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This is to certify that the

dissertation entitled
AN INVESTIGATION OF MINISTERS' PROFESSION-
RELATED SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING
ACTIVITIES

presented by

David Mutuku Kitonga

has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for

‘Ph. D. degree in Educational

Administration
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AN INVESTIGATION OF MINISTERS' PROFESSION-RELATED
SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES

By
David Mutuku Kitonga

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of Educational Administration
College of Education

1989

ABSTRACT

AN INVESTIGATION OF MINISTERS' PROFESSION-RELATED
SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES

By
David Mutuku Kitonga

The purpose of this study was to investigate the
profession—related self-directed learning activities carried
out by ministers in their quest to acquire skills, attitudes,
and knowledge required for improving professional competence.

Face-to-face interviews were conducted for the purpose
of developing a survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was
pretested twice, with subsequent revisions, before it was
mailed to a random sample of 140 ministers in the United
Methodist Church who had seminary training and two years or
more of practice in the ministerial profession. There was a
return rate of 72.9% following two follow-up mailings.

The following conclusions were reached:

Ministers utilized a diverse number of learning
activities which varied from one minister to another. They
preferred to learn by activities in which they had active
personal participation. They least preferred to learn by
passive participation. The most important learning
activities used by ministers were: 1) reading books (98%),

reading periodicals (91%), attending organized learning

activities (91%), learning by doing/practicing (76%), and
consultation with colleagues (76%).

There was no significant difference between age levels,
locations, or lengths of professional service, and the
importance of self-learning by doing/practice or consultation
with colleagues as preferred learning activities.

Ministers participated in organized learning activities
primarily to learn professional skills. The most influential
factors for their participation were leadership quality,
personal goals, congregational needs and reasonable cost.
Academic credit was not an important factor.

Ministers controlled their learning even in the church-
organized continuing education. Self-directed learning was a
major and important component of profession-related learning.
They knew what they needed to learn and sought out this
learning.

The major learning barriers for ministers were
situational and institutional. These included inability to
arrange time for learning, lack of learning opportunities,
lack of funds for learning, and professional stress.
Inability to learn by self or to decide on learning needs
were not major learning barriers for ministers.

This study's findings on ministers confirmed other
studies conducted on other professions and self-directed

learning.

DEDICATION

This dissertation is dedicated to:

uy_na;§n;§, Mrs. Priscilla Ndindi Kitonga and the late
Mr. William Kitonga Munyaka who initiated me into the
learning enterprise. They provided the learning resources
that were necessary to keep me in the learning track. I am
very grateful for their unwavering support for the education
of their children.

They taught me the value of hard work and persistence,
and instilled in me the will and courage to pursue
excellence. They taught me to love God, His creations, and
knowledge. To them I owe my deepest gratitude and honor.

My_gifig, Anastacia for her constant love,
understanding, and support during this study. She also
lived an excellent example of an active self-directed adult
learner, and completed significant learning projects during
the course of this study. Her encouragement and occasional
prodding have been instrumental in the completion of this
study.

ny_gn11gzgn, my daughters, Ndindi and Ann-Malia, and my

son, Makau "Junior," for their patience and love.

iv

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A learning project like this dissertation research
would not have been possible by a solo venture. Many
friends, colleagues and planners provided help, support, and
encouragement. I am greatly indebted to all individuals and
organizations who assisted to make the completion of this
study possible.

I wish to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude
to the following:

Ig_ny_ggg§gzal_ggmmittgg: Dr. Peggy Riethmiller, my
dissertation director: Dr. Howard Hickey, chairman: Dr. Jack
Bain, and Dr. Ken Harding, committee members, for their
assistance, insights, and guidance.

I want to especially thank Dr. Peggy Riethmiller,
dissertation director, and Dr. Howard Hickey, chairman. Dr.
Riethmiller generously gave her time for this study when I
needed it most. She provided valuable advice and direction.
Her understanding, good friendship, and constant
encouragement made it possible for me to complete this
project according to schedule.

Dr. Howard Hickey graciously accepted to join my

doctoral committee as chairman at the critical moment that I

needed a chairperson. His constant support and friendship
made this project more meaningful.

I wish to express my appreciation to Dr. S. Joseph
Levine who was on the committee during the development of
this project. I am grateful for his insights and help.

Tg_my_fi3n11x, my wife Anastacia for typing most of my
original manuscript: my daughters Ndindi and Ann-Malia, and
my son Makau, for their constant love, patience, and support
during my research.

WWW. whose friendship.
fellowship, and encouragement contributed to the success of
this project. I will mention just a few:

-- Dr. Daniel Rickett was a close and true friend, a
colleague, enabler, a critical thinker and
synthesizer, a very self-directed adult learner, and
a fellow pilgrim in the spiritual journey. His warm
and meaningful friendship and fellowship provided
the learning support that I needed as I conducted
this learning project.

-- Dr. James 8010 Otieno, a good friend, was always
there with a word of encouragement and prods.

-- Dr. Alemu Beeftu provided helpful suggestions at the
seminal stage of this study. He was always
available and provided invaluable spiritual and

intellectual fellowship.

vi

-- Dr. Kenneth Harder was always available for warm
fellowship and with growth stimulating questions.

-- Dr. Ted Ward, mentor and friend, was a source of
inspiration. His spiritual and intellectual
excellence ever stood before me as a challenge, and
inspirational model.

-- Dr. Peter Biwot and Dr. Philip Chelilim, who took
the same study program with me. Their friendship
and intellectual interactions were helpful and
needed.

-- All Kenyan friends and colleagues at Michigan State
University who provided warm friendship and whose
many names, for the sake of publication of this
document, will not be listed.

Ig_§ggg:gl_g;ggnizatign§, who played a significant role

in the completion of this research project:

WWW provided a
scholarship for my doctoral study. I am grateful for their
faith in me and for financial assistance that made this
project poésible.

WW provided the much-
needed moral support, spiritual encouragement and financial
assistance. Their rich fellowship, prayers, and warm
friendship will always be before me.

i. , oz; :_- a - : 9511'! - _- -W_ri9 9_1m

provided the much-needed understanding, invaluable

vii

fellowship, constant support, and friendship for the entire
period of my doctoral program.

i ’9 9‘ on. ‘ !_ r _- -, 9 --_i .,'— *9 ,
provided the cooperation and all the assistance that I
needed in order to study the ministers in this denomination.
Special appreciation and gratitude is due to: Bishop Judith
Craig, United Methodist Church, Michigan Area, for her good
listening, understanding, and interest in this study, and
for her formal approval of it.

Ing_3gygzgng_pglg_flrggn, chairman of the Board of
Ordained Ministry, for providing ample time for discussions
on this study, and for writing the necessary letters to his
conference ministers in support of this project.

Ing_Bgygrgn§_ggna1g_1ngmp§gn, chairman, of the Board of
Ordained Ministry Committee on Continuing Education, for
providing me with the information and materials on the
ministers' continuing education.

WWW, Senior Pastor,
University Methodist Church, offered invaluable help during
the early and critical stage of conducting my study. Sharon
made all the contacts for my first two stages of my study.
She was always understanding, available, and very prompt in
responding to requests, even taking a second mile. She
introduced me to all the church officials whom I needed to
know, and made my research a very enjoyable learning

activity. Without her cooperation and friendship, this

viii

study would have been a difficult undertaking. To her I am
greatly indebted.
xg_§gg, for enabling me to accomplish this project.

ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LiSt of TableSe O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 O O O O O OXiii
List Of Fiwres. O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O I C O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O xv
CHAPTER I: STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM................... I

Background of the Study........................... 1
Purpose of the Study.............................. 6
Scope of the Study................................ 7
Areas of Inquiry.................................. 11
Research Assumptions.............................. 12
Overview of Research Methodology.................. 13
Limitations of the Study.......................... 14
Delimitations.. ...... ............................. 16
Definitions of Terms.............................. 16
Significance of the Study......................... 18
Organization of the Study......................... 21

CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ......................... 23
IntrOductioneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ..... 23

Continuing Education Literature................... 24
IntrOductionOOOOOOO0.0....OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 24

Participation by General Adult Learners.. ...... 25
Barriers to Participation...................... 29
Participation and Demographic Variables. ....... 30

Adult Learning Theory............................. 33
Continuing Professional Education Literature...... 38
Introduction................................... 38
Profession-Related Learning.................... 39
Reasons for Participation in Continuing
Professional Education....................... 41
Ministers' Continuing Education and Participation. 46
Ministers' Profession and Stress Literature....... 53
Self-Directed Learning Literature................. 57
Self-Directed Learning Activities and Supports. 59
Ministers' Continuing Education and Self-

Directed Earning O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O ....... O O O 0 7o

summarYe O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O ...... O 73
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY. ................ 76
Population 0 C O O O O C O O O O O O O O O O ...... O 0000000000000000 7 6
sample. 0 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 ........ 77

X

Research Design................................... 77
Instrumentation..........................,........ 79
Introduction................................... 79
Face-to-face exploratory interviews............ 81
Interview guide................................ 83
Questionnaire Item Development................. 85
Areas of Inquiry and Research Questions........ 88
Pre-testing Questionnaire...................... 91
Revising the Questionnaire..................... 93
Administering the Final Survey and Data
Collection................................... 93
Validity and Reliability.......................... 96
Data Analysis..................................... 97
Summary........................................... 98

CHAPTER IV: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA......... 99

Introduction...................................... 99
Area of Inquiry #1................................100
Area of Inquiry #2................................110
Area of Inquiry #3................................115
Area of Inquiry #4................................121
Area of Inquiry #5................................125
Summary...........................................129

CHAPTER V: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, AND
RBCOWNDATIONSOCOOOCOOOCOO...0.00.00.00.00130

Introduction.............. ...... ..................130
SummarleO
Purpose of the Study...........................130
Design of the Study............................132
Summary of Findings...............................133
Area of Inquiry #1....................... ..... .133
Area of Inquiry #2.............................134
Area of Inquiry #3.............................135
Area of Inquiry #4.............................136
Area of Inquiry #5.............................137
Conclusions and Discussion........................138
Learning Activities............................138
Organized Learning Events......................141
Learning Supports and Resources................146
Profession Related Learning Barriers...........149
Implications for Ministers' Continuing Education
and Practice...................................152
Recommendations for Further Research..............157

APPENDICESOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. ..... 161
Appendix A: United Methodist Church Research

Approval Documents.............. ..... 161

xi

Appendix

Research Approval Documents by
Michigan State University............163

Appendix C: Survey Questionnaire Cover Letters...168
Appendix D: Survey Questionnaire....... ........ ..171
Appendix E: Introduction Correspondence.. ...... ..180
Appendix F: Interview Consent Form...............186
Appendix G: Interview Guide and Worksheets.......187
Appendix H: Questionnaire Pretest Cover Letters..195
Appendix I: Pretest Correspondence...............196
Appendix J: Pretest Feed-back Form... ............ 200
Appendix K: Survey Follow-up Postcards... ...... ..201

Appendix L: Ministers' Continuing Education in
the United Methodist Church..........203

Appendix M: United Methodist Church Administra-
tive Organization....................204
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......... . ......... ........ ............... 205

xii

Table

Table

Table

Table

Table

Table

Table

Table

Table
Table

Table

Table

Table

Table

10

11

12

14

LIST OF TABLES

Professional Duties: Ministers'
PartiCipationOOOOOOOOOO0.0.000...0.0.0.000000101

Actual Learning Activities: Degree of
Ministers' Participation.............. ....... 102

Other Actual Learning Activities:
Participation in the Past Year...............102

