students and willing to voluntarily participate in class discussion. Given her initial
reticence to participate in fire early part of file semester, this change provided anofirer

indication of Kate becoming more comfortable as a student. Clearly, one building block

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of her newfound confidence came fi'orn her academic success. When I asked her to
compare herself at the beginning and the end of the semester, Kate replied, “I have more
confidence firat my skill in writing improved. I am not nervous anymore about coming to
school. I don’t get nervous going into the class.”

Kate was finding her voice. Belenky (2000) states that most adults have not had
fire experience of reflective discourse, the ability to articulate the underlying assumptions
of their thinking and how they might change. Kate could see clear evidence fi'om good
grades and the praise of Francis that she was doing well in the course. It was her goal to
be able to write an essay and now she believed that this could be attained. What she was
not articulating were the changes going on in her thinking about herself as an individual.
Her comments were tied to her experiences as a learner. In the environment established
by Francis, she became a motivated and productive learner. Francis encouraged and
challenged Kate to move into advanced stages of her learning (Cross, 1981). Unlike her
earlier experiences with formal education, Kate was in an environment that was nurturing
her self-concept, helping her to become more confident about herself as a learner (Pratt,
2002).

Though firere was evidence that Kate was growing as a learner and a person,
Francis worried about Kate’s self-confidence. As instructors, we often do not have fire
complete biographies of our students. What Francis knew about Kate came fiom
conversations about Kate’s family and home life. She was concerned firat Kate appeared
to have little confidence. She wondered why Kate had high levels of anxiety, adding,
“Maybe it’s from an earlier time because I sure have those ties to my childhood.” Francis

saw it as “one of those slow, slow changes of mind that education encourages. She will

63

never be the same again, and she won’t be comfortable being just Kate any more. It is
going to have to be Kate with an education.”

Francis was correct in understanding firat for Kate, the transition to a formal
classroom setting was not easy. Kate continued to carry fire baggage of her public school
years. As Kate described her experience in the class, “It is a long way fi'om high school.”
Prior to the class, Kate dictated her own learning. She came to realize how much her
learning patterns changed during the semester. “I am learning so much about going to
school, learning how to follow instructions; after all those years of doing it my way, it is
different in school.” Shortly after spring break, Kate bought a tape recorder. She
explained that it would be helpful in keeping up with class notes. One of her concerns
was that it was hard to keep up with Francis when she used the computer and screen in
class. For Kate, it was not liking working on fire blackboard where you had more time to
write. By buying fire tape recorder, Kate hoped she could keep up with the work and not
slow Francis down. In this decision, Kate utilized a strategy to support her learning. Kate
was also concerned about her relationship with Francis. The tape recorder became a way
through which Kate did not have to acknowledge needing help fi'om Francis.

Kate came to understand that Francis respected her as a learner. Throughout the
semester she received positive reinforcement fiom Francis. For example, in a lesson
about sentence structure, Kate posed several questions that indicated she was not
grasping the concept. Francis replied by telling Kate it was a good question. Francis’
reply indicated that she appreciated Kate’s willingness to ask a question and not be afraid
of the consequences. This type of affirmation by the instructor is important to students

like Kate who are not accustomed to support as they negotiate their learning environment.

When Kate finally finished fire assignment correctly, Francis looked at Kate and said,
“Hallelujah, you amaze and confound me.” This statement represented how far fire
relationship between Francis and Kate had come from fire first days of the semester. The
two of them were developing a relationship built upon respect and understanding. Parker
Palmer in The Courage To Teach (1998) states firat good teachers are present in their
classroom, engaged with their students and their subject. Francis understood the
importance of engaging Kate in the learning process by creating a positive link between
the subject content and Kate’s abilities as a learner (Palmer, 1998). In this supportive
environment Kate was learning how successful she could be in the production of
knowledge (Amstutz, 1999).

As fire semester progressed, Kate and I spent more time talking before class. Kate
was willing to share her work with me and fire relationship I had with Kate allowed me to
become part of her experience. Rufir Behar (1996) notes that in her field experience, the
text became the researcher as the researcher became part of the experience. Over time,
the intimacy we developed allowed Kate to feel safe as she talked about herself in firese
informal settings before and after class. Unlike her perception of Francis as authority, I
was a fellow student. Kate was very interested in‘ my research and the ways I balanced a
job, school and my family. She wondered how I felt being a student at my age. We came
to realize how much we had in common. There were several discussions about the
support we received fi'om our families. Kate noted that, “My husband is there, has always
been there for me. I find that I have to juggle more than in the past but college is a
priority. It is at the top of the list.” While she sometimes wonied about cleaning the

house and other chores, her husband told her, “You have wanted to go for years and years

65

for years and years and you have finally done it.” Her husband and son read her
assignments and one of her sons told her, “You are way beyond me Mom.” The support
Kate received fi'om her family was integral to her growth and development throughout
fire semester. Kate felt that her family became participants in her experience. Williams
(1997) notes many returning adult women find firemselves having to balance between
fireir home life and their school life. Kate was able to maintain a balance between these
two spheres because her family accommodated Kate attending college. Like her peers
and Francis, her family provided Kate with encouragement and support. They were
integral to her growing confidence about herself and her ability to succeed.

Kate was also learning how to reach out to her fellow students. Kate shared that
several of the female students called her at home. Though it worried Kate firat Fena relied
too much on her for help, Kate was always willing to stay after class to review
assignments with F ena. F ena was not the only student who sought Kate’s help on class
assignments. On several occasions, Susan, another woman in the class, approached Kate
for help. Kate was always supportive, showing Susan how to complete the assignment
and telling her how well she was doing.

Kate developed strong peer relationships with several of the female students and it
was clear that Kate was considered one of the student leaders of the class. Yet, she
continued to struggle with her connection to the students when they sought her help on
class assignments. “I don’t like to give help; I have no confidence it is the right answer.”
Cranton (2002) states that it is easier to maintain habits of mind and expect that what
happened in the pm will happen again. Kate continued to struggle between her fear of

failure and the desire to reach out and make connections.

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Within The Classroom Environment
In the beginning of the semester, Kate indicated that she thought most of fire

younger students had an “attitude.” Francis described the personality of fire class as
“energetic, like a sock hop, you never know who will go dancing in the middle of the
center of fire stage next.” The class could be described as active, with talking going on
during the class and several younger students often dominating class discussions. Kate
worried that although Francis had control of the class most of the time, “sometimes it got
away from her.” Given Kate’s perception of the teacher as aufirority, she saw order and
control as Francis responsibility.

Francis did not see a demographic divide within the class. She noted that students
were always willing to help one another. However, seating patterns, established by the
students, had the younger students sitting together in one area of the room. Kate and the
other adult woman sat together in fire float of the room. Kate was a non-traditional
student in a traditional environment. Francis’ classroom was not structured solely around
the adult learner. From 18 to 55, the students represented a broad range of developmental
and cognitive stages. The younger students brought a different context for learning and
life experiences than Kate. While Kate exhibited many of the learning styles
characteristic of an adult woman learner (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger & Tarule, 1986;
Flannery, Brooks, Tisdel & Hugo, 2000; Taylor & Marenau, 1995, Tenant & Pogson,
1995), Francis had to balance Kate’s learning style against younger students who often
needed more guidance in learning to become “professional students.” Francis’ approach
created assignments and class exercises that brought the students together. For example,

firere was a great deal of cross communication as students reviewed each ofirer’s work.

67

As the class moved through the semester, Kate became more integrated with fire
environment and willing to participate in class discussions firat related to the interests of
the younger students. This was important for Kate, as over time, the atmosphere that
developed mutual help and support fi'om the other students.

For Kate, perhaps the greatest accomplishment was, “leaving fire ghosts behind.”
As the semester continued and her confidence grew, Kate realized that this experience
was really different from what occurred in high school. Kegan (2000) describes
transformative learning as a creative process of development. Kate was learning how to
work firrough her beliefs and assumptions in light of this new experience (Cranton,
2002).

‘ In terms of her academic preparation, Kate probably did not have to be in the
class. Francis believed firat, “Kate shouldn’t be in our class. . .but given the fact she is not
very confident, it was a good class for her to take. . . .(she) needed to take this course.” It
was never a question that she could learn how to write a paragraph but much more about
changing her internal perspectives about herself and school. Kate also came to understand
that Francis was there to support her. “Francis lets me glide along. She sees my
individual style; she knows when I need an ego boost. She is attuned to what students
need. She figures out what we need. I need eye contact. I understand through eye
contact.” As an adult learner it was important for Kate to have that face-to-face contact of
the classroom.

Francis understood Kate’s learning needs and was able to integrate firem into her
lessons. In an interchange between them about grammatical structure, Francis told Kate,

“The more you understand, the more it works for you.” She asked Kate to fiy the exercise

68

using a different word. Kate did and was successful in completing the exercise. Francis
replied, “Didn’t I tell you?” In another interchange Francis asked Kate to share her
example on the board. When Kate replied no, Francis looked at her and said, “That’s not
a word I recognize.” Kate’s assignment went on the board. By fire end of fire semester
Kate was telling Francis, “We are all college students, we can handle it.”

Test Taking

As the semester began, Kate had a high level of anxiety concerning test taking.
Prior to the first in class exam, she asked Francis to repeat the chapters to be covered
several times. Kate prepared for exams by reading the text and several other grammar
books she bought. “You know I have been preparing by reading grammar books. It is
like reading a novel. I even have them in my bathroom.” This high level of anxiety came
from her fear of failure. As the semester progressed, Kate recognized this was one of the
most difficult issues she faced in the class. “I am getting better at being less anxious over
taking tests. I realize that if I flunk, the world will not come to an end. If you prepare for
the tests it helps. Sometimes I feel like it is information overload and I say my prayers.
Whatever will be will be.” Kate was beginning to understand how to make meaning out
of her learning experience and realized that she could not let anxiety over test taking
hinder her progress.

While Kate focused on grades, Francis tried to remind the students to “focus on
the actual product of language as being the most satisfying part of the course.” The
tension between grades and product was particularly evident as Kate and others prepared
for their writing prompt. The English department and the college required that students

complete a writing prompt as part of the course requirement. Students were given a topic

69

to complete in fire computer lab. The entire department read the essays. If a student failed
the prompt firey could not go on to the next level of English.

On the day of fire exam, Kate was nervous. In our conversation prior to class, she
told me, “I’m red, look at my neck, my blood pressure is high. . .this is my first exam. . . it
is hot or just me?” Kate understood the importance of the prompt and her fear of failure
surfaced. Francis knew caring was integral to her classroom environment (Amstutz,
1999), and so just before the prompt began, she told fire students, “You are going to do so
well on this test. . .fire creative juices are flowing. . .its spring and the daffodils are
blooming.” This simple statement was important to students like Kate who needed the
extra reassurance. Unlike test taking experiences earlier in the semester, Kate had no
hesitancy and immediately began to write. As I watched her throughout the hour, Kate
remained calm, writing, reviewing and rewriting.

When the class reconvened for its last meeting prior to the final exam, Francis
informed the students, “I thought you might like to hear how far you have come in your
writing.” She handed back the essays and specifically asked Kate to explain her essay to
the class. Unlike earlier classes where she did not want to share her work, Kate appeared
relaxed and comfortable explaining her essay. At the end of the class, Kate asked Francis
how to enroll in the next course for the fall semester. Kate wanted to take the course with
Francis. Kate later told me firat she was going to enroll in a math class during fire summer

and English 101 in the fall. She understood that fire fall class might have fire same

students in it. “I want to let the others go on and I will start by myself.”

70

Conclusion

Kate was ready to continue her educational career. She met her goals to “know
more English grammar.” More importantly, she was “not nervous anymore about coming
to school. I don’t get nervous going into the class. I still get nervous on exams. I’m not
always confident in what I know.” Had she noticed any difference in herself? Kate
believed the class was an excellent experience. “I have more confidence, my skill in
writing improved.” Kate recognized that she was not the same person who entered the
class sixteen weeks ago. “Being a woman and getting older, I have more confidence, a
sense of identity; you know what you want and how to achieve it.”

What was Kate’s journey? It was a journey of self-discovery and change. It was a
journey firat began with hesitancy, driving to campus, several times stopping. It was a
journey that took her five times before she took the placement test. It was a journey firat
began with a goal of completing the course and being able to write a coherent paragraph
and essay. Even wifir all of her fears and doubts, Kate knew it was time, time for her to
take charge of her life in a different way. Time to prove that she was still not that
invisible student fi'om high school. Kate’s journey was about understanding who she
really had become.

What happened to Kate? While she was a wife, mother and had her own business,
Kate never forgot her earlier educational experiences. Entering college was a conscious
choice to take charge of a part of her life that had not been fulfilled. Having felt on the
margins of fire educational system, returning to school meant a new direction and focus.
Kate formd herself in a learning environment that supported and challenged her as she

became increasingly empowered to achieve her personal and educational goals.

71

Chapter 4

Finding Their Way
Introduction: Strangers in the Land

The study was based on fire premise that there were classroom environments that
could emancipate and support adult women students as they constructed the direction of
their educational and personal lives. Were there unique characteristics within a single
classroom that fostered the three adult women of the study to believe they grew and
developed as learners and individuals? The analysis came fionr their lived experiences
and the lenses through which they saw the classroom experience.