Ministers Preferred Learning Activities:
Degree or Importance...‘0.00.00.00.0000000000104

Ministers Preferred Learning Activities:
A Rank Order of Importance.............. ..... 105

Most Important Learning Activities: One
Choice Selections............................107

Least Important Learning Activities: One

Choice Selection................. ............ 108
ANOVA: Self-learning by Doing by

ChtOhOlogical Age...‘..OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ..... 111

ANOVA: Self-Learning by Doing by Location...111

ANOVA: Self-Learning by Doing by Years of
PrOfeSSional semiceOOOOO0.0.00.0000000000000112

ANOVA: Consultation with Colleagues and
Friends by Years of Professional Service.....113
ANOVA: Consultation with Colleagues and
Friends by Minister's Location...............114

Ministers' Criteria for Decision to Partici-
pate in Organized Learning Activities:
Degree Of ImportanceOOOOOOOOOOO0.0.000...0.0.115

Ministers' Criteria for Decision to Partici-
pate in Organized Learning Events: A Rank
order Of Importance.‘O...0.00.00.00.000000000116

xiii

Table

Table

Table

Table

Table

Table

Table

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

Continuing Education Events: Extent of
Ministers' Engagement........................118

Distribution of Learning Between Self-

Learning Projects at Home and Organized
Learning Activities: Ministers'
Participation................................120

Sources of Assistance for Learning:
Frequency of Assistance Sought by Ministers
for Profession-Related Learning..............122

Ministers' Learning Supports and Resources:
Degree at Importance...I0.0.0.000000000000000123

Ministers' Learning Supports and Resources:
A Rank Order of Importance...................124

Profession-Related Learning Barriers:
Frequency of Ministers' Experience of
warning BarrierSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO0......0.0.0.125

Profession-Related Learning Barriers:
A Rank Order of Frequencies by Ministers.....127

Xiv

 

LIST OF FIGURES

A Model of Continuing Education........................ 25

 

 

f1
Inc
tr
Ch
lie:

Cha

Chapter I

Statement of the Problem

WW

There is a growing concern for ministers' professional
obsolescence, given the fast social changes in today's
society. The ministers' professional demands have greatly
increased and their roles have expanded and become more
complicated (Adams 1966, Preston 1976, Gamble 1984). A
minister has more professional issues to deal with than ever
before. The effects of rapid change challenge all
authority, not the least that of the church. The ministers'
responsibility is increased, given the increased social
stress on the communities that the minister has to serve.

According to Alvin Tofler (1971), the too-fast
technological advancement and change in too short a time is
responsible for social disorientation, new social roles,
fractured families, organizational upheavals, high social
mobility, and wide diversity of life styles. The
traditional , social and religious mores have been
challenged by this rapid change phenomenon. The fast
technological advancement and rapid social changes are

challenging all professions to learn to adjust and c0pe with

2
the demands of changes and to maintain professional
competence.

While there are ministers who are effective in relating
to the emerging needs and new challenges, an increased
number of ministers are becoming ineffective in their
ministries (Dittes 1962; Rayburn 1985; Walsworth 1978;
Cochrane 1981; Thomas 1968; Mills and Hesser 1972). Studies
of ministers show high professional stress, increased number
of burned out ministers, and an increasing incompetence
among ministers (Rayburn et a1. 1986). The stress generated
by the changing demands on the ministerial profession is
often too great to cope with and leaving the ministry has
been one way of escape.

The effectiveness of the church's ministry in society
is declining (Preston 1976; Stewart 1974; Wiersbe 1988).
Studies done on ministers indicate a strong need for an
understanding of how to relate the Christian faith to a
rapidly changing society (Gamble 1967; Mills and Hesser
1972: Preston 1976).

In order for ministers to improve professional
competence and become more effective in ministry they need
to learn more effectively. Mark Rouch (1974) linked
competence in ministry to continuing education. Continuing
education was the instrument through which competence was
achieved. Rouch defined continuing education as "an

individual's personally designed learning program which

3
begins when basic formal education ends and continues
throughout a career and beyond. It is unfolding process
which links together personal study and reflection and
participation in organized group events” (1974:16).

Because of the great need for ministers to learn to
cope with the demands of the profession, given the rapidly
changing society and professional stress, self-directed
learning (self-learning) has been suggested as a vital part
of a minister's education (Gamble, 1984; Malcomson, 1981).

A study done on twelve denominations in the United
States and Canada found that the factors which appeared to
be most influential to the decision of the ministers to
participate in continuing education were: 1) a perception
that the subject matter would contribute to increased
competence for ministry; 2) presence of self-assessed
continuing education; and 3) self-formulated goals (Gamble
1984). There is a need for ministers' effective profession-
related, self-directed learning, given the rapidly-changing
society, in order to maintain professional competence and
effectiveness.

Cyril Houle (1980). in Q2ntinnins_Learning_in_fhs
Essfisssigns, quoting Dill and Elton (1965), said "self-
directed learning is imperative in a changing world." Also
Brookfield (1982) says that self-directed learning is the

prime way for man to cope with the world around him.

4

Guglielmino and Guglielmino (1984, 1987, 1988) found
there was mounting evidence which suggested workers of the
future would need the ability to take more responsibility
for the management of their learning. The Guglielminos'
study on managers of some 500 Fortune companies found that
managers believed professional success ”today and tomorrow"
was largely dependent on the skills of self-directed
learning.

The rapid rate of change demands professionals design
their own learning in order to cope with the demands of the
constant change. Tofler (1971) described the illiterate of
the year 2000 A.D. not as the individual who cannot read and
write, but the one who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
Future professional success becomes dependent on learning
how to learn.

There is a growing awareness and need for self-directed
learning among the professionals in their quest to maintain
competence in their work in a fast-changing society. Even
the definition of continuing education for ministers has
been evolving and refining to focus on the individual
minister's learning needs and self-directed learning
efforts. For example, Connolly Gamble, Executive Director
of Society of the Advancement of Continuing Education for
Ministry (SACEM) in 1960 defined continuing education as "a

lifelong program of systematic, sustained study" (Gamble

1960).

5

By 1975 he had modified his definition of continuing

education to read as:

An individual's personally-designed
learning program developed with the help
of colleagues (laity and fellow clergy)
to improve vocational competencies,
which begins when formal education ends
and continues throughout one's career
and beyond. An unfolding process, it
links together personal study and
reflection, and participation in
organized group events in a related
series of 'more-or-less organized
events' (Gamble l975:3).

The refining process of 25 years has added the

following five essential concepts to Gamble's initial

definition of continuing education for ministers:

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

the necessity of interaction of learning and
experience:

the initial responsibility should rest with the
minister-learner to begin individual planning for
continuing education:

acceptance of the role of both laity and other
ministers to provide input into the forming of the
minister-learner's individual plans;

a variety of activities over the entire life-span
where acceptable, and

goals growing from an emphasis on ministry skills
and theological knowledge to include personal

evaluation and refreshment.

6

For ministers to improve their competence in the
ministerial profession, they need to be effective in their
skills of self-directed learning. Tough (1971) and Knowles
(1975) have outlined basic skills that are necessary for
self-directed learning and have pointed out that such skills
are necessary in every learner.

The growing phenomenon of ministers' lack of
effectiveness, professional stress and attrition from
ministry raises some profound questions, such as: what
causes effectiveness in the ministerial profession? How do
ministers learn profession-related skills necessary to
improve competence and to cope with the changing and
increasing demands on their work life? The last question is

the major concern for this study.

£9129§£_QI_§D§_§§QQ¥
The purpose of this study was to investigate the

profession-related, self-directed learning activities
carried out by ministers in the United Methodist Church,
Western Michigan Conference, in their quest to acquire the
skills, attitudes, and knowledge required for improving
professional competence in their work. The researcher
attempted to: 1) describe the actual and preferred learning
activities of ministers: 2) examine the relationship between
the selected demographic characteristics and the learning

preferences: 3) examine how ministers engage in organized

7
learning activities: a) how ministers decide to participate
in organized learning activities: b) the extent to which
ministers are engaged in the organization of their learning
in church-organized and provided continuing education: 4)
describe the supports that ministers identify as important
in their on-going profession-related learning; and 5)
identify the barriers that hinder ministers' profession-

related, on-going learning.

W

Ministers are experiencing a lack of effectiveness in
their profession. This is partially because of the changing
demands on their profession. Literature on ministers'
continuing education in the profession indicate that
effective self-directed learning in the ministerial
profession is not only important but essential in improving
the ministers' competence. If the ministers have to serve
their community effectively, it seems that they must have
the skills for self-directed learning. Rouch (1974), in
ggmgsgsn;_1n_uin1s§:y, says competence is having the tools
with which to work. One such tool, Rouch says, is a growing
knowledge of oneself and the world around him/her. The
skills of self-directed learning are essential in achieving
these tools. There is, however, very little known about

ministers' self-directed learning in their profession.

8

Traditionally, much of ministers' continuous learning
after seminary has been through organized educational
programs, mainly seminars, extension courses, and
conferences. Much attention is given to the content of
learning in these educational programs, rather than the
learning process. Very little attention is given to how
individual ministers prefer to learn. In a review of
literature on ministers' professional learning, Ferro (1985)
found that the largest amount of materials which discuss the
ministers' professional continuing education are hortatory
or programmatic. The literature review clearly indicates
the lack of self-directed learning.

Given the increasing lack of effectiveness expressed by
ministers in their profession, it is important to learn how
ministers learn professional skills, knowledge, and
attitudes to remain current and to improve their competence
after seminary training. It is necessary to know how
ministers' profession-related self-directed learning can be
facilitated. This is especially a major concern in the
professional continuing education of ministers.

Adults are actively learning in order to increase their
effectiveness in the tasks that they perform. According to
Knox (1985), adults tended to assess the difference between
their current proficiency level and the one they wanted to
attain and then seek educational experiences to close the

gap. Also Knowles (1984), contends:

9
Adults are motivated to devote energy to
learn something to the extent that they
perceive that it will help them perform
tasks or deal with problems that they
confront in their life situations.
Furthermore, they learn new knowledge,
understandings, skills, values, and
attitudes most effectively when they are
presented in the context of application
to real life situation.

According to Tough (1971) and Knowles (1984), adults
take great responsibility for their learning. Tough's work
illustrated that adults are highly active learners and
extremely self-directed. In self-directed learning, the
learner makes choices concerning the directions and options
available to achieve proficiency or to accumulate necessary
knowledge. Even learners who hesitate to take major
responsibility for their learning do appreciate the
opportunity to select and plan for learning activities that
fit their needs, interests, and tasks that they need to
perform (Brockett 1985: Knowles 1975). Self-directed
learning may be mistakenly associated with the notion that
the learner carries out his activities in isolation and
independently. Rather, self-directing learning often
includes intimates, peers, instructors, friends as part of
the learning process. All these individuals may help at
various stages of learning (Knowles 1975).

Profession-related learning makes up a large percentage

of all what adults learn. The studies done by Allen Tough

(1971, 1978 and 1979) indicate that the majority of all

10
learning efforts by adults are occupation-related and are
almost entirely conducted in a self-directed manner by the
individual adults. He found that 73 percent (and later 80
percent) of all learning projects were self-initiated,
planned, and'conducted. Numerous other studies have been
done to verify Tough's theory (Penland 1977; Coolican 1974,
1975: Morris 1977: Brookfield 1980, 1982a). A verification
study conducted by Allerton (1974) also found that 62
percent of the learning projects pursued by ministers were
related to vocational (ministry) duties such as preaching,
teaching, administration, counselling, and visiting.
Allerton found that 85 percent of all ministers who
participated in the study were satisfied with their self-
directed efforts to learn in the ministry.

Verification studies on self-directed learning leave
many questions unanswered. A need has been expressed for
researchers to go beyond the verification mode of self-
directed learning (Tough 1978: Cross 1981: Brookfield 1986).
Little is known on what goes on in the learning projects.
For example, what major barriers do ministers encounter in
their self-directed learning? How would they prefer to
learn? What resources and supports do they identify as
helpful to their learning? What learning activities are they
engaged in? The major concern in ministers' continuing
education is not on what the ministers are focusing their

learning, or whether they are learning, but how the learning

11
can be facilitated. This concern is the major focus of the

study.

W
The following areas of inquiry are used to guide this
study:
1). How do ministers conduct their learning in their quest
to gain knowledge, skills or attitudes necessary to maintain
competence in their professional duties?

a) What professional duties are ministers engaged in?

b) What types of learning activities are ministers
pursuing to learn their ministerial duties?

c) What types of learning activities do ministers
prefer to use?

2). Do the preferences for learning activities cited by
ministers differ significantly between groups within
selected demographic characteristics?

3). How are ministers engaged in organized learning
activities?

a) What criteria do ministers base their decision on
for participation in continuing education
activities?

b) To what extent are ministers engaged in the
organization of their learning in church-organized

and provided continuing education?

12
c) How do ministers distribute their learning between
self-learning at home and learning at organized
learning activities?
4). What learning resources and supports do ministers
identify as important in their on-going profession-related
learning?
5). What major barriers do ministers encounter which hinder

their on-going profession-related learning effectiveness?

W

The research procedures of this study are based on the

assumptions that:

1). Ministers, as professional practitioners and adult
learners, have been participating in many and
varied learning activities which are mostly
profession-related

2). Ministers know and understand the types and
variety of actual and preferred learning
activities that they have been participating in,
and they would be able to respond to questions
asked and describe the learning activities to the
researcher.

3). Ministers do not learn in isolation, they seek
learning assistance from both human and non-human

sources .

 

13
4). Ministers are experiencing various barriers in
their profession-related learning
5). A carefully planned pilot study on a small number
of ministers followed by a self-administered
survey questionnaire can effectively obtain the

information required by this study.

W

This research used descriptive research methodology.
According to E. Babbie (1986) the three purposes of research
are exploration, description, and explanation. Descriptive
research aims at describing facts and characteristics of a
given area of interest factually and accurately.
"Description is the precise measurement and reporting of the
characteristics of some population or phenomena." (Babbie
1986:91). As Borg and Gall (1983:354) put it, "descriptive
studies are primarily concerned with finding out 'what is'
...observation and survey methods are frequently used to
collect descriptive data."

The survey method was chosen as appropriate for this
study because it is recommended as the method of choice when
it is important to establish the status of a given
phenomenon (Mouley, 1970). This is done by asking a specific
population of individuals what they know, believe or value
about a given phenomenon. According to Babbie (1973) such

information can be collected through three methods of survey

14
administration: face-to-face interview, telephone interview,
and mail questionnaires. This study used face-to-face
interviews and mail questionnaires.

A six-step procedure was followed in conducting this
research. These steps were consecutively as follows: 1) an
open-ended face-to-face interview, 2) developing a
questionnaire, 3) testing the questionnaire, 4) revising the
questionnaire, 5) administering the revised questionnaire,
and 6) collecting, analyzing and summarizing the data.

Descriptive statistics, frequency counts and tables
were used to summarize, present, analyze, and draw
conclusion from the data. The analysis of variance (f-test)
was used to investigate the relationships between the
demographic variables and the learning preferences reported

by the ministers who participated in the study.

W913

During the open-ended face-to-face interview the
researcher may not have been able to write all the
information and responses that the research participant
gave. Also the research participant may have given
fragmented or incomplete responses or omitted some important
information.

The random survey sample selected included only
jpracticing ministers who had at least two years of

professional service following seminary professional

15
training. There is a wide variety of other ministers who
have no professional training but who have been practicing
in the ministerial profession. Others had seminary training
but had not practiced for two years to meet the criteria of
the study sample.

Also a small sample used for the open-ended interviews
and for testing the questionnaires may have affected both
the reliability and validity of the study.

To address the problems concerning the face-to-face
interviews the researcher wrote the complete reporting of
the interview within four hours, following the interview,
adding any responses which might have been left unrecorded
during the interview. Also during the interview the
researcher restated the research participants' responses for
confirmation and clarity. Open-ended probing questions were
used when necessary to draw out any omitted responses during
the interview. Since an open-ended interview has minimal
;pressure on the participant to give a direct answer, it was
expected that the responses to the questions were accurate
and representative, and minimally affected the validity of
the study. The researcher tested the instrument with
ministers who were not part of the open-ended interview
samPle but who met the same qualifications as study
participants. This increased the validity of the study.

irhe problem concerning the small sample in the

interviews was addressed by 1) the use of one person, the

16
researcher, to conduct all of the interviews so as to
maintain consistency in asking the same questions to each of
the participants, 2) the use of open-ended interviews and 3)

testing and revising the questionnaires twice.

Delimitatigns
The researcher limited this study to the ministers of
the United Methodist Church, Western Michigan Conference,
who had seminary training and a minimal length of two years
of professional practice. While no attempt was made to
generalize this study beyond the findings of this particular
population of ministers, the sample is a microscopic picture

of ministerial profession.

E E' .!. E I
Lssgning: The acquisition of knowledge, attitudes, or

skills and the mastery of behavior in which facts, ideas or
concepts are made available for individual use (Verner,
1962).

Lsgrning_figrris;s: In this study, learning barriers

are factors--personal (dispositional), institutional or
situational, which are deterents to adult learners'
participation in self-planned or organized learning
activities (Cross 1981).

Lsgsning_gg§iyigy: What the learner does, individually

or as a member of a group, in the process of learning.

17

9rssnized.Lesrnins.As§ixi§x= In this study, an
organized learning activity means a short course, seminar or
workshop in which the participants are registered or
enrolled, and offered at a particular time and place under
' the auspices of a recognized continuing education agency.

antinning_fignsgtisn: "A process through which persons
beyond the age of compulsory attendance in secondary
schools, engage in planned activities with conscious
intentions of bringing about changes in information,
knowledge, understanding, skills, appreciation and

attitudes; or to identify and solve problems" (Poulton,

1975, p.10).

Selfznirssfed_Learnins= "A process in which

individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of
others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating
learning goals, identifying human and material resources for
learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning

strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes." (Knowles,

1975:18).
2r2fessi2n:Bs1afeQ_Selfznires§ed_Lserning= An ongoing

self-planned and voluntary learning to acquire knowledge,

skills, and attitude which are necessary for the enhancement

of competence and effectiveness in ones practice of

occupational duties .

 

 

18
W

This study makes significant contributions in several
areas. It contributes to the knowledge and literature on
ministers' continuing education and to the adult learners'
profile. The study also provides vital and lacking
information on the self-directed learning experiences,
behaviors and concerns of ministers.

This study identifies and describes the learning
activities and experiences, barriers to learning, learning
preferences and the supports that ministers identify as
important to effective learning in their profession. The
findings of this study have significance for both educators
and individual ministers as adult learners. The planners of
ministers' continuing education (which include several State
and Land Grand Universities, seminaries and Bible colleges,
and many church organizations and interdenominational
bodies) may be helped by this study's findings to understand
the factors that enhance or facilitate ministers' learning
effectiveness in their profession. The Board of Ordained
lMinistry committee on ministers' continuing education in the
“United Methodist Church, Michigan Conference, may especially
Ibenefit from the findings.

Given the increasing lack of effectiveness by the
Ininisters, the findings of this study are significant to the
providers of ministers' continuing education. There is no

study done specifically on ministers that shows how

19
ministers learn and prefer to learn in the profession to
cope with the ever increasing demands of their profession.
Ministers are finding it difficult to cope with the
changing roles in the ministry, according to Benes (1965:8):

Time was when he was responsible for the
preaching of the word and the pastoral care
of his flock. Today he is required to fill
several roles simultaneously, some of them
complex and demanding. He is expected to be
involved in every organization in the
church, and in a number of good ones outside
as well, and to be a hearty promoter of all
worthy causes. He must be a preacher,
administrator, teacher, psychiatrist,... and
community leader (Benes, 1965:8):

An increasing number of ministers have been leaving
their profession in response to the demands in the ministry.
C.W. Stewart has observed:

Contemporary studies by Mills, Schallert,
Hessert, and others show that in the present
period that instead of breaking down,
today's troubled clergyman is dropping out.
The study of Ex-pastors shows that only 1
percent of the United Church of Christ
pastors were dropping out in 1969. Father
Schallert's study of Roman Catholic priests
at the same period showed an alarming rise
in demitting priests, 7 percent in 1969 with
a projected figure of 15 percent by 1975.
Mills earlier study of United Presbyterian
ministers shows that under stress clergy of
United Presbyterian ministers shows that
under stress clergy leave the profession
rather than endure the difficulties they
face (Stewart, 1974:17-18).

According to Rayburn, Richmond and Rodgers (1986)
ministers have high occupational stress. Their study found
that ministers and also other church leaders

...have fewer rational/cognitive coping
resources,... they are less apt to have

20
systematic approach solution, less ability
or willingness to set and follow priorities,
are most distractible and less likely to be
able to reorganize their work schedules,...
These findings are in general agreement with
reports from many religious leaders that
concern their needs for better learning to
cope with and manage time constraints and
demands upon their time and energy"
(Rayburn, Richmond and Rogers, 1986:543).

In the area of general adult education this data
contributes additional data to the present body of research
on self-directed learning activities. The previous research
studies clearly point out extensive self-directed learning
activity in both general adult profession and in groups of
professionals. This study's findings also complements
findings of earlier studies of general adults and
professional groups relative to the importance of self-
directed learning.

The motivations for learning and resources cited in the
study offers insight about how and why of the ministers
learning. The wide diversity of ministers' choices of
learning activities in the findings reflect the individual
:ministers learning needs and preferences and point to the .
implications for program planning changes for ministers
continuing education planners. The findings from this study
suggest the need for additional researching individualized

behaviors of ministers in their use of self-directed

learning .

21

Finally, individual ministers who participated in the
study benefited, as both the interviews and questionnaires
were informative and caused them to think about the ways
they learn and the value they receive from their learning.
The ministers who participated and affirm their values. The
findings of the study also substantiated and affirmed the
value of self-directed learning as a learning behavior which
is effective in improving ministers' professional

competence.

MW

Chapter I is the statement of the problem. It includes
the discussion of the general background of the study,
posing the situation that makes this study necessary. The
purpose of the study and its scope are also presented,
including the areas of the inquiry. The study methodology,
assumptions, assertions and the significance of the study
are also discussed.

Chapter II reviews the literature on 1) ministers'
continuing education: 2) self-directed learning: 3)
jprofessional continuing education: and 4) continuing
education.

Chapter III presents a more complete picture of the
Inethodology used for this study. This chapter discusses the
population, study sample, research design, The

instrumentation, and data collection and analysis.

22
Chapter IV is the presentation and analysis of the
research data findings.
Chapter V is the study conclusion. It includes the
summary of the study, conclusion, implications and
suggestions on ministers continuing education, drawn from

the findings, and provides suggestions for future research.

Chapter II

Literature Review

Win

The review of literature relevant for this study is
drawn from the following sources: continuing education,
adult learning theory, continuing professional education,
ministers continuing education, ministers' profession and
stress, and self-directed learning.