The journey of F ena and Masa during the semester can be described as “Strangers
in the Lan ” (Higham, 1988). Unlike the majority of the students in the class, they were
not native born. Masa emigrated five years earlier fi'om Jordan with her husband. They
intended to become American citizens. Fena was a Pakistan native who came to the
United States with her two children. Her husband remained on business in Saudi Arabia.
She never discussed whether or not they planned to become American citizens.

As students in the come, Fena and Masa found themselves in an environment in
which they often moved back and forth between their native cultures and the dominant
culture represented in the classroom. Their lives were framed by these dualistic
environments, each having rmique norms and values. The challenge for Masa and Fena
became seeing if the classroom environment created learning experiences that allowed
for the integrity of who firey were, as non-native students with unique cultural
backgrounds, while supporting their educational goals of becoming proficient in the

English language (Wlodkowski & Ginsberg, 1995). Both had attended this college for

72

several semesters and, while this was not their first course, in some ways it was the most
important one. The course helped them continue to improve fireir proficiency in English
writing and speaking. Success in the course allowed them to continue on to English
Composition I, a required course for most degree programs at the school.

Fena’s and Masa’s immediate educational goals were to write and speak
coherently in English. However, during the semester they came to believe that “progress”
meant more than improving their English skills. By the end of the semester fireir goals
expanded and they were each making conscious decisions that affected both their
educational and personal lives. They found their voices, defining who they were and
feeling empowered to make choices for themselves. These were different voices than the
ones with which firey began the semester. At that time they appeared to know what goals
they hoped to achieve but were not sure if they would be successful. In the initial days of
the course they were hesitant to integrate into fire larger classroom environment. Masa sat
quiefiy by anofirer female Arab-American student while Fena quickly relied upon Kate to
help her navigate through the first set of assignments. These behaviors changed over the
sixteen weeks as their classroom experience created an enhanced validation of
themselves as learners and individuals.

Shaw (1999) contends that the complexity and fire interplay of assumed roles and
social categories define fire lives of community college students. In understanding what
occurred for F ena and Masa during the semester, it was important to remember that their
learning experiences were rooted in cultural backgrounds difi‘erent than other students.
They were adult international women coming from a context of difference. This

difl'erence carried with it unique cultural backgrounds and experiences that stood apart

73

fi'om most of the students in fire class. Over of fire semester, their struggles become one
of belonging and not belonging as fireir backgrounds were mediated and influenced by
what occurred in fire classroom (Abdulhadi, Alsultany, & Naber, 2005).

F ena struggled all semester between fire worlds of home and school. Each part of
her life demanded her attention. According to Abdulhadi, Alsultany & Naber (2005) Arab
American women struggle on multiple fronts between their private and public lives. Arr
absent husband made Fena fire primary parent in her family. Her twelve-year-old son
commented that it seemed as if she was always studying and doing homework. Her
situation was exacerbated when her husband arrived fi'om Saudi Arabia. He expected
Fena to be home and he saw school as being of secondary importance. Her burden
throughout the semester was how to balance her desire to pursue her education while
maintaining the demands of her family.

Masa came to school to expand her borders beyond family and her immediate
community of fellow Jordanian émigrés. Her world felt confined and defined by little
interaction wifir those outside this group. She felt that continuing to stay at home meant
she would never learn English. Unlike F ena, Masa had a supportive family environment
firat allowed her to pursue her educational goals. It was important to Masa that she be a
role model for her four-year old daughter. It was a delicate balance that each woman
walked between fire old and the new in their lives.

Facing Unique Challenges

Not unlike Kate, Fena and Masa were claiming an education. They had a defined

set of educational goals they believed could be attained by becoming more proficient in

English. Masa wanted to become a teacher and Fena wanted to continue her studies at a

74

four-year college. Each was determined to meet their goals. Masa expressed it as, “I have
to learn, and I don’t care. I will take one class a semester, I don’t care. I have to finish.”
In many ways their journey seemed a traditional one, not uner ofirer students in the
class, as they took courses toward a higher educational goal. Yet, Fena and Masa faced
unique hurdles because of their cultrn'al backgrounds. The complexity of their experience
created differences and difficulties that many other students did not face. It was not
always a seamless transition between the two cultures. Masa and Fena were entering a
new world, one that often assumed they were no different than those who were born into
it. Given their backgrounds, it was interesting to see, whether or not fire classroom
environment could support fireir educational goals while still understanding and also
supporting fireir difference (Tierney, 1993).

Not only were the backgrounds of Fena and Masa different from most of the
class, but each of them came fiom a different culture and environment. What set them
and the other international students in the class apart from native students were the
cultures that served as fire dominant foundations for most of their experiences. Gloria
Anzaldua (1987) notes there are shifting and multiple identities for individuals who
reside wifirin a borderland- that place in which one is caught between the experiences of
two cultures. It is fire place in which the efirnic and the dominant cultures can reside.
Within the fiamework of fire study, it was important for me to recognize that this
classroom was a borderland for Masa and Fena. The original focus of the research did not
include studying non-native adult woman students. F ena and Masa’s role in the study

raised important questions firat I needed to consider. As they chartered their path through

75

fire semester, how would firey manage to bring fireir own culture and experiences into this
educational environment? Would they be able to blend their old and new worlds?
Masa: A Pafir to Assimilation

Masa was a twenty-seven year old emigre fi'om Jordan. She was married, had a
four-year daughter and lived in a close knit community of émigrés fiom Jordan that
included her husband’s extended family. Masa had been in the United States for five
years. Her immediate family remained in Jordan, though she had an opportunity to visit
them every three years. In fire initial interview, Masa indicated that her reason for
attending this college was to learn English and to interact with people not fi'om her
immediate community. Masa was very aware firat “English is my second language.” It
was important to her to learn English and, “if I did not go back to school, I would not
learn English, that is it.” While her primary motive for attending college was to learn
English, it was clear that Masa had several long-term goals that included acquiring a
degree. “I (am) going to be an elementary teacher; I want to do the best thing for me.
When my daughter needs help in school later, I can be the first one to help her. . .I want to
come back to school to have a degree.” From a life of sitting home, watching her child,
“nothing to do, just go shopping...” she now found “. . .everything had changed. My life
is busy, more busy than before and I enjoy it.”

Caffarella (1993) notes that learning is a personal process that occurs within fire
context of the learner’s life and fire societal context that surrounds them. The experience
can bring new awareness and new challenges. Masa came to define her learning
experience beyond the traditional definition of imparting knowledge. She saw it as a

community experience, the desire not only to communicate but to also experience a new

76

definition of community. Masa wanted to interact with those who were not part of her
immediate cultural group. “So my reason to come to school was to know people: I like
other people.” When I asked her if she felt comfortable with other students, Masa
indicated that “I used to be shy, used to think that everyone would laugh at me when I
talk, but now I am comfortable.”

Masa saw a broader definition to acquiring specific knowledge that would make
her more proficient in English. Attending college provided a way to assimilate into
American society. Like immigrant groups before Masa (T aylor, 1971), education
provided a platform to understand the values and norms of fire larger society. Taylor
(1971) describes it as the opportunity to be presented with “influencers” that help
immigrants become more Americanized.

The Classroom Environment: Defining Position

During the course of the semester, I watched the positionality of Masa in the
classroom (Maher & Tetreault, 1994). I was interested in understanding where she could
be placed within the context of fire classroom. Given her background and expectations,
how would Masa interact wifir ofirer students and fire instructor? Masa was an Arab-
American adult female student who was placed in a classroom environment in which the
majority of fire students were younger and native to society. It was important to recognize
' that Masa was attending school at a time when many Americans had clear stereotypes
regarding the Arab-American community. Given her background, would she be able to
achieve her goal of becoming assimilated and comfortable within the classroom

environment?

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Masa had taken four courses at the college and, even more importantly, was
taking this particular course for fire second time. The first time, Masa received a D+ from
a different instructor. As class began, Masa should have had some understanding of the
expectations of the course. Certainly, her willingness to repeat the course indicated
determination to be a successful student. From prior courses, she had the experience of
interacting with students fi'om varied backgrounds. Yet, she came to the course with
some hesitation, finding her comfort zone in fire class with other international students

Masa’s relationship to Francis, the teacher, was important in her ability to be a
successful student. This was not her first interaction with Francis, who had been Masa’s
instructor in the English for International Students course. Entering the course and
familiar with fire instructor, I asked about her expectations of Francis. Masa replied, “I
think she (Francis) is very good with us, especially with international students. You know
she tries to explain it, like for example, if you do not understand anything, she helps
you.” In her interviews, Masa mentioned feeling comfortable going to Francis for help.
Her sense of comfort with Francis came fiom the instructor’s understanding of
international students. Francis expressed to me, that from her experiences, international
students had a hard time reading signals in American culture and, therefore, it was
important to explain procedrn'es that would seem natural for native students. As she
stated, “They need to feel what they are doing is important.”

Unlike ofirer students who had not taken a prior course wifir Francis, Masa knew
Francis’ teaching style and expectations for students. While Francis liked students to
contribute to fire discussion, Masa rarely participated in classroom conversations and did

not volunteer to answer the questions that Francis often asked the students. In our first

78

interview, Masa expressed concerns about her English proficiency. “The first day I was
scared. . .everyone is going to speak English. . .as an international student how will I
understand?” She felt it was hard at first. Masa worried about the younger students she
met. “Some of fire students had just finished high school, and I was scared. Oh my God,
they know everything. They just finished high school, and I finished my high school in
Jordan in Arabic and I finished in five years. How could I be in the same class?”
However, four weeks later she felt that she was being encouraged, “None of them laugh
at me so it encourages me, and everybody was ready to help if I want somebody to help
they would be happy to help. . .”

One of Masa’s goals was to communicate with a wider group of people,
particularly those she defined as Americans. For her, education was not only academic
learning, but also a process of socialization. Masa hoped this would help her become
more familiar with the norms of society. Masa believed she could achieve part of this
goal by interacting with ofirer students. However, Masa chose to spend most of her class
time wifir Abby, another female Arab student and Franz, a German student. Prior to and
during class she often turned to Abby for explanations of the lesson. Masa tended to work
on assigned group projects wifir Abby and Franz. The few times that Masa sat with other
students, firere was little interaction with them. It appeared that Masa established a
comfort zone wifir Abby and Franz in which she was most secure, although she never
expressed any feelings of alienation fi'om the rest of the class. This was a robust class
where younger students talked frequenfiy about experiences that were culturally different

from her background. Masa aligned herself to students who were similar to herself, trying

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to navigate in an environment in which they were “Strangers in the Land.” From this
“safe” place, Masa could bridge into the larger classroom environment.

When asked in her first interview to describe the classroom environment, she
replied, “The relationship is very good, we get along with each ofirer. . .I think everything
is Okay. They are not shy to ask questions.” She felt the atmosphere helped her a lot.
While claiming to feel comfortable in the classroom, in the first weeks, Masa worried
about her English proficiency. “I still, like when I talk, have a lot of grammar mistakes,
but it is better than before. . .a lot better.” In enrolling in firis course, Masa was continuing
her journey toward self-confidence. She believed her ability to speak English was the
result of being in school. When asked if she felt more comfortable in speaking English
because of these courses, Masa replied, “Sure, sure I used to be shy. I thought everyone
would laugh at me when I talked.” While her self-perception was of a more confident
student, there was still evidence of being reticent within the class.

A Different Path to Learning

Masa’s journey proficiency in English led her to a different place. Gloria
Anzaldau (1987, p.3) describes it as a “vague and undetermined place created by the
emotional residue of an unnatural boundary.” Her educational and personal goals were
driving Masa to redefine herself in terms of a different cultural context. Her struggles
reached beyond being successful as a student. As Masa moved into this place of
difference where she struggled to become someone else, at times, the new environment
felt uncomfortable. Her known world had a history and stability for her. Masa was now

. _ adapting to norms firat could create a new identity and negotiating a new path that could

80

conflict with what she had been in the past, yet her personal and educational development
were intertwined. Success in one area could not occur wifirout success in the other area.

Having English as a second language provided educational challenges for Masa.
She adopted a particular learning style to overcome these challenges. At times she wrote
her ideas in Arabic and then translated them into English. She found that, “For me, I
cannot understand firings the first time. Sometimes I have to repeat it twice to understand
it. I am not trying to get it.” Masa indicated she was fiustrated at times, “Some of the
stuff you understand right away, but some, if I can’t, I feel like it is hard.” In her desire to
listen to Francis and others dining class, Masa did not take notes dining class
presentations. It was difficult for her to follow the lesson and write notes. She
occasionally wrote down a word that she did not understand. Her learning style helped to
explain her reliance on Franz and Abby for help. Masa worked hard at the homework
assignments and used them as an opportunity to remember what was taught in class. Her
ability to flow fi'om one language to another was essential to her academic success; her
native language was still important to learning English. Throughout the semester, in her
interviews and in my observations, she never expressed fiustration that she was not a
native speaker. Masa entered the class with a set of deficiencies based upon English not
being her primary language. Masa understood fire challenges she faced and adopted
learning mechanisms to overcome them. Masa was determined to succeed and found
unique ways to surmount these learning problems.

Learning English was further complicated by Masa’s lack of experience wifir
computers. Given the importance of computer literacy to the course, this was a

continuing challenge for Masa. During the first assignment she struggled to format and

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later save her work on the computer. Work took longer to complete than it did for other
students. Given her reluctance to ask for help, except fiom Abby or Francis, firese
experiences became one more hurdle to overcome. Francis spent a great deal of time with
Masa in fire lab. Acknowledging Masa’s difliculty on the final computer writing
assignment, Francis allowed her to complete it in another room.