The literature on continuing education is examined
under the following sub-headings: Introduction,
Participation by General Adult Learners, Barriers to
Participation, Participation and Demographic Variables. The
Adult Learning theory is reviewed. Continuing professional
education literature is examined under: Introduction,
Profession-Related Learning, and Reasons for Participation.
The ministers' continuing education literature is covered
under: Ministers' Continuing Education and Participation.
The Ministers' Profession and Stress Literature is reviewed.
The sub-heading for self-directed learning literature are:
Learning Activities and Supports, and Minsters' Continuing

Education and Self-Directed Learning.

23

24

MW
Motion:

Adults are actively involved in various learning
activities, which may be formal or informal, organized and
unorganized, private (individual) or in groups, and in
short- or long-term. Adults are learning in order to
increase their effectiveness in the tasks that they perform.
According to Knox (1985) adults tend to assess the
difference between their current proficiency level and the
one they wish to attain and then seek educational
experiences to close the gap. Also Knowles (1984) contends:

adults are motivated to devote energy to
learn something to the extent that they
perceive that it will help them perform
tasks or deal with problems that they
confront in their life situations.
Furthermore, they learn new knowledge,
understandings, skills, values, and
attitudes most effectively when they are
presented in the context of application
to real life situation.

All learning opportunities which can be taken up after
full-time compulsory schooling has ceased, full-time or
part-time, including vocational and non-vocational study, is
continuing education (Venables 1976:19) . Education
continues after the initial, compulsory education, for the
remainder of the life span. Jarvise (1983) sees continuing
education as post-initial education:

Continuing education may, therefore, be
seen to be a continuation of the
educational provision beyond initial

education, especially in the vocational
sphere, and it is also a concept that

25

implies no criticism of the present

system. Indeed its major concerns seem

to focus upon the provision of

vocational continuing education, access

to it, and extension of it.

Continuing education, according to Houle (1980), is a

term which refers specifically to post-initial education,
but since its parameters are being restricted in the general

use of the word it has assumed special significance in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

professions.
A model of continuing education
// /“””
3-5 years 16-25 years
V//////l
Education

 

>

Adapted from Peter Jarvise (1983) Adult and Continuing
Education: Theory and Practice, p. 36.

Life span

Participation by general adult learners

.Adults participate in continuing education programs
that meet their vocational, personal, and social needs.
JCfluilLowe (1982) used Havighurst's adult developmental tasks

to determine the reasons for participation in continuing

26

education. According to Lowe (1982), adults participate in
continuing education for vocational, personal, and social
needs:

1) Vocational Needs - Adults between the ages of 18-
40, especially men and young fathers, are involved in
continuing education to upgrade their jobs, to keep current
job employment purposes, or to prepare to switch jobs.
‘Women with grown up children may seek additional education
for extra income. Men, before retiring, may seek some
skills for future work, although the drive for education
decreases as a person reaches the end of his or her career.

2) Personal Needs - This is a concern to become more
cultivated. Women over 40 with more leisure time and fewer
financial constraints tend to be more motivated to take
continuing education classes. They have been deprived of
education due to child-bearing and domestic chores. Men
‘tend to be concerned about this drive at 50 or before
retiring to prepare for leisure activities. Young adults
'with good and stable jobs may seek education to learn new
‘knowledge or skills. Young married women eagerly seek
education pertaining to home affairs and their spouses.

3) Social Needs - Participants of all ages are simply
interested in meeting people through continuing education
calasses. Some regard attending certain classes as a means

«of maintaining or achieving social status in the community.

27

According to Robinson (1985), learning is purposeful.
Purposeful learning occurs when individuals experience a
problem, or a need or goal they want to reach, and start a
self-inquiry in which the individual learner draws on any
resources available (books, others' experience, or experts)
to acquire the learning deemed necessary to meet the need or
goal. This suggests that learning is controlled by the
individual learner.

Houle (1961) explored purposeful learning. He studied
individual orientation to participation in continuing
education and identified three basic orientations to
learning: 1) the goal-oriented learners who have clear-cut
objectives they want to accomplish: 2) the activity-oriented
learners or the social-participation oriented; and 3) the
learning-oriented learners who seek knowledge for its own
sake. Houle found that the majority of the learners he
studied were goal-oriented, followed by the learning-
oriented, and activity-oriented. All the learning was
purposeful, and controlled by the learner.

Boshier and Collins (1985) synthesized Houle's seminal
study. In "The Houle Typology after twenty-two years: A
large scale empirical test,” Boshier and Collins have
jprovided a comprehensive analysis of the reasons that appear
'to encourage participation in continuing education
activities. The basic clusters of reasons are cognitive,

.interest, social stimulation, social contact, external

28
expectations, community service, and professional
advancement.
In a summary of findings of over—thirty surveys on
participation in continuing education, Cross (1981), stated:

1. The reasons people give for
learning correspond to their life
situation: i.e. people with jobs want
better jobs and are interested in
further education to get them. Interest
in job-related goals for continuing
education begins to decline at age 50
and drops off sharply after age 60.

2. Typically one-third of the potential
learners cite 'personal satisfaction' as
one of their reasons for learning. 3.

A low of 10% to a high of 39% of the
potential learners who respond to such
surveys identify 'to seek knowledge for
its own sake as their primary
motivation.‘ The majority of adult
learners do not regard traditional,
discipline-based subjects as
satisfactory for participation in
continuing education. 4. Various
studies have found 8% to 28% of the
learners interested in obtaining degrees
or certificates for their participation.
Younger learners with college
backgrounds are most likely to be
degree-oriented. Most studies, however,
show about two-thirds of the respondents
on surveys admit 'escape' is one reason
for pursuing education, but rarely offer
it was the primary motivation for
participation. Respondents who cite
'escape' as a motive see continuing
education as an opportunity for meeting
new friends, are likely to be interested
in hobbies/recreational subjects, and
are people who lack other social
outlets. 6. 'The desire to learn to be
a better citizen' is not a strong reason
for learning. About a quarter of the
respondents name it as one reason among
others. This observation varies with
the social situation: i.e. a surge in
demand for energy courses in the last
decade has waned in the present decade.

29

W

The major clusters of barriers that discourage adults
from participation in continuing education have been studied
and developed by Darkenwald and Valentine (1985). They
include a lack of course relevance, lack of confidence, time
constraints, low personal priority, cost, and personal
problems. Darkenwald and Larson (1980) summarized research
on the barriers to participation in adult learning as
follows: informational barriers--those related to the
individual's general awareness of the educational resources
offered to him/her in his/her community: situational
barriers--those related to the individual's life situation,
income, health, family responsibilities, work obligations
and places of residence: institutional barriers--those
include procedures and practices that exclude or discourage
participation, like inconvenient schedules, locations,
transportation, and lack of information: dispositional
barriers--those are defined by Darkenwald (1980) as
individually and collectively held beliefs, values,
attitudes or perceptions that inhibit participation in
organized learning activities--like fear of school, lack of

interest, and lack of confidence.

30
According to Lowe (1982), the four main factors
influencing non-participation in organized continuing
education classes are described as:
1. Personal factors: fear of the unfamiliar,

ridicule, emotional insecurity, negative attitudes

 

toward schooling, lack of money, uncertainty of

future rewards, mental and physical handicaps.

 

2. Domestic factors: difficulty in getting away from
home, opposition of a member or members of the
family, and impossible conditions of study.

3. External factors: shift work, fatigue after work,
and lack of transportation.

4. Other factors: facilities are unavailable or
unsuitable. The timing and location of programs
may be inconvenient: programs are not publicized;
programs offered are not what adults want: some
adults do not participate because they feel they

can learn on their own.

WW

Johnstone and Rivera (1965), in a national survey,
identified social strata as a determinant of participation.
According to Cross (1981) , ”of all the variables that have
been related to educational interest and participation, the

amount of formal schooling has more influence than any

 

31
other." This conclusion was supported by other researchers
(Boaz 1978: Okes 1976).

In the literature, formal education attainment is
consistently referred to as the single most powerful
predictor of continuing education participation (Anderson
and Darkenwald 1979: Wainiewicz 1976). By controlling for
formal educational attainment, the independent effects of
not only age but other ascribed and achieved social position
variables has usually been reduced to nonsignificance.

A study by Allen Tough (1971) found that there was
little or no significant difference in the levels of
involvement in learning projects of respondents in his non-
random and methodologically loose research study. A more.
controlled extension of Tough's work, however, revealed
systematic differences based on formal educational
attainment (Penland, 1977).

In an investigation of 98 randomly selected employees
of the Florida Power Corporation, Seaman and Schroeder
(1970) concluded, "A positive correlation was found between
the level of education of the participants and the extent of
their educative behavior at the .05 level of significance."
Their conclusion supported the generalization that the
greater an individual's education level, the greater the
level of participation in continuing education.

Anderson and Darkenwald (1979) identified chronological

age in the continuing education literature as another

.
.
..
_ .v _
x. |.\|

 

32

predictor of participation. Age, like educational
attainment, seemed to operate independently of related
variables such as income and occupation. According to Cross
(1981):

Younger people tend to be pursuing

credentials and laying the groundwork

for later career specialization: those

in the age range of 25 to 45 are

concentrating largely on occupational

and professional training for career

advancement: and those 50 and older are

beginning to prepare for use of leisure

time.
Also, Cookson (1986) suggested that "so consistent has the
finding of an inverse relationship between age and adult
education participation been reported that it is almost
considered a truism" (p. 134).

Family income as a predictor of participation seemed to
be influenced by other variables (Anderson 8 Darkenwald,
1979): however, the lack of income appeared to be a result
of low educational attainment.

Geographic access and participation in continuing
education was studied (Bashaw 1965: Boas 1978). Their
findings revealed regional differences between the West,
where participation was higher, and the Northeast and
Midwest. Much of the difference can be accounted for by
greater accessibility to free continuing education programs
in the West. Other factors affecting geographic access

include appropriateness of programs, educational attainment

of the general population, and a higher societal

I I
l
‘.

33
participation rate. Geographical access also involved the
issue of population density (Boaz 1978). Boaz concluded
that people living in suburban areas were more likely to
participate in educational activities compared to those
living in areas of sparse population or in dense central

cities.

W

Adult educators have attempted to deal with the unique
problems of adult learning through the adaption of theories
about child learning. In an attempt to offer some further
distinction between these two learner groups, Knowles saw
the need for integrating and differentiating concepts of
adult learning. He developed a theory of adult learning
that captured the experience and research findings about
adult learners unique characteristics. He introduced the
term of andragogy into the American literature in 1968,
although the term itself had been used in Germany since
1833.

Malcolm Knowles defines andragogy as "any intentional
and professionally guided activity that aims at a change in
adult persons" (Knowles 1978). Andragogy is more than
defining a clear-cut differentiation between child and adult
learners. According to Knowles:

Andragogy assumes that the point at
which an individual achieves a self-

concept of essential self-direction is
the point at which he psychologically

 

th

ad
to

Ca]

Sat

Cha

34
becomes adult. A very critical thing
happens when this occurs: the individual
develops a deep psychological need to be
perceived by others as being self-
directing. Thus, when he finds himself
in a situation in which he is not
allowed to be self-directing, he
experiences a tension between that
situation and self-concept. His
reaction is bound to be tainted with
resentment and resistance (Knowles
1978).