Masa understood some instructors’ teaching styles were not helpful for her given
her learning style. “Some of firem, they come and they talk, talk, talk and I don’t
understand them.” Masa felt that Francis’ teaching style was very supportive to her
ability to succeed. “(Francis) gives time, takes time if I am still, like I didn’t understand
it. She doesn’t care if she doesn’t finish, if she takes her time talking about this one thing,
she doesn’t care.” Given Francis’ experiences in teaching English grammar for second
language students, she understood the challenges these students faced in making the
transition to English. She explained, “I cannot imagine what it is like for them to sit in
classes. I am always amazed at what happens, can you imagine what it is like for non-
American students to bump into this culture?” Francis believed it was important to create
an environment that recognized and supported the dualistic experience of international
students.

Enrolling in the course a second time, she specifically chose Francis as her
instructor. Masa believed firat Francis could help her master the course and did not
hesitate going to Francis’ office when she did not understand material presented in the
class. For Masa, this course was a natural progression from her previous experience with
Francis. She behaved working wifir Francis would lead to success in the course. This was

important in advancing toward her goal of being able to read and write in English.

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Support Systems for Success

Masa believed that the support of her family was a key reason she enrolled in
college. Her husband and his family wanted her to attend school to develop her English
skills. They commented on the improvements of these skills since she started college.
Her husband took on several household chores that included grocery shopping.

Given their cultural background, this was an important signal to Masa of her husband’s
support. Darraj (2005) notes that Arab-American women face many challenges within
their own community concerning education including concerns the women will become
“Westernized” by this experience. However, Darraj explains that younger men and
husbands are more supportive of woman and education. Within her cultural group, Masa
faced an unusual situation in having not only her husband, but her extended family,
support her educational career. Masa’s husband’s support extended to her classroom
assignments including helping her wifir the homework assignments early in the course.
When this occurred, Masa told Francis, “1 get help because I did not write it by myself
and she says that is Okay, you’ll learn.” By fire end of the semester, Masa completed the
assignments on her own and firen showed them to her husband.

One of Masa’s motivations for attending college was to be a role model for her
daughter. As she explained, a primary reason was “. . .to encourage her. I am one who
wants to teach my daughter at home, help her when I am here, to learn to read and to
write so I can help her.” She was concerned that her daughter not exist in a dualistic
society, one culture at home and anofirer at school. By improving her English skills and
attaining an education, Masa was able to reinforce the importance of education and

learning for her daughter. Masa’s four-year-old daughter also understood why it was

83

important for her mother to be in school. On one occasion Masa brought her daughter to
class. When I asked her about fire experience, she noted firat her daughter told her, “Don’t
worry, don’t talk to me, just listen to your teacher. . .she knows that Mama has to do
homework: she gives me time to do it.” Positive reinforcement by her family was
important to Masa’s willingness to continue to pursue her educational goals. Her
husband’s support allowed Masa to balance family and school. Masa understood that her
life had become “. . .more busy, more busy than before and I enjoy it. Yes, it is hard, but I
try to make it not hard for me.” Having a strong family support system allowed Masa to
meet these challenges and continue her education.

By the end of fire semester, Masa felt confident about her accomplishments. When
I interviewed her after fire final exam, she seemed poised and sure about what the
semester meant. Masa saw a big difference in herself as a learner, “I compare myself to
when I started the semester, and now I feel a big difference. Now I can write paragraphs
and wrote an essay last week. My grammar is more correct firan before and my sentences
are stronger.” Through her lens, Masa knew she made important improvements in her
English skills. Her educational accomplishments also transcended into her feelings about
herself. “I am more confident about myself. I feel firat I can speak better and this semester
has taught me a lot, especially when I speak with people. I feel more confident.” Masa
was going to continue her learning process dming fire summer when she was not taking
classes. “I need to know how to understand how I can take notes so it will help me in
English 101. I am going totake a pencil and paper, hear the news, take notes and try to

write it down.”

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Defining Identity: Gaining Agency

Had Masa reconstructed herself fi'om this learning experience? Masa’s challenges
included unsuccessfully completing fire course fire first time and an identity rooted in one
culture, but now being fiamed by another. Her willingness to be interviewed and to share
her experiences with me showed how engaged she was in her journey. Her discussions
with me never focused on feeling fiagrnented between the two worlds of school and
home. While Masa recognized the challenges, when I asked her if she saw any
differences or changes not only in school, but at home and with fi'iends, Masa replied, “I
am more confident. I know a lot of American people, people who speak English. I have
more fiiends now than before. . . school taught me a lot. Before I sit home and I did not
know what to do. Now every time I have a chance to do firings, go to fire library, meet
people, I feel better.”

For Masa, the educational environment had not been threatening, but supportive.
Tierney (1993) notes the importance in education of setting up dialogues of support and
understanding across differences. Masa saw the environment established by Francis as
welcoming and nurturing towards her. “She is the best teacher I have ever bad. If she
teaches all fire English classes I will take them with her. . .she helps me a lot with
everything. She understands that there are international students in the class. She gives
her time to everybody.” Masa believed Francis treated everyone in the same way in the
classroom. This allowed Masa to feel part of the dynamics of the classroom and not
different from other students. Coming fi'om the experience of barely leaving her
community, afi'aid to speak to filose not part of her community, this feeling was an

important part of her growth and development, not only as a student, but as an individual.

85

The educational experience became a community experience for Masa. She was learning
how to negotiate within a larger cultural context than the one she was part of before
attending school. Masa ended the semester wifir a renewed sense of self-confidence. She
began to redefine her sense of self, her identity. For Masa, the educational challenges
could not be divorced from who she was and how her identity was changed by this
educational experience.
F ena: Difficult Steps Along a Similar Path

The challenges that were faced in the classroom by the three women were similar
and different for each of them. Throughout the semester, Fena appeared to be the most
visible in her su'uggles to succeed educationally and adapt to the larger cultural context of
the classroom. Like Masa, as an international student and an Arab-American woman, she
encountered bofir cultural and educational barriers that were different from many of her
classmates. Masa expressed an interest in wanting to quickly assimilate into American
life. This was evident in her dress, which appeared no different than others in the class,
and her approach to getting out in the community to meet people. In the years she spent at
home, television was an important conduit to understanding the norms and values of
American life. Fena, however, wanted to hold on to her native traditions while she
acquired a new identity that was being defined through her educational experiences. In
her dress, she chose to wear a traditional hijab, headscarf, while the rest of her clothes
were more typical of a native- born student. F ena participated in the college’s diversity
fair with an exhibit on Pakistan. Perhaps even more than Masa, fire classroom became her

borderland as she moved back and forth between these two life experiences.

86

Fena was a firirty-firree year old Pakistani who had a twelve-year old son and a
fourteen-year old daughter. Born and raised in Pakistan, prior to coming to fire United
States she lived with her husband and children in Saudi Arabia for sixteen years. She and
her children had resided in the United States for two years. Her husband continued to live
in Saudi Arabia though he made routine visits to see her and the children. Fena attended
college in Pakistan where she was granted a Bachelor of Science in the Science of Home
Economics fi'om an all-female college. As she explained, “In Pakistan 1 completed 14til
grade...there is a 10‘“ grade that is school finish, but here is 12" grade school finish.
After 10'” grade I attended four years of college.” F ena never indicated whether the prior
educational experience helped prepare her for her current educational experience.

It is important to note that all three women shared a common goal in attending the
course. Their motivation was to improve their English skills. All of them wanted to be
role models for fireir children. Education was an important reason for Fena and her
children to come to the United States. “My plan was to come to the United States. I
want(ed) to see that it was good for the children. ..been here two years.. .that is why I
came here first and now I want to decide what I want to do.” When I asked her the reason
for specifically coming to this institution, she replied, “Because of English, because
before I did not know.”

Like emigres before firem, Masa and Fena understood that competency in the
English language was a door for themselves and their children into American society.
Language and education are often the bridges that allow émigrés to no longer be viewed
as “Strangers in the Land” (1988). Masa wanted to use her language skills for social

integration and assimilation into American society. It was important to her to be seen as

87

an American woman. F ena saw these skills as a way to feel more confident about her
academic abilities. Her struggles came in trying to decide where she belonged. The
bridge between fire two cultural worlds was more difficult for F ena than Masa. According
to Abdulhadi, Naber and Alsultany (2005), it is not unusual for Arab-American women to
struggle in their search for identity between their native communities and their
educational communities.

Unlike Masa and Kate, F ena did not make the decision to enter the college with
well—defined goals. She initially came to the college to accompany a fiiend who wanted
to register for a course. “I here with someone, only for company, she took information
fiom (College) and I ask, can I come here and study? She said why not? In that day I said
Okay.” Given that the decision to come to the United States was carefully thought out, it
is interesting that Fena made such an impromptu decision to attend school. She asked
about the procedures to enroll and was told to take the college placement exam. It was
her understanding firat it was a free test and “. . .whatever fire results they give you the
subjects.” With no understanding of computers, Fena proceeded to take the test. “They
said only use your one finger. I said Okay I would try. I tried and tried and I gave the
test.” It took F ena five hours to complete it; however it did not deter her fiorn enrolling in
school. “But I am really excited that day. I don’t know what fire next step, maybe I fail. I
don’t know English, I don’t know computers.” F ena felt that, while she entered college
without defined educational goals, it was a good decision. She immediately enrolled in a
grammar course designed for English as second language students. “I started the class

before I had a plan to join fire school, before I know where I was going but suddenly

everything is going well and I am happy here.”

88

Finding A Place Within fire Classroom: Building Support Systems

Fena exhibited a high level of motivation throughout fire semester. Her behavior
in class corresponded to Francis’ observations of international students. Francis noted
that these students were “. . .much more prepared for class, they have a work ethic that is
stronger for class, maybe a little more pressure for performance... firey want to bring fire
good grades home. . .you can only justify going to school by getting a 4.0.” F ena
fiequently asked questions of Francis and other students. She sat next to Kate the entire
semester and spent time with Kate before and after class reviewing assignments. They
continued to work togefirer throughout the semester.

Unlike Masa, Fena liked to volunteer and participate in class discussions. Even
when her answers were incorrect, it did not stop her from contributing to the discussion.
During those occasions Francis continued dialoguing with Fena until she reached the
correct answer. Francis was quick to compliment her with phrases such as, “Very good,
on the point.” While she did not always initially grasp the concept, Fena did not give up.
Though she struggled with the course content, her determination led her to continue.
There was never any indication that she would drop the course because it was more
difficult for her firan for other students in the class.

Like Masa, Francis was Fena’s instructor in fire English as a Second Language
Grammar coru'se. F ena believed it was a positive experience. “Last semester I started fire
class, I don’t know grammar. I speak English, but I don’t know grammar and everyone
says your grammar is not good. But now I speak confidenfiy and I understand sometimes
what my mistakes are. Sometimes in talking, I did (make) mistakes but I know

immediately so really happy... (I) am satisfied with fire teacher.” As with Masa, Fena’s

89

comfort level with Francis was an important element in her educational success. F ena
believed Francis took fire time and gave attention to each student. She saw Francis as
willing to accept answers even when they were incorrect and felt supported by the way
Francis treated her in class. Fena understood she made mistakes; however, firese were
seen as positive, not negative, experiences. “I click with the mistakes because (Francis)
immediately says two or three times and she immediately clicks and she says something
again two, firree times and then she writes it (on the board). She understands that the
students not understand the firing firat (is) why she gives different types of assignments. I
like this type of work and now I understand, really happy wifir the instructor. That is why
I took the instructor.”

Francis created an environment in which Fena and Masa felt safe even in firose
times when they did not grasp the lesson. McGrath and Van Buskirk (1999) showed firat
educational environments can engage students and help firem to be enthusiastic about
their studies. It is their belief that students will have the ability to succeed in a positive
educational setting. Given her background and teaching experiences, Francis understood
it was important to create positive teaching strategies that engaged students in the
learning experience. I asked Francis what type of pedagogy she used with her students.
She replied firat successful learning came from creating environments in which “I want
everyone to be able to communicate and to be understood the way he/she wished to be.”
In developmental courses, Francis believed that repetition and auditory drill were very
important. The students needed to feel what they were doing in fire class was important,
bofir to firem and to her. “These students need the motivation and they need to feel that

what firey are doing is important. I know they are having a hard time with the subject.”

90

Francis understood the academic and personal challenges Masa and Fena faced in the
course. She was able to balance fire need to master content while building positive
relationships with her students. Given Fena’s willingness to acknowledge her academic
struggles to Francis, Francis appeared to create a learning environment in which students
felt support and understanding while mastering the course content.

Building support systems was particularly important for F ena in the computer lab
assignments. Like Kate and Masa, F ena struggled to understand how to format and type
her work; it took her longer to complete assignments. As in the traditional classroom,

F ena sought help from Francis throughout the semester. Francis saw the computer lab as
a place where students could relate to each other, particularly for international students.
“The international students have to ask neighbors questions. As long as students don’t
take over for each other, they have to talk their way through assistance. . .helping each
other.” Through the support of Francis and other students, F ena was able to overcome her
lack of experience with computers. It did not become a deterrent to her learning
experiences and came to understand the importance of the lab in helping her develop as a
writer and a learner.