The concepts that are central to andragogical approach
include: self-concept, experience, readiness to learn, a
concern about personal growth and development, and an
orientation to learning that is both problem-centered and
pragmatic. The concept of andragogy is predicated upon the
assumption that the maturity and experience of adults
predispose them to the need to be self-directing in their
learning activities and to be perceived as self-directing by
others. Knowles used teaching theory and behavioral and
humanistic psychology, and proposed that physical and
psychological needs in the self-directed learner, together
with experience and ability, create an interior disposition
that is receptive to continued learning. This theory of
adult learning emphasizes the development of an attitude
toward self-directed inquiry in which the individual is
capable of creativity using learning resources available to
satisfy individual learning needs.

Knowles (1950) believed that the essential

characteristics to the learning process are a desire to

35
learn, a willingness to expend the effort needed to learn,
and a sense of satisfaction that is received in the learning
process. In these characteristics, Knowles reflected
Dewey's earlier summation of the processes of need, effort,
and satisfaction. He found that there are numerous ways to
learn, and an understanding of learner needs is essential
and concluded: "successful programs start where people are"
(Knowles 1950:25).

Self-directed learning as a concept of andragogy is a
proactive learning (Knowles 1978). Pro-active learning
moves the responsibility for the initiative and sense of
discovery from the teacher to the learner. Traditionally,
pedagogy requires the learner to react to teacher stimuli.
Reactive learning has thus to be considered as a poor
preparation for lifelong learning. The proactive approach
is begun by the learner's attempt to meet needs and to
satisfy goals (Knowles 1978). It is Knowles's opinion that
experiences that involve the individual most directly in
self-directed inquiry are apt to produce the greatest
learning.

In reflecting Dewey and Maslow, Knowles (1970)
suggested that societal and institutional needs and goals
will have to be congruent with the needs and goals of
individuals as attempts are made to offer learning that will
enable self-directed learners to develop in directions that

are beneficial to themselves and to the society as a whole.

36
Knowles would agree with Rogers that it is most important to
establish a climate for learning that characterizes trust,
informality, openness, mutual respect, warmth, and caring.
It is also important to engage the learners in diagnosing
their own needs for learning. Knowles (1978) found success
using a learning contract that allows the self-directed
learner to establish needs on the basis of a contemporary
model. The learning contract that is drawn up embodies
learning objectives, learning resources, and the strategy
for their use, evidence of accomplishment, and, finally, a
criterion to be used as a means of validating the learning
experience.

In his theory of andragogy, Knowles points out that an
adult brings motivations, goals, expectations, and
experience to the learning situation that are totally
different from children. Knowles advised that adult
educators pay attention not only to these differences but
also the adult need to be self-directing in the quest for
the development of their own resources.

There are several key assumptions about adult learners
which form the foundation of modern adult learning theory
and further describe differences between adult and child
learners. These distinctions are helpful in understanding
adult learning. Edward Lindeman, strongly influenced by the
educational philosophy of John Dewey, was a pioneering

theorist in adult learning around 1926 and set forth these

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LC

38
instructor must be that of learning facilitator rather than
one of transmitter of knowledge (Knowles 1978).

In his development of these theories, Lindeman did not
dichotomize adult versus youth education, but rather adult
versus ”conventional" education. This implies that some
children might also learn better when their needs and
interests, life situations, experience, self-concepts, and
individual differences are considered (Knowles 1978).

These generalizations about the characteristics of
adult learners apply in part to all adults. There are,
however, specific features which further identify the
learning characteristics of professionals and these will be
discussed in the attempt to better understand ministers as

adult learners.

: !i . E E i 1 El Ii I°! !u
Introduction
The difference between continuing education and

continuing professional education is in the focus of
learning. Cervero and Scanlan (1985) described the
difference between continuing and continuing professional
education in the following way:

continuing education may be thought of

as generic field of practice and

research. Continuing professional

education is a subspecialty of

continuing education that focuses on

programming for person who have earned

their professional qualifications in
some field and who have subsequently

39
sought additional educational
experiences to remind them of what they
once knew and have forgotten, to
acquaint them with knowledge that has
developed since they earned their
qualifications, and to help them solve

personal and professional problems of
various kinds.

MW

Professionals, as a group, are most likely to continue
their education (Aslanian & Brickell 1980). The explanation
of this is a complex one, but in part results from the
commitment to uphold their professional obligations. Also,
professionals have relatively high incomes, access to
numerous resources, and enjoy a varied lifestyle. Berg
(1973) and Houle (1980) both report that a good indicator of
one's potential participation in continuing education is a
positive track record of past participation. Professional
learners are also generally better established in their
communities, more mobile and more confident in their
abilities than adults at large.

Aslanian and Brickell (1980) found that professionals
frequently become disenchanted with formal education and
lean towards directing their own learning. Generally,
however, pre-professional education does not assist
professionals in the development of self-directed learning
skills. The emphasis in preparatory training is on the

authoritative presentation of information.

4O

Professionals generally report their learning to be of
a problem-solving nature. Houle (1980) indicates that a
professional's work almost automatically demands continuing
learning. Seventy percent of useful and job-related
learning resulted from personal and collegial problem-
solving activity. In a survey of 290 scientists and
engineers, Margulies and Raia (1967) found that 42% of
professionals saw "on-the-job problem-solving" as the most
fruitful learning experience.

Houle suggests that there are four types of
professionals who are engaged in learning:

1. Innovators: continually striving to improve, have
plans for what they want from learning, respond to
invitational seminars, take pride in their expertise.

2. Pace setters: Progressive, but are not the first
to try a new idea. They legitimize an innovation for other
people.

3. Middle majority: They support an innovation
because pace setters have approved of it.

4. Laggards: They only learn what they have to in
order to stay in practice. They are an embarrassment to
their colleagues.

Within the professions, the traditional view has been
that the continuing education function must be directed by
its own members. The emerging view is that individuals

trained in the field of continuing education have the most

41
appropriate background for this function. According to
Cervero (1988), while there is an increasing movement
towards the emerging view, its adherents are still in a
significant minority. Griffith (1985) estimates that of all
people who perform continuing education function within the
professions, 96 percent have been trained only in the
content of their profession. The remaining 5 percent either
have their formal training only in education (4.5 percent)
or have been trained both in their profession and in
education (5 percent). Continuing education for the
professions as a field of education is quite young. As
such, it is guided by concepts that have not been fully
thought through or adequately tested (Cervero 1988).

WWW
Profoooionaljdnootion

People in the professions are actively participating in
continuing educational activities. The reasons for
participating are: professional development and
improvement, professional service, collegial learning and
interaction, professional commitment and reflection and
personal benefits (Grotelueschen 1985). Grotelueschen found
in his research that reasons for participation differ
significantly according to the type of profession, career

stage of the professional, and personal characteristics such

42
as type of practice setting and numbers of years in
profession.

The reasons for participation in continuing
professional education are as varied as the professions.
However, a large amount of participation is motivated by the
need to maintain one's professional competence. Price
(1967) and Houle (1980) suggest that a professional's desire
to learn arises from the intensity with which a practitioner
feels a sense of personal inadequacy in difficult
situations. In addition, there may be a licensure or
organizational mandates for professionals to document their
educational participation. This is true for physicians,
lawyers, and accountants in some states. Many
professionals, curious and eager to keep their minds active,
engage in continued learning as a natural extension of
everyday life. Lawrence Jacks confirmed this belief in his
statement, "Earning and living are not two separate
departments or operations in life. They are two names for a
continuous process looked at from opposite ends ... a type
of education based on this vision of continuity is,
obviously, the outstanding need of our times" (Jacks, 1932).

According to Houle (1980), "most studies have dealt
with samples of the general population, and personal and
social factors associated with the extent of participation
are too gross to be useful in explaining the differential

participation of members of professions." Arden

43
Grotelueschen (1985) also comments that much research has
taken place in the area of participation in continuing
education, mainly focusing on the general adult population.
"It is important to make a distinction between continuing
education in general and continuing professional education
in particular" (Grotelueschen 1985). Grotelueschen
suggested that continuing professional education was unique
and distinct from continuing education due to three factors:
the referent population, the nature of participation, and
the educational benefits derived from participation.
Research about motivation for participation in continuing
professional education, Grotelueschen concluded, required a
recognition of the uniqueness of that population.

A study conducted by Price (1967) was based on the
premise that the desire to continue learning arose from a
sense of personal inadequacy in a difficult situation.
Questionnaires were mailed to 1,000 nurses asking for a
self-report on the continuing education needs they had
experienced, and for anecdotes to illustrate situations in
which such needs were paramount. The respondents revealed
their needs to solve specific patient care problems, the
necessity of practical and theoretical knowledge, and the
capacity to relate to fellow professionals and clients as
reasons for participation. The three orientations
identified were similar to previously identified

orientations (Burgess 1971: Morstain & Smart 1974).

44

Several studies have been done on the professionals'
motives for participation in continuing education. Carp,
Peterson, and Roelfs (1974) sampled the general population
and classified the respondents by occupation as well as
other categories. The classification by occupation allowed
for the examination of data regarding ”professional
workers."

A study done by Sovie (1972) on the learning
orientations of nurses reported eight learning orientations:
learning, personal goal, occupational goal, professional
goal, societal goal, need fulfillment, personal
socialibility, and professional sociability.

Grotelueschen's research of professionals' reasons for
participation based on Houle's (1961) typology of adult
learning orientations. Houle (1961) described three
learning orientation categories: activity-oriented,
learning-oriented, and goal-oriented. The Houle typology
was the basis of the Continuing Learning Orientation Index
(Sheffield, 1964), the Reasons for Participation Instrument
(Burgess 1971: Grabowski 1972), and the Education
Participation Scale (Boshier 1971: Boshier & Collins 1982).
While these instruments provided valuable information, they
were of limited applicability to unique professional
populations.

Using the thirty-question Participation Reason Scale,

Grotelueschen clustered motives for professional

45
participation into six orientations (Grotelueschen 1985: 40-
41): "(a) professional improvement and development, (b)
professional service, (c) collegial learning and
interaction, (d) professional commitment and reflection, (e)
personal benefits and job security, and (f)
professionalism."

The deterrents, or rather barriers, to professionals'
participation in continuing education activities were
studied by Scanlan and Darkenwald (1984). These deterrents
included general apathy towards participating in continuing
education, lack of quality programs, family constraints,
cost of attending programs, lack of benefit (worth of
participation), and conflicting demands of professionals'
work time, especially scheduling difficulties (work
constraints). Learning in continuing professional
education, as in any other education, is controlled by the
individual learner, especially in the planning and selection
of the learning activities and experiences.

Ministers as professionals must participate in
continuing learning activities. Attention to their unique
adult learning characteristics will facilitate more
effective learning. Adults experiences, needs and
interests, self-concept, and life situations significantly
affect their learning behaviors. Therefore, assumptions
about adult learning must include the unique factors

associated with their learning patterns. The ministers, as

46
one type of professional adult learner, have additional
unique learning needs, given their occupational focus and
mission.

The professional must be able not only to absorb the
evolving knowledge and theoretical concepts of a field, but
also to learn the skills for implementing that knowledge:
such education cannot be obtained from simply attending a

class or seminar.

lli'! 'Eli' Ei !' i£!"!'

The experience of stress has been one major factor in
motivating ministers to learn. A national study of 4,984
clergy in 21 predominantly white Protestant denominations
concerning occupational stress and continuing education
showed that status inconsistency, relative to deprivation
and career stress appeared to influence ministers toward
greater continuing education need, with high stress as the
most powerful influence (Mills and Hesser 1972). Also in
this study, one third of the study participants recorded no
organized continuing education activity. More than one-half
(52%) indicated high need for learning to relate Christian
faith to the rapidly changing society. Professional skill
development (27%) was the most frequent reason for
participation in continuing education. The major barriers
to learning were time pressure (68%) and inadequate

financial support (47%). Other studies were done later and

47
confirmed these findings (Bonn 1975: Gamble 1984). Research
has shown that ministers' primary reason for participation
in continuing education was to increase knowledge and skills
for performing ministerial duties. Other reasons include
desire to increase self-understanding, intellectual
stimulation, keeping relationships, and spiritual renewal.
Gamble (1976) lists certain incentives and expectations to
ministers' involvement in continuing education as:

1. to be more competent:

2. to look for self-fulfillment:

3. to understand some subject better:

4. to rethink the priorities of life:

5. to move out of your isolation and into an
attractive setting with a change of pace and new
associations:

6. to escape parish frustrations for a time:

7. the promise of high status and prestige.

Because of the great need for ministers to learn to
cope with the demands of the profession, given the rapidly
changing society and professional stress, self-directed
learning (self-learning) has been suggested as a vital part
of ministers' education (Gamble 1984: Malcomson 1981).

In 1974, Mark Rouch, a United Methodist Church
minister, linked competence in ministry to continuing
education. Continuing education was the instrument through

which competence was achieved. Rouch defined continuing

48
education as "an individual's personally designed learning
program which begins when basic formal education ends and
continues throughout a career and beyond. It is an
unfolding process which links together personal study and
reflection and participation in organized group events"
(1974:16). He considered short-term organized courses and
seminars as one component of a minister's continuing
education. Rouch contrasted continuing education with
lifelong learning. Continuing education was an act,
episode, or experience of the pastor, Rouch believed, while
. lifelong learning was a way of life, an attitude, or
dimension. The aim of the continuing education episode was
to produce growing competence. Without that aim, Rouch felt
there was nothing to be gained.

Rouch outlined various stages of a minister's
professional career and identified continuing education
tasks for each lifespan stage (1974:104-138). The
minister's first career stage was labeled the establishment
stage. It was subdivided into the trial and advancement
periods. During the trial period, ministers tried the job
on for size. The continuing education tasks of this stage
included a need to be involved in a colleague group with
others and skill training. During the advancement period,
ministers moved rapidly toward personal career goals. In

this period, the tasks of continuing education included

49
career assessment, human relations training, and theological
studies.

The ministers' second professional career stage was the
mid-career which began around age forty with the realization
that the minister was no longer a young adult and that
opportunities for advancement were not limitless. The
tendency in this stage was to maintain or conserve previous
accomplishments. The continuing education tasks were to
examine, refine, and sometimes rediscover self-identity: to
establish new career goals or examine and refine those
already held: and to acquire skills and knowledge
appropriate to the new goals and self-understanding.

Pre-retirement was the final stage in a minister's
professional career. This stage, which usually occurred
about five to seven years before retirement, involved
contemplated retirement and a decline in life powers. In
this stage, the continuing education task was to develop a
skill or be introduced to a body of knowledge that would be
useful in retirement.

Ministers' continuing education though was dominated by
the ideas of Gamble, Steward, and Rouch. All three linked
competency in ministry to continuing theological education.
Other variables were also studied.

.Bonn (1974) surveyed 4,634 clergy and identified four
factors which influenced participation: (1) time and money

provided by congregations: (2) denomination: (3) other

clerg
and t
that

one C

mini:
and c
of Se
song:
weekl
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Vhic
seru
Sta1

0th

na1

PE

50
clergy and support factors, i.e. family, number of children:
and (4) the attitudinal dimensions. Further findings were
that 66% of the clergy respondents participated in at least
one continuing education program during 1972 and 1973.

Hollister (1968) studied the relationships of a
minister's use of time, participation in leisure activities,
and continuing education among clergy in urban congregations
of Santa Clara County, California. He found that
congregation size was not significantly related to work
week, private study, or leisure. The need for relaxation
was the main reason for participating in leisure activities
which included continuing professional education. Ministers
serving larger congregations had higher salaries and social
status, participated more often in continuing education and
other programs, and were more likely to hold membership in
national organizations.

MacKenzie (1978, 1980) conducted studies in urban
parishes in the Midwest on barriers to participation in
adult religious education. He reported seven factors:

1. Programmatic non-relevance was found among 14
percent of those not participating.

2. Involvement in other activities ranked highest in
the twenty to twenty-nine age group.

3. Physical incapacity was highest among older

* persons.

51

4. Alienation from church activities was found most
frequently among young and middle-aged adults with more than
twelve years of schooling.

5. Negative attitude towards education and resistance
to change were found among many adults over fifty-four, and
at least one-fifth of the adults in the twenty-six to fifty-
three age group.

6. Estrangement or feeling of not belonging was found
among all age groups.

7. Marginality, or a non-joining life style, was found
in one-third of those sampled.

In his study, McKenzie (1980) replaced the barrier of
physical incapacity with confusion which was found most
frequently among middle-aged and older groups.

Klever (1966) studied the value orientations and
participation in continuing professional education by
clergymen. Klever found that educational participation was
significantly related to one's value orientations, but not
to the religious traditions of the sample: 55 ministers, 55
priests, and 55 rabbis in the greater Chicago, Illinois
area.

MinisterS' perceived needs for continuing professional
education were studied by Rossman (1974). The population
was Yale Divinity School graduates and the sample was the
classes of 1943, 1948, 1953, and 1958. Nearly all

respondents were pursuing some sort of continuing education-

52
—large1y formal seminary credit courses, urban church
institutes, mission or overseas study tours, and in clinical
fields such as sociology and psychology. About one-third of
the 1948 and 1953 graduates, but less than one-fourth of the
1958 class, reported involvement in continuing informal
education related to biblical or theological topics.
Uncertainty characterized most respondents when asked about
their future plans for continuing education. Time and money
were given as the reasons for their uncertainty.
Respondents showed the strongest future interest in
practical courses aimed at improving their organizational
and program work. Rossman also found that interest in
continuing professional education declined in proportion to
length of time away from seminary graduation.

Several dissertations about continuing professional
education for clergy have been written on a variety of
topics. These topics include: organizational structures of
continuing education (Belsheim 1982: Belue 1974: Emler 1973:
MCash 1966: Newell 1974: Norris 1979): perceived needs of
pastors for continuing education (Burnett 1974: Carter 1984:
Fortier 1972: Jones 1981: Morris 1977: Traylor 1931; Wagener
1975): program, program attendance, and quality of programs
(Courtenay 1976: Serig 1977; Shell 1981: Wright 1985): and
clergy/lay cooperation in continuing education (Cuny 1982) .

Carter (1986) cited five reasons for ministers'

continuing education participation: building on Word and

53
Sacrament ministry: growing as a Christian person:
developing personal gifts and skills: equipping God's people
for ministry: and implementing the church's mission to the
world. The first reason involved the minister's personal
nourishing by the Gospel in contrast to merely using the
Bible as a professional tool. The second reason included
rest, refreshment, renewal, and re-direction in one's
personal life in order to be motivated for ministry. The
third reason targeted ministry skills which require growth
or conservation. The fourth reason involved assisting the
parish laity in developing their own ministry in the church
and in their own daily lives. The final reason for
Participation emphasized the mission of spreading the Gospel
to the world through more effective and competent ministers.
The reasons for attending continuing education episodes were

fOcused on enhanced, competent ministry.

H' . ! , E E . l E! II! !

There is a growing concern for ministerial professional
ot3solescence, as is also in the other professions, given the
fast social changes in today's society. The ministers'
Professional demands have greatly increased and their roles
have expanded and become more complicated (Adams 1966:
PIt‘eston 1976: Gamble 1984) . A minister has more
Professional issues to deal with than ever before. The

rapid change challenges all authority, not the least that of

the
giv

the

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54
1:1113 church. The ministers' responsibility is increased,
given the increased social stress on the communities that
the minister has to serve.
The minister's professional stress is increased by the
multiple roles he is expected to play:
Today a doctor may specialize in only
one aspect of medicine, or an architect
may design only office buildings and
disqualify himself from preparing house
plans. Such specializations are
accepted. But generally, a minister is
expected to make several visits a week,
preach well, teach, counsel, be an
effective administrator and motivator,
be good at public relations, and at
solving interpersonal problems, while
doing the work of an evangelist (Irvin
1989: 129) .
While there are ministers who are effective in relating
'tC) the emerging needs and new challenges, an increased
number of ministers are becoming ineffective in their
nlinistry (Dittes 1962: Rayburn 1985: Walsworth 1978:
Cochrane 1981: Thomas 1968: Mills and Hesser 1972) . Studies
0f ministers show high professional stress, increased number
‘33 burnout ministers and an increasing incompetence among
the ministers (Rayburn, et al. 1986) . The stress generated
by the changing demands on the ministerial profession is
c”Stem too great to cope with and leaving the ministry has
1been one way to escape.
The church ministry effectiveness in the society is
declining (Preston 1976: Stewart 1974: Wiersbe 1988) . Also

tame studies done on ministers have indicated a great need

55

for an understanding of how to relate the Christian faith to
the rapidly changing society (Gamble 1967: Mills and Hesser
1972: Preston 1976). ‘4

Church ministry has been characterized as a profession
in crisis. Houle (1980) mentions Tom Brown's listing of the
seven kinds of crises to which ministers are subject. These
czarises provide some insight on the challenges facing
ministers. It is important to see these crises also as
stimuli to learning. The crises are:

1) integrity--no longer believes in the creeds of the
church:

2) power--feels that neither s/he or the church has
Significant community influence:

3) capacity--sense of personal inadequacy for dealing
with the situation of ministry:

4) failure--sees him/herself on a downward path
lEsading to a sad termination of a career:

5) destination--doesn't know how to plan and advance
llie/her own career:

6) role--can't decide what role(s) are primary:

7) meaning--fears that the profession has no place in
'tlle modern world.

Ministers are finding it difficult to cope with the
c=hanging roles in the ministry. According to Benes:

Time was when he was responsible for the
preaching of the word and the pastoral

care of his flock. Today he is required
to fill several roles simultaneously,

56

some of them complex and demanding. He
is expected to be involved in every
organization in the church, and in a
number of good ones outside as well, and
to be a hearty promoter of all worthy
causes. He must be a preacher,
administrator, teacher, psychiatrist,
..., and community leader (1965:8).

An increasing number of ministers have been leaving
tarreir profession in response to the demands in the ministry.
c -W. Stewart has observed that:

Contemporary studies by Mills,
Schallert, Hessert, and others show that
in the present period that instead of
breaking down, today's troubled
clergyman is dropping out. The study of
ex-pastors shows that only 1 percent of
the United Church of Christ pastors were
dropping out in 1969. Father
Schallert's study of Roman Catholic
priests at the same period showed an
alarming rise in demitting priests, 7
percent in 1969 with a projected figure
of 15 percent by 1975. Mills' earlier
study of United Presbyterian ministers
shows that under stress clergy leave the
profession rather than endure the
difficulties they face (Stewart 1974:17-
18).

According to Rayburn, Richmond and Rogers (1986)
ministers have high occupational stress. Their study found
tl‘aat ministers, and also other church leaders:

...have fewer rational/cognitive coping
resources, ... they are less apt to have
a systematic approach solution, less
ability or willingness to set and follow
priorities, are more distractible and
less likely to be able to reorganize
their work schedules, .... These
findings are in general agreement with
reports from many religious leaders that
concern their needs for betting learning
to cope with and manage time constraints

57

and demands upon their time and energy
(Rayburn, Richmond and Rogers 1986:543).