Fena’s support system within the college transcended the classroom. As McCabe
(2000) states, the services of a college must create a climate of caring to help
developmental students succeed, including those services that exist outside the classroom.
For Fena, there were two college counselors who were influential in her decision to
attend college. These counselors helped guide the decisions F ena made concerning which
courses to enroll and how to shape her academic program. Their advice was particularly ‘

important this semester when one of her classes was cancelled. At their suggestion, F ena

91

enrolled in a math class. This was her first experience wifir a male instructor. Moreover, it
had been twenty years since she took a mafir course. Fena described her male instructor
as, “soft spoken” and firat, like Francis, he spent a lot of time at fire board. “His style is
also very good. Sometimes I did not understand how I did a question of the math because
I did not have fire mafir class before. . .he does it a lot of times (math problems), on the
board and then I understand. . .that helps you to learn, to hear it, to say it.” Fena was
proud of her marks in the course and remarked she was determined to receive an A as her
final grade.

Landen and Turner (1995) indicate that women students can achieve personal and
professional success in supportive educational environments. In spite of her language and
cultural barriers, Fena believed she could succeed because of the way both Francis and
her math instructor structured their courses. As she noted in talking about her math class,
“It is good for me. He understands it can be this way or firat way, lots of times on the
board and that I understand.” Fena felt acceptance fi'om her instructors in their
willingness to take time with her and to understand how important it was for her to take
time to process the course content. Through their guidance, she felt valued as a learner
and an individual.

Understanding fire Classroom Culture

Fena’s view of fire other students in the class was different from Masa. Masa, at
first, felt intimidated by the native students and fireir proficiency with English. Being a
high school graduate, she worried initially about fire ability to keep up with them, yet, by
the end of the semester, Masa indicated feeling comfortable among them. When asked

about the class, Fena focused on the importance of being a good student. “I think if all

92

students attend regular class, firey do not need to do work at home. . .open fire book, read,
do fire homework.” In contrast, she saw herself as having to work hard because she did
not understand English as well as the native students did. “The students know English
and they understand. I don’t think it is hard. . . if they attend fire class, they don’t need to
do anything.” F ena’s observations were quite interesting. There were a number of
younger native students who did not complete the assignments and sometimes did not
bring the text to class. It appeared Fena saw them as not having to work as hard as she
did. While she struggled with fire assignments, Fena believed fire younger students could
merely come to class in order to be successful in the class. This difference helped shape
her perceptions of her place in fire classroom.

Fena defined her place differently fi'orn Masa in the classroom. Masa was more
sensitive to the larger culture of the classroom, noting that many students were recent
high school graduates and it had taken her five years to complete high school in Jordan.
One of her goals was to feel comfortable enough to interact with other students. Being
around other students gave Masa a sense of “belonging,” being part of the larger society.
Fena saw herself as a student, in fire classroom to learn. Her expectations were that the
other students should act in a similar manner, be prepared and participate in the
classroom discussions. Like Francis, she expected students to take pride in fireir learning.
Fena’s support group within the classroom included Kate and other adult women
students. It was to firis group that she spoke before and after class. In class, her answers
were always directed to the instructor and not fire rest of the class. She sat close to fire
fiont of the room and rarely acknowledged the younger native students. This was tmlike

Kate who participated in fire younger students’ conversations and seemed comfortable

93

interacting with them. Given her background, it appeared there was a cultural divide

between Fena and the younger native students. Unlike Masa, F ena did not indicate any

interest in understanding or becoming assimilated into their cultural environment.
Influencing the Learning Environment

For each of the women, fireir families had some influence on their learning
experience in the course. Masa and Kate had strong family support for their decision to
enroll and take courses at the college. Throughout fire semester, firey felt encouragement
as they faced challenges of succeeding in the course. Both spouses stated they
understood the importance of Masa and Kate successfully completing the course. Fena’s
situation was quite different. At times she found that her education clashed wifir the
expectations of her family. Education was important to the decision to come to the United
States, but, it was seen as “. ..good for the children.” The emphasis was on fire children’s
education and not F ena. With an absentee husband, Fena found herself in the role of a
single mother, which meant balancing home and school life. “I try every week to adjust
my schedule, sometimes every day. Sometimes at night I think what I do in the morning.
I go home to prepare lunch, my son is at swimming, and I pick him up. Sometimes I
don’t get home rmtil 8 o’clock.” Adding to her responsibilities, her children volunteered
her for projects at their school.

Fena’s decision to enroll in college was quite spontaneous and, with an absentee
husband, firere was not much discussion with either him or her children. This could
explain fire reaction of her son to having her enrolled in college. If she took a long time
completing her homework, he became upset. “My son is not comfortable because I took

lots of time wifir my English books.. .he says you are busy with your books.” Given her

94

responsibilities to her children, Fena found it difficult to spend the time necessary to
understand and complete her assignments. F ena not only had to balance her time, but also
her emotional energies between school and home. This was compounded by fire fact that
she did not like to drive in bad weather, which sometimes meant missing classes. Having
these dual roles with little family support increased the pressures on F ena as a student.
Without a support base at home, F ena had to turn to the instructors and others in the
class. This would help explain the phone calls to Kate at home. As the semester
progressed, her relationship to Kate and Francis were essential to her ability to succeed in
the course.

Having an absentee husband who only visited occasionally, presented another set
of challenges for Fena. During the semester, Fena’s husband came to visit from Saudi
Arabia. While he was there, it appeared the relationship between them exhibited elements
of the traditional patriarchal customs and attitudes of the Arab culture (Darraj, 2005). His
expectation was that F ena would rearrange her time and energy to focus on his interests.
This included rescheduling her math exam. F ena told me it was difi'lcult to keep up with
her schoolwork when her husband was there. Though he had not participated in her
educational experience, her husband was determining her future. When I asked about
future plans, she replied, “I don’t know what my husband (will) decide. I came here
wondering of my education. I am happy.” Darraji (2005) explains that Arab-American
women confi'ont two battles as firey seek an education: the tension between how the
family and community regard firem and the way they are viewed by the larger American
society. While F ena struggled wifir the tensions between school and home life, she

decided “. . .in the meantime..(I) continue to go to school.” In spite of tensions at home, at

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the end of fire semester she indicated her goal was to enroll in the Medical Assistant
program at the college. Her silence at home had not deterred her fi'om moving forward
with her educational plans.

Like the other two students, over time F ena talked to me before and after class.
While we spoke of family and struggles in the interviews, these were not topics of
conversations in the classroom setting. On one occasion she asked ifI was able to
observe everything going on in the class. I explained firat sitting in fire back helped. I
asked how she felt firings were going in the course and she replied firey were progressing.
I found that an interesting answer given what I thought were high levels of anxiety over
the course content. However, Francis supported Fena’s observations. When asked at the
end of the semester how she viewed Fena’s progress, Francis replied, “She is much more
in charge of her education. She knows how to plan. She said to me, ‘I know what I am
doing’ and she does much more so and is not so focused on being worried.” Francis
believed that F ena grew in her confidence and ability to plan her educational career. At
the end of the semester, F ena decided to take two courses that included English
Composition I with Francis as the instructor.

F ena was unable to complete the second interview due to illness. However, she
sent written answers to the questions. Her willingness to share her experiences on paper
indicates the growth firat occurred for her. Fena was not shy in expressing her thoughts
about the semester. When asked if she felt more confident as a learner and what were the
best experiences of the class, Fena replied, “Yes, I feel more confident as a learner. . .I
learned how to prepare and study for class and now I am successfirl.” Her best experience

was “how to write a paragraph for an essay.” The difficulties with the course were often

96

eliminated through the explanations provided by Francis. Once given, Fena felt “ease and
comfort.” The semester brought her an understanding that, “now I can write my own
essay.”

F ena’s answers to the questionnaire are interesting given the struggles firat
occurred at home. I could not discern if the environment at home was now more
supportive of her educational goals. Given that F ena stated she was going to continue
college, this indicated either resolution at home or her determination to continue school
regardless of fire home situation. Her husband’s return to Saudi Arabia provided F ena
with more freedom in making decisions. It allowed her to move fi'om goals that were
privately held but which she was not able to publicly acknowledge (Nafisi, 2004).

Defining Self

For Fena and Masa, the semester brought new levels of personal and educational
confidence. When I asked Francis what her goals for the students were, she replied that
they take pride in their learning. It was important that the students “turn out good
writing” as this was the tangible product of the course. Both Masa and F ena believed they
achieved firis goal. They were writing in English at new levels of proficiency. While
Masa might still struggle translating between Arabic and English, she felt confident in her
ability to move to English Composition 1. This was in contrast to receiving a D the first
time she took fire course. F ena could now write her own essay and understood the
importance of concepts like parallelism in developing a paragraph. Fena felt firat “I
understand English as an individual and a learner.” The two had the confidence to take
their skills into the larger society. Their cognitive development influenced how they

viewed themselves.

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The course was structured by Francis to have students see progress in the
learning. She understood that cognitive development impacts how students see
firemselves and fire confidence firey have in firemselves. F ena and Masa entered the
course concerned they would be able to master fire material and develop the skills
necessary to become proficient writers of the English language. While firere were
struggles, fireir determination and motivation kept them focused on their goal. They also
navigated an environment firat was not native to them. As “Strangers in fire Land,” their
path to educational success included bofir academic and cultural barriers. They developed
support systems in and outside fire classroom. Success in the course meant F ena and
Masa crossed an important milestone that led firem to new educational experiences. It 0
meant firey felt more confident within an environment that was not native to either one of
them. When asked if she noticed any differences outside of class as a result of taking fire
course, Fena replied, “I feel educated.” Their experience was a mixture of fiagility and

courage (Nafisi, 2004).

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Chapter 5
Understanding The Experience
Introduction

The intent of the study was to understand whefirer there were specific educational
conditions within a college classroom that could support the academic and personal
development of adult women students. The study identified three adult women students,
enrolled in a developmental English class, who were willing to participate in the study.
Each woman had distinct reasons for enrolling in the course. They shared a common
educational goal, to improve their writing skills. The study captured fire experiences of
these women as they progressed through the semester. Weekly observations of the
classroom, including interviews wifir the women and the instructor for the course,
provided an opportunity to study what happened to these women over the course of the
semester. Though references were made by the women to experiences outside the
classroom and the course, the context for the research remained with their classroom
experiences.

The research question asked if there were particular classroom environments that
support the affective and cognitive development of adult women students. Would these
specific educational conditions affect fire future direction of their educational and
personal lives? As a researcher, it was important to understand this experience fi'om the
women’s perspectives and fi'orn observations I made in the classroom. The study focused
on their perceptions in this course over fire semester. In listening to their narratives, it
was important to remember that each of the women had multiple identities; they were

students, women, wives and mothers. Their perspectives were built from cultural, female

99

and adult standpoints. From these individual lenses, it became clear to me firese
experiences were real and meaningfirl for each of the women.

As I followed the students through fire semester, there did not emerge a single
pattern to describe what occurred for the three women. I recognize that the size of my
sample was small. However, I believe the reasons for not finding a single pattern related
to who the women were and the type of experience they had in this class. While there
were similarities and differences in the women’s experiences, each woman’s journey was
unique to her. What they shared in common was a belief the course was meaningful and
helped them to understand themselves and their abilities as learners. My analysis, fi'om
the in-class observations and the interviews, validated their conclusions. By the end of
the semester, I witnessed the ways in which they had changed. The change came in subfie
and overt ways within the classroom environment. They were willing to participate in
class discussion, to ask questions of the instructor Francis, and to acknowledge fireir
struggles with the curriculum. They expressed how they felt about the experience,
moving fiom fear and concern to confidence about themselves. As students, fire women
made successful progress in the course. They were confident about themselves and their
future.

Motivation and Determination

Goldsmith and Archambault (1997, p.13) state, “For adult women, college is not
an expected next step; it is a conscious choice fi'om among. . .a myriad of choices. It is
choosing to alter one’s life radically.” The life of each woman in my study was
complicated, and firere were multiple reasons why firey enrolled in school and in this

course. Each described specific academic goals firat focused on successful completion of

100

the course wifir a new set of writing skills. As the course progressed, from my
conversations with them, there emerged a common theme that was not focused on
enhanced academic skills. It was their desire to grow and develop as individuals. While
this was not articulated to me in the beginning of fire semester, by completion of the
course, each understood firey developed in ways that transcended their academic ability.
This conclusion validated the premise of the study that this educational experience
affected fire academic achievement and self confidence of each of the woman.

Whatever the academic and personal barriers firey overcame, these women
brought to the class personal drive and determination. Kate believed it was the right time
for her to continue her formal education in spite of apprehensions of once again failing in
an academic setting. Masa saw school as a conduit between two cultural worlds. Fena
struggled between the expectations of her family and her desire to enrich her educational
experiences. For each of these students, this course helped them shape their future and
supported their determination to succeed. By the end of fire semester, each woman moved
fi'om apprehension about their abilities to believing they could succeed. Success was
defined as bofir academic accomplishment and personal growth.

These firemes emerged as important elements of fire research and findings.
Initially I intended to focus solely on fire classroom environment. The research question
centered on fire conditions of the classroom and understanding how they could affect the
personal and academic development of these women over the course of a semester. The
question and study implied the classroom had conditions that affect the experiences of the
women. Did fire women feel supported in their learning by the instructor and fellow

students (Kegan, 1994)? Each of the students acknowledged the importance the support

101

of Francis and fellow classmates. However, equally important was fireir desire to
succeed. Their personal motivation and determination was integral to reaching their goal
of completing the course.