Soltnimotsnmminuifsrators

According to Tough (1971) and Knowles (1984), adults
take greater responsibility for their learning. Tough's
work shows that adults are highly active learners and quite
self-directed. In self-directed learning, a learner makes
choices concerning the direction and options available to
achieve proficiency or to accumulate necessary knowledge.
Even learners who hesitate to take major responsibility for
their learning do appreciate the opportunity to select and
plan for learning activities that fit their needs,
interests, and tasks that need to perform (Brockett 1985:
Knowles 1975). Self-directed learning may be mistakenly
associated with the notion that the learner carries out his
activities in isolation and independently. Rather, self-
directed learning often includes intimates, peers,
instructors, friends as part of the learning process. All
these individuals may help at various stages of learning
(Knowles 1975).

Profession-related self-directed learning makes up a
large percentage of all of what adults learn. The studies
done by Allen Tough (1971, 1978 and 1979) indicate that the
majority of all learning efforts by adults are occupation-

related and are almost entirely conducted in a self-directed

58
manner by the individual adults. Tough found that 73
percent (and later 80 percent) of all adults' learning
projects were self-initiated, planned, and conducted.
According to Tough, almost everyone undertakes at least one
or two major efforts to learn each year and some may
undertake as many as twenty. The average is eight learning
projects a year. These learning projects may be related to
an individual's job, hobbies, personal lifestyle, or to
their families. They spent as few as seven hours and as
many as several hundred hours on each project. Most
learners directed their own projects, but some depended on
groups, peers, teachers, or a non-human resource.

Numerous other studies have been done to verify Tough's
theory (Penland 1977: Coolican 1974, 1975: Morris 1977:
Brookfield 1980, 1982a). A verification study conducted by
Allerton (1974) on ministers also found that 62 percent of
the learning projects pursued by ministers were related to
vocational (ministry) duties such as preaching, teaching,
administration, counselling, and visiting. Allerton found
that 85 percent of all ministers who participated in the
study were satisfied with their self-directed learning to
learn in the ministry.

Verification studies on self-directed learning leave
many questions unanswered. A need has been expressed for
researchers to go beyond the verification mode of self-

directed learning (Tough 1978: Cross 1981: Brookfield 1986).

59
Little is known on what goes on in the learning projects.
The description of adults and their learning projects was
expanded by previous studies, but there were still many
questions without answers. According to Cross (1981:199):
"It would be helpful to know more about the reasons why
learners are dissatisfied with the help they receive, what
kinds of problems they experience, and what they think can
be done about providing better help for self-directed

learning."

5 JE‘EI ! I I i E !' .!. i S !

In a review of research literature related to the area
of self-directed learning Coolican (1974) identified seven
research studies that used the Tough (1971) approach. The
review included Tough's (1971) original study, Coolican's
own dissertation (1973), McCatty's (1974) study of Canadian
professional men, Johnson's (1973) study of adult high
school and GED graduates, and Peters and Gordon's (1974)
research on rural and urban populations in Tennessee.
Coolican's (1974) studies showed universal participation by
the adult subjects in some type of learning project during
any 12-month period. Populations varied considerably in the
extent of activities. Self-planned projects were dominant
in all the studies.

One of the studies reviewed by Coolican (1974),

specifically the one conducted by McCatty (1974), it was

60
found that the desire for individualized subject matter was
an important factor in almost half of all self-planned
projects. It appears that a major advantage of self-
directed learning, according to this study, should lie in
the freedom to determine what is learned. By definition
self-directed learners want to learn enough to solve their
rather unique problems, and do want a solution. People turn
to other people most frequently for assistance in learning--
first to friends and relatives and then to paid experts.
Books and pamphlets rival paid experts as resources.
Classes are a distant fourth.

Three learning activities (methods) were most commonly
used by the adults in those learning projects: practice,
reading and discussion, respectively. Listening,
observation, and instructors were also used, but not as
often. The most frequently used methods were all active,
involving the learner directly: and the least commonly used
techniques were passive, watching or listening to someone
else do something.

Coolican (1974) recommended, among other things, that
adult educators should help adults increase their
competencies for self-directed learning by learning how to
determine their educational needs, organizing learning
experiences, and evaluating the outcomes. Coolican
suggested that self-directed learning should be outside the

responsibility of adult education, and posed two major

61
questions: ”What are the grounds for intervention," and "If
the adult educator intervenes in the domain of self-directed
learning, what does he influence and how?”

Tough (1978) reviewed 12 previous research studies on
self-directed learning. He found that approximately 90
percent of all adults conducted at least one learning
project a year. Self-planned projects, with the learner
assuming major responsibility for selecting the goals and
means for learning, were dominant, representing 73 percent
of all projects. In relation to "other planner," i.e. the
way the projects, which were not self-directed, were
planned, Tough's findings showed that groups represented 14
percent, one-to-one planner helpers represented 10 percent,
and non-human resources represented three percent. Tough
further analyzed the planning function and determined that
professional planners functioned in 20 percent of all group
learning projects, one-to-one consultations, and in the
creation of non-human programmed resources. Amateurs--the
learner's friends and peer groups--handled 80 percent of the
project planning. One finding was clear, ”adults want
additional competent help with planning and guiding their
learning projects" (Tough 1978:15).

Tough (1978) concluded that while most of these studies
provided more information on other aspects, they added more
to the breadth rather than the depth of understanding adult

learning projects.

62

In 1979, Penland, in a national probability sample,
verified some of the findings of Tough and associates
regarding self-initiated and self-planned learning. He
found that books were rated ”extremely important" resources
by 71 percent of his population, exceeded as a preferred
resource only by knowledgeable friends and relatives.
Similarly, 44 percent of Penland's respondents indicated
that reading was the best way for them to learn, exceeded
slightly by the more social learning mode of "seeing or
observing" which was rated best by 45 percent. Penland
(1979) found that those engaged in formal learning were
considerably more likely to depend on books as their best
source of information than those working on so-called
practical projects.

Spear and Mocker (1981) conducted a study to analyze
the adults' descriptions of their learning activities to
determine those factors that organize nonformal learning but
which apparently lie beyond the consciousness of the
learner. The concept of ”Organizing Circumstance" was
introduced in this study as defining those elements in the
adult's life space that provide motivation, resources,
activities, and overall direction to the planning and
conduct of a learning project. It was concluded that most
of the Tough-like basic surveys assumed or tried to equate
the self-planned learning process with the process employed

traditionally in planning or organizing formal education.

63
The researchers argued that this is a basic error, since the
planning of formal education activities is in the hands of a
person who already has command of the subject matter. The
reverse, they said, is the case with self-planned learning.
They continued by saying that the assumptions of similarity
between the two processes have led to faulty understanding
of the planning process for self-directed learning. The
importance of environmental factors in the planning and
conducting of self-directed learning projects was
established by the study.

Another significant study on self-directed learning was
conducted by Brookfield (1982a: 1982b). Brookfield
interviewed 25 "successful independent learners" in England.
In order to participate in this study, the adults were
required to meet two criteria: first, each adult needed a
high level of expertise in one specific area--expertise that
had gained the person both local and national recognition.
Second, the learner needed to have acquired the knowledge
through means other than formal learning. The term
"independent learning" was applied to that learning that is
independent of external instructional direction and
independent of institutional accreditation or recognition.

The data was collected using a semi-structured
interview. He used a grounded theory approach for coding of
interviewee comments, the identification of major

substantive themes, and the generation of concepts and

64
classifications. He also had a randomly chosen subsample of
ten correspondence students (students enrolled in distance
education programs, e.g. Open University, National Extension
College, etc.). They were chosen for the purpose of
comparison with the independent learners. This was done to
see the extent to which the correspondence students
exhibited independence and autonomy in their learning. The
most relevant findings of Brookfield's (1982, 1985) study as
they relate to this study are discussed on the following
pages.

Brookfield's study identified three major
characteristic attitudes: (a) learning was gradual: it
seemed to have no end: (b) the learners were aware of their
interest: and (c) Brookfield's subjects had the feeling they
belonged to a society of learning. These learners
identified themselves as belonging to a larger learning
community, a group of enthusiasts sharing the same
pleasures, concerns, and difficulties. They felt themselves
to be members of an intellectual fellowship in which there
was no sense of knowledge being privatized. They felt that
members were ready to share their knowledge and experience
with anyone who asked.

Brookfield found in this study that the independent
learners were gregarious in their learning, and concluded:
"independence clearly did not mean isolation" (Brookfield

1982a:50). The exchange of information was the most

65
frequently mentioned benefit and this was reported as taking
place at the level of individual member contacts.
Individual members would come to learn about each other's
specialties and exchange ideas on new techniques as well as
to offer advice on the solution of problems.

The most important sources of information identified
were the human resources of accumulated knowledge and
expertise contained within the groups: and those group
members possessing skills in a specialist area were
consulted for assistance in solving problems. Unskilled and
relatively skilled enthusiasts were prompted to contact the
learner to obtain specific advice or special equipment. In
this way, the specially skilled learner came to serve as a
resource consultant and skill model for enthusiasts
possessing various degrees of expertise.

Brookfield's study found that there was evidence to
show that the kinds of difficulties a researcher might label
as problems were regarded as enjoyable challenges, or
interesting diversions, by the independent learners
themselves. For example, the problem of finding an
effective way of managing bee swarms, the central concern of
the apiarist, was not regarded as a difficulty blocking the
progress of his learning, but rather as the absorbing focus
of his efforts, a source of continuing interest and

enjoyment.

66

The whole concept of problems in learning seemed to be
alien to Brookfield's study participants. And at times it
became almost impossible for those adults to recall any
difficulty they had experienced. The correspondence
students showed a much greater awareness of constraints and
limitations. They identified three broad categories of
difficulty: (a) trying to make sense of multi-disciplinary
perspectives in course materials: (b) dealing with an
intimidating workload in the face of inadequate study time,
and working in isolation.

These independent learners, according to Brookfield
(1982a), represented a submerged dimension of educational
activity. On the whole, formal education provision was
regarded by the independent learners as irrelevant to their
situations. The correspondence students in Brookfield's
study exhibited a heavy reliance on books, lesson units, and
broadcast. The independent learners placed much less
emphasis on material resources, declaring instead their
preference for the consultation of peers and learning groups
as sources of information. References to library usage were
recorded in 10 interviews. Another interesting finding from
Brookfield's (1982, 1985) research was the fact that 11
independent learners had assembled extensive private
reference libraries.

Danis and Tremblay (1985) carried out a critical review

of the generally current adult learning principles comparing

67
the learning principles suggested by experts in the
literature with those suggested by successful, self-taught
learners in the description of their own learning
experiences. The 10 subjects in this study met the same
criteria as those in Brookfield's (1982) study--they had
been engaged in long-term self-directed learning projects
(at least four years), they were socially recognized as
experts in their field of learning, they had less than 10
years of schooling, and the knowledge and skills in their
field of learning had not been acquired in school. This
study was divided into three phases. In the first phase,
learning principles were identified from the literature. In
the second phase, a content analysis of the self-taught
adults' learning experiences was carried out. Finally, in
the third phase, a comparative analysis of the principles
suggested by the subjects with those suggested by the
authors was conducted.

The study findings of Danis and Tremblay (1985) were as
follows:

1. Experience as the central dynamic of the learning
process: "All self-taught adults' learning approaches
consist of a time for action and a time for reflection, both
occurring simultaneously or alternatively."

2. Learning contents: "The more knowledge or skills
the self-taught adults have acquired, the more they will

seek assistance from specialists in their field of

68
learning." Another important principle: "Self-taught
adults have a tendency to narrow down their learning content
to specialized aspects of their field of learning.”

3. Self-teaching methods and the pace of the learning
process: "Self-taught adult learners do use a variety of
settings, methods, and resources in order to learn and
emphasize the importance of controlling the pace of their
own learning process."