In analyzing the interviews and observations, there emerged a set of intrinsic
factors that were important to my study. The personal goals each of the women set for
herself made a difference in her success. It was this strong efficacy that carried them
through fire course. Adult education theories (Brookfield, 1986; Cross, 1981, Kegan,
1994) indicate that adult learners are focused on practical goals in their educational
experience. Kegan (1994, p.292) states only a small percentage of adults entering school
are interested in “personally growing fi‘om being in school.” From fire research and
observations, for these students, their personal goals really mattered and affected both
their academic and personal success. Though not always clearly articulated, each of the
women entered fire course understanding firat firis experience could bring changes in fireir
lives. Kate wanted to remove the ghosts of past educational experiences. Masa wanted an
entry to a world beyond the borders of her community. F ena established an identity
different from the one at home. What occurred went beyond the desire to persist and
complete file course. For each woman, there developed a sense of empowerment.
Enrollment in the course represented a form of control over the path of their lives.

From the research, I came to understand that the experience of each woman was
individual and should be understood fiom her experiences rather than trying to categorize
firem within a specific theoretical construct. I came to appreciate that the women had
multiple goals and individual needs. Understanding the women had firese goals and needs

helped me to see that their self-direction was reflective and focused on themselves. More

102

and more, research lens was shaped by the women and my ability to understand who they
were and what they hoped to attain through firis educational experience. The inquiry
centered on what mattered most to firem. Though fire educational goals were visible to
them and ofirers, it was their internal goals firat drove their sense of success. The balance
between the two provided fire basis for how each woman defined her identity. Their
identities were multifaceted, drawing from their educational experiences and their
personal backgrounds.

The theories of adult learning helped to guide the research but did not shape the
conclusions. Merriam (2001) notes there is no single fireory of adult learning, contending
that it should be understood through a “prism of theories, ideas and fiameworks”
(Merriam, 2001 , p. 96). Given fire diversity of each woman’s experiences, motivations
and expectations, and how each of them negotiated her learning experience (Goto, 1999),
it was difficult to find a single adult theoretical fiamework that was appropriate to the
research. As Cranton (1994, p.3) states, “The phenomenon of adult learning is complex
and difficult to capture in a single definition.” The research and analysis was fiamed by
the individual context of the ways in which each woman learned and developed over the
semester (Hayes, 2000). One of the common themes for each woman was her
determination to succeed in the course. Each had strong self-determination, that carried
her through the course. By fire end of the semester, each spoke of the confidence she felt
in her abilities as a learner and as an individual. The change began with the women and
their ability to understand their motivation for being in the class.

Flannery (2000), Fine (1992) and Tierney (1993) state that learners bring their

own identities and perceptions of who they are into fire learning environment. Within the

103

classroonr, students are linked by firese identities to their learning experience (Luke &
Gore, 1992; Weiler, 1988). These experiences can transform perceptions of self and lead
to new identity construction (F lannery, 2000). What occurred for firese three women
was not the construction of a new identity. The change, over fire course of the semester,
for all of them was to have firis educational experience enhance identities filat began to
evolve before they enrolled in this course. Kate’s education continued throughout her
adult years. Attending college was recognition that she was ready for a formal
educational setting. Masa had determined she would not stay at home. This course
continued her goal to assimilate into the culture. By attending college, Fena created a
world outside her home. Each of the women entered firis course with a strong foundation
of their identity. The experience helped each woman enhance and build upon how she
defined herself.
Classroom as Support and Validation

All of the women had multiple identities that defined who they were. They were
adults, women, and two of firem were not native to American society. Given their
backgrounds, were there theoretical constructs that could be used to flame their
experience within the classroom? As adults, would adult education fireories be
appropriate to what I observed? These fireories are situated in learning environments in
which the adult student is the center of the classroom experience (Cross, 1981; Merriam
& Caffarella, 1999). Adult learning theorists make assumptions concerning who is in the
class and the focus and development of fire learning experience. Were these students who
would be defined as self-directed and self-reflective (Brookfield, 1986; Knowles, 1984)?

As Brookfield (1986) notes, adult learners are oriented toward learning, are willing to set

104

their own goals and define fire methods by which to learn. Adult learners see their
learning as personally significant and grounded in their own concerns and circumstances
(Brookfield, 1986; Cross, 1981; Knowles, 1975).

Working from the premise of transformational fireorists (Cranton, 1994; Dirkx,
1997; Mezirow, 1991 , 2000), did the educational experiences of these women in class
lead to changing their perspectives and meaning systems? Mezirow (1997) states that the
principal goal of adult education is transformative as it allows students to reflect on, and
negotiate, their own values and meaning purposes. Were the conditions within this
classroom fostering agency and supporting their development and change as they
reflected on their assumptions and beliefs and looked inward to themselves (Dirkx, 1997;
Grabove, 1997)? A

Would the tenants of feminist pedagogy help understand the reasons these women
grew and developed as learners within this specific classroom environment? The context
of feminist pedagogical theories (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger & Tarule, 1986; Harding,
1996; Kenda & Morda, 1992; Luke & Gore, 1992) focuses on the classroom as the site in
which female students are given fire opportunity to reshape themselves. It is a place to
make meaning of their learning experience. It can transform perceptions women have of
themselves and lead to new construction of their identity (F lannery, 2000). From the
research, was there evidence that each of the women was creating an authentic self
through this learning experience (Collins, 1991; books, 1994; Ortrrer, 1996)? Were there
fundamental ways that each woman changed their view of themselves or fireir social

setting (books, 1994)?

105

As non-native students, how important was it to be in a classroom that integrated
multicultural perspectives into the curriculum and classroom practices? Would it affect
the development of Fena and Masa as learners and individuals? The fireoretical constructs
for multicultural education (Banks, 2004; Rendon & Hope, 1996 Rhoads &Valadez,
1996;) focus on the importance of creating classroom environments that respect cultural
differences and support the development of students. This type of classroom is sensitive
to fire cultures of its students and aware of an array of learning styles that are aligned to
the multicultural perspectives of the students. Within these classrooms, it is the
recognition of the experiences of students whose identity can be perceived as different
and, therefore, stand apart from ofirer students. Gallos and Ramsey (1997, p.45) describe
it as “the experience of being othered.” These fireoretical constructs emphasize honoring
the differences of students. Tierney (1993) explains it as an environment that is infused
with difference. For Rhoads and Valadez (1996), it would be important that the course
offer Fena and Masa the opportunities to learn without having to reject the cultural forms
they brought with them.

The experiences of firese women in my study could not be categorized within any
of these theoretical constructs. What I came to understand is that all of them grew as
learners and individuals in a classroom environment that was not specifically shaped
around fireir needs as adult learners and non-native students. The classroom presented a
cross section of ages and backgrounds. This created a hybrid complexion for the student
body and the learning environment. The demographics ranged from recent high school
graduates to older adult female students. The majority of the students were under 25. The

instructor, Francis, described fire atmosphere as a “sock hop.” From fire observations, I

106

noted the class had high levels of visible energy, particularly among the younger
students. The younger students’ conversations often focused on themselves, the weekend,
parties and not academic issues. Their references in classroom discussion were relevant
to their age group: rock bands, media stars and cars. These activities contrasted with the
behavior of the older and non-native students who appeared to be more focused on
academic concerns related to the course. All three women commented on the differences
between themselves and fire younger students. Kate remarked about the lack of attention
of the younger students. Kate remarked about the lack of attention of the younger
students. Masa and F ena both felt these students had an advantage since English was their
primary language.

Adult Learners and Support Systems

Adult learning research focuses on isolating the adult learner within the
educational process (Brookfield, 1986; Knowles, 1984; Merriam, 2001). Little
consideration has been given to placing the adult learner within a learning environment
that must account for students across a broad demographic span. This was the type of
class in which Fena, Masa and Kate were enrolled.

Given fire demographics, the women could find the classroom a threatening and
hostile environment, one firat was not welcoming to older and second language students.
If that were true, it would hinder their success as students. What I found was that fire
women developed support networks among some of fire older and non-native students in
the class. The networks were informally created by the women that helped create a sense
of belonging for each of firem. Fena and Kate sat in the front of fire room wifir ofirer adult

women students. The conversations among the women occurred before and after class

107

and included a wide range of topics such as jobs, children and classroom assignments.
Over fire course of the semester, Kate took on a leadership role within this group. The
other adult women students often turned to her for help wifir classroom assignments. She
frequently led fire discussions that were held before and after class among these students.
Kate struggled at times with this new level of recognition as a learner and a leader. Kate
was being defined by these students quite differently fi'om her earlier formal educational
experiences. It took time for her to understand that peer recognition placed her in a
leadership role within the classroom. As the semester progressed, Kate appeared more
comfortable in this role.

Masa’s primary support system was two other second language students, Abby
and Franz. She relied upon them for help with assignments and rarely interacted with
other students in the class. Though Masa expressed interest in becoming more assimilated
into the classroom environment, she continued to rely upon a peer group more reflective
of her own background. However, in her second interview, Masa indicated she felt more
comfortable with her fellow classmates.

The three women were not in a classroom environment firat was shaped only by
the adult learner; the focus of the course was not directed to meet only their learning
needs. However, the three students were able to develop support systems among fellow
students. The women sought out those students who were similar to themselves. Based
upon my research, for adult women students placed in diverse classroom settings, the
ability to create support systems with fellow students who have common interests and
backgrormds can make a difference. It gives the adult students a sense of belonging, a

place of safety to rely upon for help. As the younger students gravitated toward each

108

other, the adult students did the same thing. They aligned themselves in ways to support
each other firrough this educational experience. The women felt acceptance and
understanding fi'om fireir fellow adult students. From firis comfort zone, they were able to
interact with younger students as part of their learning experiences. In this situation,
presented with a classroom environment that had to account for multiple types of students
and learning needs, these women created a structure that supported them firrough this
experience.
Multicultural Learners and the Classroom

There were only four non-native students among the twenty-seven students in the
classroom. Fena and Masa found themselves part of a very small minority that included
only one other Arab-American female student, Abby. F ena and Masa entered an
environment in which they were “Strangers in the Land” (I-Iigham, 1988). It was a
situation in which they found their backgrounds and experiences to be different, even
fi'om fellow adult students. The stated goals of the course were not fiamed fi'om a
multicultural perspective; the course goal was to improve English writing skills. The
course and curriculum focused on providing students with a level of proficiency in a
language that was not native to these two students. Most of the examples in the classroom
and textbook related to experiences that were foreign to both of them. Though the
- instructor, Francis, expressed an understanding of the challenges faced by non-native
students, fire course was not structured to foster dialogue across cultural zones. As an
example, I observed only one class meeting with an assignment that provided a
multicultural perspective of the course curriculum. It involved a discussion concerning

Spanglish and the ways that this represented a hybrid of English and Spanish words.

109

Though fire content was not structured around a multicultural point of view,
Francis fiamed fire course in a way firat supported some of the concepts of multicultural
education. This presents a different perspective concerning the focus of multicultural
education. As stated by Rhoads and Valadez (1996), community colleges must rise to fire
challenge of developing programs, courses and practices that ensure students are
provided a fiamework to learn new ideas, concepts and ways of understanding the world.
In this classroom, fire interactions were not guided by a specific educational perspective
concerning multicultural education and diversity. However, Francis believed in a
classroom in which “everyone treats each other with respect.” Not specifically focusing
on respect of difference, Francis created a common mode of behavior for herself and the
students. Her goal was to maintain an atmosphere in which all students were respected
and encouraged to share their views and ideas. Her assignments required formal and
informal interaction among the students. The strategies included peer review of
assignments and peer support in the computer lab. Consequently, Fena and Masa grew to
feel comfortable within this classroom environment. Masa was able to describe her
experiences as, “At first I was scared. I thought how am I going to ask questions in the
class? American students don’t laugh when someone is talking.” Fena was able to reach
out to ofirer adult women students for support and help. Though it was not a stated goal of
the course, the natural openness and acceptance by fellow students allowed Masa and
Fena to feel welcomed by the instructor and classmates. From their comments Fena and
Masa felt less “strange” in firis classroom environment by the end of the semester.

Masa presents anofirer perspective for a student of difference. Her primary reason

for enrolling in college and this course was to become more proficient in the English

110

language. This goal was a stepping stone to assimilation into American society. She did
not express interest in having her difference validated by the classroom environment.
Masa did not desire to stand apart from fire rest of the students and therefore, creating fire
environment suggested by multicultural fiameworks was not important to her. Her
college education was a means to develop a new cultural identity. Her silence in class did
not represent feeling marginalized but concerned the academic challenges she faced in
learning a new language. Since she did not take notes, Masa spent her class time listening
to Francis and the other students. While Masa did not interact with students other than
Abby and Franz, she described the other students as, , “They are nice. . .they are patient.”
Though there was minimal interaction with most students in the class, Masa said she felt
comfortable among her classmates.

Masa’s desire to assimilate into the classroom and society presents a different
perspective regarding the goals of students of difference. The assumption of theorists is
that it is best to create classroom environments that are aligned to the multicultural
perspectives of students (Adams & Marchesani, 1990; Astin, 1998; Banks, 2004;,
Fernandez, 2004; Landen & Turner, 1995). However, Masa did not want validation of
her culture or difference. She wanted the opportunity to assimilate into the larger society
and hoped that this experience would support her transition. Given her experience, it is
important not to assume all students of difference want to stand apart fiom fire
mainstream.

As non-native students, F ena and Masa faced similar academic challenges in the
course. Both desired to become proficient in English and improve their writing skills.

While Masa’s struggles appeared to remain in the classroom, Fena’s struggles reached

111

into her family life. F ena’s situation was exacerbated by cultural issues, which Malik
(2002, p.169) describes as “patriarchal constructs”. F ena had little support at home for
her educational endeavors. Aldulhadi, Naber and Alsultany (2005) state firat Arab-
American women struggle on multiple fi'onts firat include their private and public lives.
They are often burdened with fire responsibility of not becoming westemized (Darraj,
2005) by their surroundings. The challenge for Fena was to balance the demands of her
home life with her desire to attend school. In creating multicultural perspectives within
the classroom, it is important to take into account the cultural struggles students face as
they attend school. As in Fena’s situation, firese struggles may not relate to the classroom
environment, but to circumstances at home. These conditions can become an additional
burden for students in meeting fireir educational goals. Adult women students fiom
cultures that are rooted in strong patriarchal traditions may find it more difficult to
succeed as firey balance fireir cultural and educational lives.

Fena compensated for her situation by creating a support network among the other
adult women students to substitute for fire support she did not appear to have at home.
Given fire lack of family support, these relationships kept Fena from feeling isolated and
alone in her educational experiences. Unlike Masa, her network extended beyond other
non-native students. The women, particularly Kate, helped guide Fena through fire
semester and it is likely that, without her fellow students, F ena’s struggles with fire
course content would have been even greater. Though there was not a formalized
structure within the classroom that created these networks, F ena chose to develop firem as

a means to be successful in fire course.

112

Pedagogy and the Learning Environment

The learning experiences of the three women were flamed by their enrollment in a
developmental English course. The National Association for Developmental Education
states the purpose of developmental education is to develop the skills and attitudes
necessary to attain academic, career and life goals (McCabe, 2000). Placement is
determined by entrance tests that indicate whether or not a student is ready for college-
level courses. Masa and F ena completed English as a Second Language courses prior to
enrolling in this course. According to fire instructor, Kate appeared to have good writing
skills. However, Kate believed the course was important to becoming successful in
English Composition One.

The sequence of fire college’s English developmental courses typified the
structure for developmental education at community colleges. They are perceived as
“college- readiness” courses firat become pathways to academic success in college-level
courses (Prince & Jenkins, 2005). The developmental education literature reveals
concerns regarding the effect of these courses on students (Key, 1998; McCabe, 2003;
McCabe & Day, 1998; Rouche & Rouche, 1999). For example, the concept of being
“developmental” may cause students to feel inadequate and marginalized because they
are asked to enroll in these courses (Rouche & Rouche, 1999). Fena, Kate and Masa did
not express any concerns about being enrolled in a developmental English course. Each
saw the course as an important academic building block toward furthering their
educational goals and success in English Composition One, a required course for
designated academic programs and degrees. Their apprehensions centered on being able

to complete fire course successfully.

113

The focus of fire research was to understand the experiences of F ena, Kate and
Masa within the environment of this course and class. Though the study was not focused
on the instructor, Francis, she was integral to analyzing and understanding what happened
to the students over the semester. Groto (1999) describes the developmental classroom as
a contact zone in which students navigate their learning experiences. The students may
enter the classroom with their own agendas for being there, and those agendas can
conflict with that of the instructor. The agendas for Kate, Masa, Fena and Francis
appeared to be aligned.

Like fire students, Francis’ stated goal was for students to acquire the basic skills
to become proficient writers. Although it did not seem that Francis had not structured the
course around a specific pedagogical construct, given her experiences, she did work to
make the course to be inclusive and to address the multiple types of learners firat were
enrolled in the course. Francis felt she had a good understanding of the challenges her
students faced in her course and believed that, “Developmental classes are some of the
most important ones we teach.” Francis believed there were multiple reasons why her
students were not prepared and, therefore, enrolled in the course; these included that the
students’ learning styles had not been addressed or that they had a prior bad experience
with a “not very sensitive teacher.” Francis believed fire students ‘fivanted to go to college
for some reasons.” She saw her role as supporting and guiding the students toward
becoming successful learners. Francis worked flom a standpoint firat it was important to
create a safe environment that challenged her students, but did not threaten them.

Like earlier classes she taught, Francis understood that this class had its own

unique personality, which she described as a “sock hop.” It is an interesting

114

characterization given fire differences Francis saw between younger and older students.
From her perspective, older students were a lot more anxious while younger students
needed more guidance. To Francis, the classroom behavior appeared to be more
masculine than feminine. This is not surprising given that more males firan females
enrolled in the course. In her view, a masculine class would try to “get by with as little as
possible” as compared to a feminine class, which was “more down to cases and they want
to do all file exercises, want to have answers to everything.” If Francis’ analysis was
correct, the environment of the classroom could have been uncomfortable for Masa, Fena
and Kate. While F ena, Kate and Masa focused on being academically successful, many of
the younger students appeared to only want to do a minimal amount in the course.
However, Francis’ approach to her students and her ability to recognize and to understand
the differences among them mitigated it becoming a hostile environment for fire three
women. Francis created classroom conditions that nurtrned and instilled confidence in
these women.

Francis began with a common set of goals for all the students in the class. While
recognizing there were differences in learning styles, she wanted students to learn and to
develop their skills. “I talk a lot about the importance of learning, the importance of the
subject. In my developmental classes, I do a lot more of that... (they) need motivation (to)
feel what they are doing is important.” Rather than differentiate between female and
male, adult and younger students, native or non-native students, in her mind, “When it
comes to real learning, I don’t know if there is a big difference.” As a result, her
classroom, like her students, was a mix of elements of adult learning, feminist pedagogy

and multicultural theories (Banks, 2004; Cross, 1981; Gallos & Ramsey, 1997; Kegan,

115

1994; Luke & Gore, 1992; Maher & Tetreault, 1994; Merriam & Caffarella, 1999;
Rendon, 1999; Tennant & Pogson, 1995; Tierney, 1993; Weiler, 1998). Her primary goal
was to have her students “become good student citizens, to be professional, to take in
their learning, to learn quickly to navigate a professional (learning) environment.” Within
a set of boundaries she established in the classroom, Francis wanted her students to have
the ability to feel confident about their learning experiences. These boundaries were
shaped by the manner in which she directed each lesson from its content to the type of
student activities used in the classroom. From my observations, it appeared Francis
developed instructional strategies firat were inclusive and respectful of students. Each
student was given the opportrmity to participate in class discussions, and peer interaction
was an important part of classroom activities. In her interviews, Francis described the
importance of seeing each student as an individual. As I observed, Francis saw each
student as unique while directing them toward successfirl completion of the course. In a
nurturing environment that utilized positive reinforcement, she reminded them that “the
more you know, the more you understan .”

Francis created a classroom that balanced academic rigors with support for the
individual student learning experience. As each of the women noted, through her teaching
practices, Francis instilled confidence in fire women as they engaged in the educational
process with her. Palmer (1998) states there are inner forces that connect the instructor,
the students and the subject. In Francis’ passion for the subject and the desire to bring it
to her students, she created ways to connect to Masa, Fena and Kate and amrm their
abilities as learners. Not working flom a single theoretical stance, Francis utilized

practices that were based on her experiences and appropriate to the students in the class.

116

Francis saw each of her students as individuals and understood how important fire
relationship she established wifir them was to their academic success. Kate, Fena and
Masa looked to Francis for guidance and direction and each woman had a unique
relationship wifir her. It could be seen in Francis’ patience with F ena and Masa in fire
computer lab or helping firem firrough a classroom assignment; she was available to them
after class. At times, with Kate, Francis was more direct. On several occasions she asked
Kate to expand on her answers. Though it created some tension, as when Kate refused to
share her work, Francis often “did not take no for an answer.” Francis took the time to
see each of the students as individuals and adapted her approach to their learning needs.
Francis’ sensitivity to each of the women created bridges that brought them into
the learning environment and supported their journey. While maintaining control of fire
structure of the course, Francis provided an inclusive learning environment firat
connected to the learning styles of the three women. Relationships between Francis and
the women were built upon fire concept that students should not be placed in categories,
whether by age or academic abilities. Given the diversity of students within many
community college classrooms, future research should consider pedagogical flames that
account for a multitude of learning styles. This should extend beyond present research
(Broolcfield, 1987; Cross, 1981; Tennant & Pogsen, 1995; Weiler, 1988) that looks at
students within broad-based categories. The challenge for instructors is to create
classroom environments firat are holistic, recognizing the uniqueness of fire student and
integrating good teaching first helps students to develop a base of knowledge fl'om the

course content.

117

Integrating Academic Achievement and Self Confidence

Central to fire research study was to understand the relationship of academic
achievement and self confidence within a classroom setting. Was there evidence of
progress being made by Kate, F ena and Masa in their knowledge acquisition? In what
ways did their academic growth afl‘ect fireir development as learners and individuals? In
understanding what occurred to the firree women, there may be implications for further
studies concerning learning, personal development and classroom structures. Kohlberg
(1975), Erickson (1968) and Perry (1985) see cognitive development in individuals
unfolding over time. Readiness and timeliness are central to the sequence of moving flom
one stage to another and, therefore, to new levels of development (Strange, 1994).
Feminist studies (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger & Tarule, 1986, 1996; Fine, 1992; Hare
Musting & Marecek, 1990; Unger, 1989) question the ways in which knowledge is
created and its relationship to development. These studies look at where the individual is
located in order to understand the patterns of development. They can focus on
understanding how women define learning, gather knowledge and create meaning fiom
the experience (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger & Tarule, 1986). Is learning a personal
interactive process that can create new awareness in women concerning their identity,
needs and challenges (Fiddler & Marienau, 1995)? Does this occur when women have
agency over fireir own learning (Maher & Tetreault, 1994; Weiler, 1998)?

Masa, Fena and Kate entered fire course wifir a set of predetermined academic
goals that were reinforced by their personal determination to succeed. Each had different
levels of academic preparation for the course. Self-educated, Kate had “learned on my

own.” While well-read, her learning experiences were isolated and self-directed. Masa

118

and F ena faced greater academic challenges in a course firat was a second language for
each of firem, yet both of them had the resolve to achieve their academic goal of
improving their English skills.

The experiences of the three women indicated a strong connection between fireir
cognitive development and their sense of identity. In watching fireir progress over fire
semester, it became evident each changed as a learner and individual. They made
connections between their internal and external development (Gilligan, 1988). They
became better able to understand who firey were as each woman learned how to negotiate
her learning experience. Kate grew from being an autonomous learner to becoming
confident in learning within a collective environment. Over the semester, Kate came to
feel she was “learning so much about going to school, learning how to follow instructions
after all those years of doing it my way. It is different in school.” Kate explained firat “the
best experience is getting good grades. It is so much frm. My self esteem comes along
with it.” Kate’s academic success in the course helped to enhance her self image. As she
mastered the course content and received good grades, Kate’s confidence grew.

Masa defined her educational experience as a means to help her form a new
identity, one that allowed her to assimilate into society. Mastery of course content meant
not only proficiency in the English language, but greater agency over her future. Thus,
when she struggled in the early weeks of fire course, Masa understood “it is hard, but I try
to make it not hard for me.” By the end of the semester, with improvement in her skill
level, Masa was pleased she could “write a paragraph and even wrote an essay last week.
Before I could not‘write five or seven sentences. I am more confident and I have a chance

todofirings.”Doingthingswasseenasanabilityto“speakbetterandlusebetter

119

grammar than before, correct grammar I can say.” For Fena, success in the course
brought “lots of changes in my life. I understand English as an individual and learner. I
am more confident and feel educated.” This concept of feeling educated was important
to all three of fire women. Comprehension of the course content became equated with
their personal development. The mark of success was not only the good grades they
received, but fire sense of accomplishment each of them felt.

What can be learned flom the experiences of Kate, F ena and Masa? As Kate
noted, academic success impacted their sense of identity. As firey progressed through the
course, mastering its content and concepts, each woman gained greater self-awareness.
Their evolving sense of self was made through their connection to academic
accomplishments (Gilligan, 1982). Their sense of identity came from their academic
experiences during this semester. Mastery of the course content was important to the way
fire women felt about firemselves as learners and individuals. As Flannery notes (2000),
the external influence of the classroom impacts the development of identity and the sense
of self. The academic success of each woman helped enhance the continuing journey of
defining herself. Their growth and greater sense of self was evident in their decision to
continue their academic careers once fire course was completed. For these women, the
study confirmed the strong links between cognitive and personal development within a
classroom environment. Future studies should research the link between academic and
personal development within different types of classroom structures. Can the experiences
of these women be found in other classroom environments? How can their experiences be
utilized to create successful experiences for adult women students enrolled in

developmental courses?

120

Understanding Their Journey

The research focuses on the experiences of three women enrolled in a
developmental English course for one semester. The study situated these students within
their classroom experience and focused on fireir perceptions of the learning experience. It
was their lens that flamed the study and its conclusions. From their words and my
observations of them, it appeared the course was a positive experience for them yet this
occurred in a classroom that was not centered on adult learning, feminist pedagogy or
multicultural learning. It was an environment in which the women interacted wifir other
students representing different genders, ages and backgrounds. The instructor had not
shaped the course around a specific pedagogical approach that focused only on their
learning styles or their cultural backgrounds.

Why were the women able to be successful? The desire to succeed began before
the semester started. An important element was their motivation for enrolling in fire
course. Each student entered wifir a defined set of academic and personal goals. They
were able to develop support systems within the class among fellow students. These peer
relationships were important connections as the semester progressed. The instructor
provided a nurturing and supportive environment while still emphasing the importance
of mastery of course content. With the support of the instructor and classmates, fire
women felt validated in their learning experiences.

When asked what made fire experience positive, the women cited fireir confidence
in their abilities to be successfirl students. This came over time and wifir affirmation of

fireir abilities as learners. These experiences helped them gain confidence. Within this

121

classroom, the learning experience came to mean acquiring knowledge, but also gaining
agency over their lives as students and individuals.

Attention must be paid to fire important relationship between mastery of course
content and improved self-image among adult women learners. In firis study, the three
women wanted to become proficient in English. Their goal was to complete the course
successfirlly and be prepared to take English Composition One, the next level class.
These women entered fire course concerned about their abilities, either because of past
educational experiences or having English as a second language. By the end of fire
semester, they felt a sense of accomplishment, which gave each woman renewed
confidence. Achieving fireir academic goals brought new levels of self-worth and agency
over their lives.

Implications of the Research

This research provided an opportunity to look at file experience of three adult
women within a classroom over one semester. Each of the women was unique and
different from each ofirer. It is important to remember the experiences of these women
students were centered on who they are and why they entered college. Researchers should
look at the experiences of adult women students as distinct and unique. I came to
understand that “one size” does not fit all and, therefore, theoretical constructs helped to
guide the study but did not flame it. Future researchers should consider other studies that
are focused on specific educational life histories and what can be learned from firose
student experiences.

This study raised a number of questions that could be pursued in future research.

What importance should be placed on the role of intrinsic motivation in the academic and

122

personal success of adult women students? Was firis a unique situation given fire reasons
each woman had for enrolling in the course? In this study, fire women’s personal histories
helped flame their personal goals and, therefore could not be divorced flom the
classroom environment. To what extent is it the case for other students? How are these
personal histories acknowledged and taken into account by faculty and the curriculum?
How much can community college faculty address students’ personal histories with
increasing class sizes, changing student populations and instructional demands?

In firis study, families were integral to the experience of each woman. While fire
pressures adult women have in meeting family and student responsibilities is well
documented, in firis study two families were active participants in the learning process.
Are there ways to cultivate families engaged in the learning process so that other women
students could benefit as firese two did?

The development of peer support systems within the classroom was another
important aspect of the study. As noted, these were formed ad hoc and out of the need of
students to join with others who understood their issues or concerns. In this study the peer
groups served as a bridge into the classroom environment. How important are peer
groups in other classrooms that integrate younger and older students?

Based on this study, consideration should be given to further research concerning
adult women learners as they are placed in classroom environments with diverse
representation of age ethnicity and gender. How does it impact the learning experiences
of adult women students? What theoretical constructs can be used to help understand

these experiences?

123

Increasing attention must be paid to the ways in which the cultural backgrounds
of adult women students can impact their learning experiences. What are fire relationships
between student success and their cultural histories? How can classroom environments
account for the distinct cultural backgrounds of students like Fena and Masa? Given the
dearth of current literature, there is a need further research concerning Arab-American
women students and higher education as my study showed a clear impact of cultural
identity on classroom learning.

The instructor of the course took a traditional approach to learning. The focus was
the mastery of course content so students became better writers. However, the instructor
had a holistic teaching style that valued these women as students and individuals. It was a
unique relationship in which Francis, the instructor, was able to balance her affective
teaching style wifir a procedural approach to mastery of the material. Francis is an
example of an instructor who focused on content mastery and made strong connections to
her students. Further research should focus on whether firis is found in other classroom
environments. Are there other instructors who can successfully balance their love for
teaching wifir the ability to create a standards based curriculum? What are the
characteristics of instructors who are able to achieve this type of symmetry in fireir
classrooms? Can this approach to teaching be taught to others?

Role of the Researcher

I began this study because of my personal interest in the topic. Over the course of
twenty years in the classroom, I saw many adult women students who entered on the first
day of class wifir fear and trepidation. By the end of the course, they were often the most

successful students in the class. I watched them grow as learners and individuals,

124

exhibiting new confidence in themselves. Often they were seen by their classmates as
“leaders,” the students who understood the material and could help others in the class.
Through my research, I wanted to see if my observations could be formally validated. It
was a voyage to understand the ways in which women learn and grow in our classrooms.
I hoped it would help firture instructors understand who firese women were and why they
were in their classroom.

This is a project in which I became part of the research. I became involved in the
research because I wanted to give voice to fire experiences I saw in my own classrooms.
Over the course of the semester, I came to know Fena, Masa and Kate in a context that
extended beyond the classroom observations and interviews. Their willingness to talk to
me before and after class and to share their lives for one semester provided an entry that
allowed me to be visible and part of their experience. I came to know them as individuals,
not just students. They allowed me to enter their lives for one semester.

As Rufir Behar (1996) notes I became a “Vulnerable Observer.” I worried when
Masa was absent for several class periods. Upon returning, she shared that it was due to
illness. I had tears on the day Kate told me that one day she would not have to go to the
library, but would own her own books. I was concerned that family pressures would force
Fena to leave school. I observed them within the context of the classroom environment
and the interviews, but they were more than subjects; they became my fiiends. I looked
forward to talking to them before and after class. Being allowed into their lives provided
me with insights about each woman firat I would not otherwise known about firem.

Though the study did not center on Francis, it was difficult not to make her more

important to fire study. Perhaps that is for a later paper or future research. In Francis 1 saw

125

myself as an instructor. Our teaching styles and approaches were almost identical. Like
Francis, I have high standards for my course, but work hard to bring fire students firrough
the semester. I understand her passion and love of teaching and the desire to want to
make a difference in students’ lives.

Did my involvement wifir fire study make fire analysis more difficult? I do not
believe it did. Rafirer it gave me a base of understanding that perhaps another researcher
with less teaching experience would not have had. Did it color my perceptions about the
study? I do not believe it did. As Behr and Gordon (1995) note, it allowed me to write
more creatively and to be more self-engaged in the process. It allowed me to portray the
value of Kate, Masa and Fena’s lives. I thank each of them for the opportunity to get to

know them and share fireir stories.

126

APPENDIX A

LETTERS AFFIRMING SELECTION SITE
January 7, 2001

Dr. XXXX

Vice President, Academic Affairs
Community College

Street Address

City, State, Zip Code

Dear Dr.XXXX,

Thank you for allowing Community College to be the site for my study during the winter
semester, 2002. The purpose of the study is to understand the educational experiences of
adult female students enrolled in a community college English developmental course.
The study is designed as a case study and will look at these students’ experiences during
the course of one semester. Through fire setting of the classroom, I will have fire
opportunity to examine the learning experiences of these students. This will be
accomplished through interviews with the students, visits to the classroom, an interview
of the classroom instructor and examination of classroom artifacts. Given Schoolcraft’s
commitment to student learning and developmental education, the study could provide
the college with additional information that would be helpfirl in meeting your educational
objectives.

Through your assistance, XXXX has agreed to allow me to use her English 055, Building
Writing Skills, Section #111507, as fire site for my research. I will be attending her class
on Thursday mornings fl'om 10-1 1 :20. We will work together to identify appropriate
students to participate in the study. I will meet with the students, provide general
information about the study and ask firem to participate. Upon agreeing to participate in
the study, I will explain their role and responsibilities in the study. Each participant will
sign a letter of consent and be interviewed three times during the semester. Hard copies
of the transcribed interviews will be made available to the students

The study is the foundation for a dissertation at Michigan State University. The
university’s policies require that pseudonyms will be used within all texts and documents
produced by the study. The study will identify the college, classroom instructor and
students by pseudonyms. No comments will be attributed to specific individuals. Every
effort will be made to insure that no details will be provided in any verbal or written
reports that could identify Community College, the instructor or fire study participants.
The dissertation will be published in hard copy and microfiche, which will be housed at
the Michigan State University library. Publication may also result flom the final project.

127

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.

Thank you again for fire allowing me to complete my research at Community College.

Sincerely,

Carol Brown
Cc: Marilyn Amey
Hale Program, Michigan State University

128

January 7, 2001

Teacher

Faculty Director

Associate Professor, English
Community College

Street Address

City, State, Zip Code

Dear Dr.XXXX,

Thank you for allowing your classroom to be the site for my study during the winter
semester, 2002. The purpose of the study is to understand fire educational experiences of
adult female students enrolled in a community college English developmental course.
The study is designed as a case study and will look at these students’ experiences during
the course of one semester. Through the setting of your classroom, I will have the
opportunity to examine the learning experiences of these students. I will be using your
English 055, Building writing Skills, Section #111507 as the site for my research. I will
be attending your class on Thursday mornings flom 10-11:20. With your assistance, we
will identify potential students to participate in the study. I will meet with them, provide
general information about the study and ask them to participate. Upon agreeing to
participate, I will explain their role and responsibilities in fire study. Each student will
sign a letter of consent and be interviewed three times during fire semester. Hard copies
of fire transcribed interviews will be made available to them. You have agreed to allow
me to interview you during the semester and provide me with appropriate classroom
artifacts. I have provided you with a copy of the methodology section of my dissertation
proposal that oufiines fire methodology and protocol for the study.

The study is the foundation for my dissertation at Michigan State University. The
university’s policies require that pseudonyms will be used in all texts and documents
produced by the study. The study will identify the college, students and you by
pseudonyms. No comments will be attributed to specific individuals. Every effort will be
madeto insurethatno detailswillbeprovided inanyverbal orwrittenreportsthatcould
identify Schoolcraft, the study participants or you. The dissertation will be published in
hard copy and microfiche, which will be housed at the Michigan State University library.
Publication may also result fl'om fire final project.

129

I look forward to working with you firis semester.
Thank you again for allowing your classroom to be the site of my research.

Sincerely

Carol Brown

Cc: Marilyn Amey
Hale Program, Michigan State University

Lou Reibling
Vice President, Academic Affairs

130

APPENDIX B

Consent Form
(Student)

Case Study of Adult Female Students Enrolled in a Developmental English Course
at a Community College

This research concerns your participation in a study of adult female students enrolled in a
developmental English course at your college. The study is interested in your perceptions
of firis learning experience. Your involvement will include being interviewed three times
over the course of the semester. Each interview will be one hour in length and scheduled
at a time and location that is convenient for you. If you consent, each interview will be
audio taped. The interviews and their transcriptions are integral to the case study. This
study is fire foundation for a dissertation and it will be shared with fire dissertation
committee. The dissertation will be published in hard copy and microfiche, which will be
housed at the Michigan State University library. Publication may also result florn the
final project.

Be assured that your responses will be held in confidence to the firllest extent allowable
by law. If you consent to having your interviews audio taped, the tapes, transcripts and all
research notes pertaining to the study will be kept in a secure location accessible only to
fire researcher. To protect the confidentiality of your identity, pseudonyms will be used
wifirin all texts and documents produced by the study. The study will identify your
institution and classroom instructor by a pseudonym. No comments will be attributed to
specific individuals. Every effort will be made to insure firat no details will be provided in
any verbal or written reports that could identify you. Your participation is voluntary, and
you can decline to answer any questions during the interviews. If you wish, hard copies
of the transcribed interviews will be made available to you. You can withdraw flom
participating in the study at any time without penalty to your grades. This can occur until
the final stages of the writing process of the dissertation.

If you have any questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant, please
feel flee to contact Ashir Kurnar, Chair of Michigan State University’s University
Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects at (517) 355-2180 or through e-mail
at ucrish@msu.edu. If you have any questions regarding the study please contact either
Marilyn Amey at (517) 432-1056/ amey.msu.edu or Carol Brown at (248) 349-0652/
cabrown@voyager.net.

Please check one statement below

I agree to participate, and I give consent that the interview can be audio taped. At
any time I may ask that the tape recorder be stopped.

131

I agree to participate, but I do not give consent that the interview be audio taped.

(name)

 

Researcher
Dr. Marilyn Amey

(signature) (date)

 

Higher Adult and Lifelong Education Program

427 Erickson Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824
(517) 432-1056
amey@msu.edu

132

Graduate Research Assistant

Carol Brown

Higher Adult and Lifelong Education
Michigan State University

(248) 349-0652
cabrown@voyager.net

Consent Form
(Instructor)

Case study of Adult Female Students Enrolled in a Developmental English Course
at a Community College

This research concerns your participation in a study of adult female students enrolled in a
developmental English course at your college. The study is interested in your perceptions
of this learning experience. Your involvement will include being interviewed two times
over fire course of the semester. Each interview will be one hour in length and scheduled
at a time and location that is convenient for you. If you consent, each interview will be
audio taped. The interviews and their transcriptions are integral to the case study. The
study is the foundation for a dissertation and it will be shared wifir the dissertation
committee. The dissertation will be published in hard copy and microfiche, which will e
housed at the Michigan State University library. Publication may also result flom the
final project.

Be assured that your responses will be held in confidence to the fullest extent allowable
by law. If you consent to having your interviews audio taped, the tapes, transcripts and all
research notes pertaining to the study will be kept in a secure location accessible only to
the researcher. To protect fire confidentiality of your identity, a pseudonym will be used
within all texts and documents produced by the study. The study will identify your
institution and students by a pseudonym. No comments will be attributed to specific
individuals. Every effort will be made to insure that no details will be provided in any
verbal or written reports that could identify you. Your participation is voluntary, and you
can decline to answer any questions during the interviews. If you wish, hard copies of the
transcribed interviews will be made available to you. You can withdraw flom
participating in the study at any time. This can occur until the final stages of the writing
process of the dissertation.

If you have any questions or concern about your rights as a research participant, please
feel flee to contact Ashir Kurnar, Chair of Michigan State University’s University
Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects at (517) 355-2180 or through e-mail
at ucrish@rr_r§u.edu. If you have any questions regarding the study please contact either
Marilyn Amey at (517) 432-1056/ame su.edu or Carol Brown at (248) 349-0652/
9_abrown_@voyager.net.

Please check one statement below

I agree to participate, and I give consent that fire interview can be audio taped.
At any time I may ask that the tape recorder be stopped.

 

I agree to participate, but I do not give consent that the interview be audio taped.

( mMM) (Signamre) ___(date)

 

133

APPENDD( C

Protocol Questions for Interview One
(Students)

(Revised/Ol/27/02)

Thank you for agreeing to do this interview. As I mentioned, I will be audio taping the
interview and it will be transcribed at a later date by me. Pseudonyms will be used for
you, fire instructor and the class. If at any time you do not wish to answer a question,
please let me know.

1.

9.

Would you begin by describing yourself? It would be helpful if you included
something about your background including your age, where you are flom, and your
family structure. Do you work? How might you describe yourself to someone else?

Have you attended college prior to enrolling here? Where and when did you begin
your college career?

Can you describe the reasons why you decided to attend this community college?
Why did you choose this form of higher education? Did you have any preconceived
notions concerning college life/community colleges?

What are your long-term education goals? What do you hope to gain by attending
college?

. How did your decision to attend school this semester affect your life?

Why did you decide to enroll in this course?

What were your expectations for this course? What did you expect florn the
instructor, flom yourself?

How would you describe the first few weeks in terms of your adjustment to the class
and the instructor?

How would you describe the learning environment of fire class?

10. What types of things have been helpful to you in learning? Do you have specific

strategies to learn something?

11. What role does the instructor play in supporting your learning needs? What types of

things do you find helpful to you in learning?

12. Have you noticed any changes in yourself since beginning the course?

134

13. How do you balance going to school and ofirer parts of your life?

135

APPENDIX D

Protocol Questions for Interview One

(Instructor)

Thank you for agreeing to do firis interview. As I mentioned, I will be audiotaping the
interview and it will be transcribed at a later date by me. Pseudonyms will be used for
you, the students and the class. If at any time you do not wish to answer a question,
please let me know.

1.

Would you begin by describing your background? It would be helpful if you included
your educational background, your degrees, how long you have been teaching in
higher education.

How long have you been teaching at Community College? What are the types of
courses you have taught? Do you have any other college responsibilities?

Can you describe the reasons why you decided to teach at a community college and
specifically this one? Did you have any preconceived notions concerning community
college teaching?

Why do you choose to teach this course?

What are your expectations for yourself during fire course of fire semester? What do
you expect florn the students? How is this reflected in the structure of the class?

How would you describe yourselfas an instructor? Is there a particular methodology
firat you use? If so why? Why do you describe the class as a “workshop?” Are there
specific strategies that you incorporate into your approach to the course? Why did
you choose strategies such as journals, peer review, collaboration and the use of a
computer lab?

How would you describe the learning environment of this class?
What role should the instructor play in supporting the learning needs of the students?
Do you notice a difference between the learning styles of the male/ female students?

Do you notice a difference between older/younger students? Do you believe there is a
difference in the way male/ female students learn?

10. Have you notices any changes in the class since it began?

136

APPENDIX E

Protocol Questions for Interview Two
(Students)

Thank you for the opportunity to interview you for a second time this semester. I
appreciate the time we have spent together and have learned a great deal through my
observations of the class and these interviews.

As file semester is winding down, I would like to talk to you today about your
observations of this experience and how it has impacted you as a student and as an
individual.

1.

In general, how would you describe your experience in this class? As you look at
where you are today compared to when you entered the class, do you notice any
differences in your self as a learner and as an individual?

Do you feel more confident as a learner? Being enrolled in an English course can you
see any changes in your learning style, your writing, how you study and prepare for
class?

What would you describe as the best experiences you have had in the class? Could

you describe some of fire highlights of the course during the semester? Were you
comfortable wifir your role within the class structure?

I you have done something different firis semester what would it have been? What did
you find most difficult during fire semester?

What have you learned about yourself through this course? As a learner and as an
individual?

If you could share one thing with the instructor what would it be? What did you find
most helpful in the way the course was structured? What hindered you?

What are your educational plans once the course is over? Will you be enrolling in
future courses at the college? Which ones?

Have you noticed any differences outside of class as a result of taking this course?

137

APPENDD( F

Protocol Questions for Interview Two
(Instructor)

Thank you for the opportunity to observe your class this semester. I feel like I have
become part of fire class. In this second interview, I would like to discuss the semester
and your observations about it.

1. As you firink back over the semester do you feel that you meet your goals for yourself
and the students?

2. What do you consider some of the highlights of the course for you and for the
students?

3. Did you notice a difference in the students by the end of the semester? Could you
give some examples?

4. Some of the students might be defined as “high risk”, low-test scores or poor
preparation for class. What were some of the reasons why some students stayed and
others did not? Do you believe there are any predictors for who will stay and who will
not? What types of pedagogy help to support student retention in a developmental
class?

5. I noticed that you had a fairly high retention rate, how many students remained flom
the original group? Who left and why do you think firey did not stay?

6. . Were some students more willing to contact you out of class than others? If so which
ones and why?

7. Every class seems to take on its own personality, how would you describe the
personality of this class?

8. Based on this class, would you change any of your specific strategies or
methodologies that you used this semester? Why or why not?

9. We have talked before about the issue of gender and learning. Did you notice specific
differences in this class in learning styles based on gender, age or ethnicity?

10. Have you noticed any changes in yourselfas an instructor as a result of the class?

138

APPENDIX G

Course Syllabus
XXXXX College
ENG XXX

Course: ENG XXX — Building Writing Skills 3 Credit Hours

Texts: Along These Lines: Writing Paragraphs and Essajg 2'“1 ed.
by John Sheridan Blays and Carol Wershoven.

Additional Materials:
HD computer disk
3-ring binder and dividers (optional)
Paper folder with pockets for journal assignments

Catalog Description:
This is the second of a two-part course (ENG XXX) designed to prepare students
for composition courses. The major goals are to master basic paragraph structure
and write clear, efficient sentences. In connection with paragraph structure,
students will study topic sentences, ways to improve paragraph content, and
strategies for organizing paragraphs. In studying sentences, students will learn
about diction, syntax and punctuation. Accurate spelling and appropriate
grammatical concepts will be emphasized. A grade of 2.0 or better in ENG XXX
is necessary to enter ENG XXX.

Prerequisites:
Satisfactory ASSET score or minimum grade of 2.0 in ENG

Course Objectives:
Upon successfill completion of the course, students should be able to:

1.
2.

>19???“

9.

Use writing as a tool of expression and for success in ENG.

Identify, plan and write the elements of a paragraph—especially topic
sentences, subtopics and termination sentences;

Order ideas, develop detail, unify ideas, and retain coherence;

Write basic sentence patterns and all four voices of sentences;

Use punctuation marks; find and correct punctuation errors;

Find periodical literature in a library;

Understand and apply basic principles of some rhetorical modes to be
encountered in ENG XXX—specifically, illustration, description, narration
and comparison.

Prooflead and correct papers for common usage, sentence structure or word
choice errors;

Understand the basic components of expository essays in preparation for
ENG;

10. Collaborate with others—as writers flequently do in the workplace.

139

Methods of Instruction:

”Since ENG 55 is a skills class, the course is taught as a workshop. In other words, the
course takes a step-by-step approach to all writing tasks. Brief lectures, book exercise,
discussions, and in-class writing will be used to demonstrate writing principles or modes
and help students learn how to plan, write, and revise paragraphs.

Outside of class, students complete reading assignments and exercises florn the text,
write applications, conduct research, and prepare some writing experiments. For each
application assignment, students submit rough drafts for feedback before the final draft is
due.

To teach critical thinking and collaboration skills, many group exercises are conducted.
Some classes may be held in fire ACL (Academic Computer Lab), Brander Library or
other campus sites.

Student/Instructor Responsibilities:

1. Students should schedule at least two hours of study time outside of class for each
class credit hour.

2. Plagiarism of writing assignments or dishonesty on homework or exams will
result in a grade of zero.

3. Students should keep a complete record of graded papers and exercises, records
grades and keep track of fireir course progress.

4. Students should discuss with me any needs they have for test taking or other
learning activities. I may refer special accommodation requests to the Learning
Assistance Center.

5. Please inform me of any health condition that may cause a classroom emergency.

6. Except in emergency situations, I do not accept assignments after deadlines. If
students encounter difficulty with assignments they should request extensions
before fire deadline is imminent. If students miss turning in assignments due to
physical or personal emergencies, they should call me within 48 hours so a new
deadline may be established.

7. If assignments are turned in late without extensions, or if they do not meet an
assignment’s format or requirements, I will return them without grades.

8. I will return in-class work or exercises within two class periods; I will return
graded reports no later than two weeks after submission.

Attendance Policy:

0 Attendance is taken daily. Because students earn extra grades for class
application and participation, attendance will afl‘ect an overall grade
average. Consistent class attendance is necessary to complete this course
successfully; more than three hours of absence puts a student’s grade at
risk.

140

- Schoolcrafl College announces closings on local radio and TV broadcasts.

- Students are responsible for completing assignments given during missed
classes.

Support Services:

1. The Learning Assistance Center may have tutors for this course. The LAC is located
in fire McDowell Center —- Room 210. The direct number is 734-462-4436.
Plagiarism of writing assignments or dishonesty on homework or exams will
result in a grade of zero.

2. The general (open) computer lab for student use is located in MC 100 (lower
level of the McDowell Center). This lab is available for students to complete
homework assignments and is open daily and on weekends. The lab hours are
posted in MC-l QO.

3. Lab technicians are available in MC-lOO to help students with hardware or system
problems in the labs, but they will not be able to answer questions on software
packages.

4. Food and drink are not allowed in any computer lab. Additional policies may be
posted in MC-100.

Keys to Success:

Maintain a positive attitude about learning and the class.
0 Attend ail class sessions and be punctual.
- Rlead the textbook and the handouts before and after
c asses- A
Invest in learning and enjoy learning with others. Ask
many questions.
Expect new skills to be difficult to apply, yet relish the
challenge.
- Be proud of your daily professional growth. Have frm.

Evaluation Techniques

Course grades will be determined according to the following assignments and averages:

3 Unit Tests 15%
4 Writing Application

Assignments 45%
Journal Assignments 10%
Class Application and

Participation (CAP) 10%
Paragraph Exlt Exam 10%
Multr 1e Choice Exit Exam (Final

Exam 10%

0 Unit Tests (15%)

141

The three, forty-five minute Unit Tests will be short-answer, "work-on" tests
similar in content and type to daily exercises. The unit tests, each worth 5%
of the course grade, evaluate general course progress and prepare students

for exit exams.

0 Writing Application Assignments (45 %)

The emphasis of this course is writing, but grammar will also be reviewed.
Consequently, three, two -paragraph-length applications, each worth 10% of
the course grade, will help students apply composition and grammar skills
in concert. The applications will also prepare

students for the Paragraph Exit Exam, The last application assignment,
worth 15%, will he essay-length and repare students for ENG lOl.For
each ap lication assi ent, the stu ent will submit a rough draft for
feedbac before the al draft is due. Rough drafts will earn CAP points;
final drafts will earn grades.

' Journal Assignments (10%)

Prom a list of twelve journal assi ents, students will complete six. These
assignments are designed to teac writingby writing and will be graded for
completeness rather than "correctness." tudents Will be given three weeks
to complete these assignments outside of class.

0 Class Application and Participation (CAP) 10%

Over the course of the semester, up to 100 points may be earned by each
student on homework, pop quizzes, outline reviews, submitted rough drafts
and other class activities. Missed point-checks may not be made up for any
reason. Clearly, if a student is not present, he or she has not progressed
through class participation. However, some opportunities for extra credit
assignments will he provided so that students may bank some points
against a possible sick day. At the end of the semester, each student will
be given 3 CAP grade that corresponds to the points he or she has earned.
For example, if a student has earned 76 points, the grade will be 2.7; if the
student has earned 95 points, the grade Will be 4.0.

Exit Exanrs (2 Sections) (20%)
The Paragraph Exit Exam (10%) is a one-hour writing test 'ven to all
ENG 55 sections and graded by two readers. From a list of a out ten ideas,
each student will select one, write an appropriate topic sentence, and
develop a unified paragraph to support this topic. Unless facilities are not
available on the test day, students will be able to use a computer or write fire
paragraph by hand.

The Multiple Choice Exit Exam (10%) given during the class scheduled
final exam period, will only take one hour to complete even thou h the
final exam period will be one hour and fifty minutes. The exam 0 fifty
questions will contain questions on paragra h development, topic sentences,
topic focus, transitions, wordiness, and subj ect/verb and pronoun agreement.

Grading Scale:
As explained in the Schoolcraft College catalog, grade points alone — not letter

grades-are used to evaluate assignments. At the end of the semester, assignment
grades Will be added together, according to their percentage weights, and averaged.

142

Important Dates:

Spring Break March 2-8, 2002
Last Day to Withdraw: March 22, 2002
Final Exam Window: Tuesday, April 30

10:00-11:50 a.m. LA 310

(See Course Calendar for weekly schedule)

143

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