4. Influence of the environment, the subjects of the
present research emphasized the two-sided transactions they
engaged in with their immediate environment rather than the
one-sided support they could receive from that environment.

5. Use of learning media: "The use of books or
consultations with experts only occur once the self-taught
adults have familiarized themselves, in various ways, with
their field of learning."

6. Use of human resources: "The self-taught adults
build up networks or resources which evolve in terms of the
level of expertise the learners have acquired in their field
of learning."

7. Notion of locus of control: "Throughout their
learning process, the self-taught adults assume the
monitoring of their own learning, even when consulting an
external agent or when participating in a formal education

activity."

69

8. Motivation: "The self-taught adults' motivation
increases as their competence is recognized and as they are
invited to transmit their knowledge or skills to others."
The researchers reported that the subjects of this study
emphasized the importance of pleasure linked to the act of
learning. There was a tendency of the adults involved to
prompt others to engage in learning as a result of the
exhilaration that they themselves had experienced.

9. Orientation to learning: Immediacy of application,
efficiency, and the pragmatic application of adult learning
stood out clearly from the findings. Self-taught adults did
not limit themselves to learning that was to be applied in
the immediate future. Most of them seized opportunities to
acquire knowledge or skills that might eventually be useful
in the long term. Furthermore, the participants in this
study seemed to be learning-centered and subject-centered.

Guglielmino and Guglielmino (1984, 1987, 1988) have
found that there is mounting evidence to suggest workers of
the future will need to be able to take more responsibility
for the management of their learning. Guglielminos' study
on the managers of some 500 Fortune companies found that the
managers believed professional success "today and tomorrow"
is largely dependent on the skills of self-directed
learning.

The rapid rate of change demands professionals design

their own learning in order to cope with the demands of the

70

constant change. Alvin Tofler (1971) described the

i Jliterate of the year 2000 A.D. not as the individual who

could not read or write, but the one who could not learn,

unlearn, and relearn. Future professional success is

dependent on learning how to learn and the skills of self-
directed learning.

Cyril Houle (1980) in learninLinJhLErofoooion.

quoting Dill and Elton (1965) , said, "self-directed learning

is imperative in a changing world." Also, Brookfield (1982)

said that self-directed learning was the prime way for

people to cope with the world around them.

at Q ‘ 1 ' ’I Q I' 0.. 0! <90. 1".

-.. [11! I.

Traditionally, much of ministers' continuous learning

a. fter seminary has been through organized educational

programs, mainly seminars, seminary extension courses, and

conferences. Much attention is given to content in these

educational programs. Very little attention has been given

to how individual ministers prefer to learn. In a review of

literature on ministers' professional learning, Ferro (1985)
found that the largest amount of materials which discuss the

ministers' professional continuing education are hortatory

or programmatic. The literature review also indicated a

lack of self-directed learning in the ministers' continuing
education.

71
A study done on twelve denominations in the United
:Estates and Canada found that the factors which appeared to
be most influential to decisions of the ministers to

jlparticipate in continuing education were: 1) a perception

'1:hat the subject matter would contribute to increased
<:ompetence for ministry: 2) presence of self-assessed

<3ontinuing education: and 3) self-formulated goals (Gamble

21984). There is a need for ministers' effective self-

<flirected professional learning, given the fast-changing

ssociety, in order to maintain professional competence and

«effectiveness.

While there has been a lack of emphasis on the self-
<flirected learning in the ministers' education, the
<definition of continuing education for ministers has been
«evolving and refined to focus more on the individual

Iminister's learning needs and self-directed learning

«efforts. Connolly Gamble, Executive Director of the Society

«of the Advancement of Continuing Education for Ministry
(SACEM) in 1960 defined continuing education as "a lifelong

jprogram of systematic, sustained study" (Gamble 1960). By

1975, he had modified his definition of continuing education

to read as:

An individual's personally-designed
learning program developed with the help
of colleagues (laity and fellow-clergy)
to improve vocational competencies,
which begins when formal education ends
and continues throughout one's career
and beyond. An unfolding process, it
links together personal study and

72

reflection, and participation in
organized group events in a related
series of 'more-or-less organized
events' (Gamble 1975:3).

The refining process of 25 years has added the

zitollowing five essential concepts to Gamble's initial

«ciefinition of continuing education for ministers:

1.

the necessity of interaction of learning and
experience:

the initial responsibility should rest with the
minister-learner to begin individual planning for
continuing education:

acceptance of the role of both laity and other
ministers to provide input into the forming of the
minister-learners individual plans:

a variety of activities over the entire life-span
where acceptable, and

goals grew from an emphasis on ministry skills and
theological knowledge to include personal

evaluation and refreshment.

In 1974, Charles William Steward recognized the need

:for continuing theological education as a basis for a

Ininister's changing life tasks. The thesis of his book was

"the minister's continuing education should be related to

This changing career needs: i.e. the minister should plan his

education to enhance, support, and increase his personal

resources so that he may be productive throughout his entire

73

*eurork life" (Steward 1974:136). Steward gave the impression

‘I::o his readers that continuing theological education was

seself-directed learning which occurred inside or outside the

jgaarish context.

According to Gamble (1975), the interaction between
musinisters' learning and practice has been recognized and the

2::esponsibility of the clergy-learner in the parish context
Irmas been identified as the essential ingredient in

individual plans for continuing education. The importance

<=af self-direction learning is not a totally new concept in

‘tzhe Christian ministry. According to Niebuhr (1956):

Those who have fought their way through
clear cut definition of their task and
office often say that they have had to
do this in isolation, without real help
from school or church, and that
maintenance of their sense of specific

vocation is highly personal
responsibility.

For ministers to improve competence in the ministerial
Iprofession, they need to be effective in their skills of

sself-directed learning. Tough (1971) and Knowles (1975)

laave outlined basic skills that are necessary for self-

ciirected learning and pointed out that such skills are

laecessary in every learner.

Summary
This chapter has reviewed selected literature on
continuing education, continuing professional education,

self-directed learning and ministers' continuing education.

74

The studies on participation in continuing education by
‘I:he general adult learner population show: 1) participation
:is motivated by personal needs and the learner's self-
1ormulated goals: and 2) there is a wide variation in the
reasons given for participation.

Participation has been studied from different
19erspectives. The dominant perspective is that of learning
corientations: social, goal, and activity (Houle 1961).
(Others like Lowe (1982) used needs orientations (vocation,
19ersonal, and social). Other studies used the reasons for
lparticipation as the guiding concept to study motivation
(Boshier and Collins 1985: Cross 1981). Several continuing
«education participation instruments have been developed
Insing the reasons for participation, and Houle's (1961)
aseminal study on learning orientation (Burgess 1971:
=Sheffield 1964: Grotelueschen 1985).

Professionals as a group have unique characteristics in
‘their learning orientations. Their learning is more focused
‘to their occupations. But the specific reasons for their
participation in continuing education are as varied as the
professions. A large amount of their participation is
tmotivated by the need to maintain and improve professional
competence. Studies on professional continuing education
show that participation is related to specific professional
tasks and personal goals. Collegial interaction is also

another major factor influencing participation in

75
professional continuing education. Houle's (1961) learning
orientation also applies to professional learning.

There is a wide variety of reasons for ministers'
participation in continuing education. Ministers indicate a
need for learning to relate faith to the rapidly changing
society (Mills and Hesser 1972: Bonn 1975: and Gamble 1984).
Ministers are participating in various learning activities
to gain knowledge and skills to perform their ministerial
duties. Keeping relationships with colleagues and a search
for spiritual renewal are also important factors in
ministers' participation in continuing education.

The studies done by Penland (1977), Brookfield (1982),
and Dann and Tremblay (1985) show that self-directed
learners use a wide variety of learning supports and
resources (human and materials) to learn their self-
determined areas of interests and needs. They do not learn
independently or in isolation but they control their own
learning. While the specific resources and supports and
learning barriers may vary from a group of learners to
another, the research studies conducted on self-directed
learning complement Allen Tough's (1971, 1978) study. Tough
found that adult learners took the initiative and
responsibility to learn what they needed to learn and

control their learning.

Chapter III

Methodology of the Study

This chapter presents the research methodology used for
this study. It discusses the population, sample, the
instrumentation, data collection procedures, and the method

of analyzing the data.

Emulation
The population of this study was the United Methodist

Church ministers in the Western Michigan Conference. This
population was selected because all ministers are practicing
professionals. According to Houle (1980), Jarvice (1983),
and Cervero (1988), those practicing in the professions are
actively involved in continuing education learning
activities. United Methodist Church ministers are
encouraged to participate in continuing education events to
improve professional competence (Gamble 1984: Cochran 1981:
Rouch 1976). According to Ins_pisgiplins (1984), Article
446, ministers of the United Methodist Church "shall be
expected to continue their education throughout their
careers, including carefully developed programs of study
augmented periodically by involvement in organized

educational activities. Pastors shall be asked by the

76

77
district superintendent in charge of the conference to
outline their programs of continuing education for the

year."

min
According to Alreck and Settle (1985), the most

desirable sample for survey research is the random sample in
that it is most representative of the entire population.

The sample for this study consisted of 140 randomly selected
ministers who were full members of United Methodist Church,
Western Michigan Conference. In order to be a member, a
minister is required to have professional training and two
years of service. The sample selection was done from a
mailing list of the United Methodist Church ministers, West
Michigan conference, using a table of random numbers. A
random sample of 140 who were full members was picked from
the population. Of the 140 questionnaires sent, 102 (72.9%)
were returned. Out of those returned 10 were not usable,

and 92 (65.7%) were used for this study.

Seesaw

This research used descriptive research methods.
According to E. Babbie (1986), the three purposes of
research are exploration, description, and explanation.
Description research aims at describing facts and

Characteristics of a given area of interest factually and

78
accurately. "Description is the precise measurement and
reporting of the characteristics of some population or
phenomena" (Babbie 1986:91). As Borg and Gall (1983:354)
put it, "descriptive studies are primarily concerned with
finding out 'what is'...observation and survey methods are
frequently used to collect descriptive data."

The survey method was chosen as appropriate for this
study because it is recommended as the method of choice when
it is important to establish the status of a given
phenomenon (Mouley 1970). This is done by asking a specific
population of individuals what they know, believe, or value
about a given phenomenon. According to Babbie (1973), such
information can be collected through three methods of survey
administration: face-to-face interview, telephone interview,
and mail questionnaires.

According to Shaughnessy and Zechmeister (1985), there
are three survey research designs: the one-shot or cross-
sectional study, the successive independent samples study,
and the panel or longitudinal study. The one-shot or cross-
sectional survey research design was chosen for this study.
In this design a sample population is selected, and
standardized data are then collected from the sample at one
point in time. The purpose of the one-shot survey is to
describe the characteristics of a population at the time of
the study (Borg and Gall 1971: Shaughnessy and Zechmeister
1985: Babbie 1973).

79
Although descriptive research does not address
causality, it has heuristic value in that it helps to
establish facts and relationships which may later lead to
the development of causal laws. It was expected that the
results of this study would determine the status of the
ministers' profession-related learning activities from the

ministers' perspective.

Inotmnontation
Introduction

A six-step procedure was followed in conducting this
research. These steps were consecutively as follows: 1) an
open-ended face to face interview: 2) questionnaire
development: 3) testing the questionnaire: 4) revising the
questionnaire: 5) administering the revised final
questionnaire: and 6) collecting and analyzing the data.

The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with a
purposive sample of seven ministers from the Lansing
District of the United Methodist Church. This district has
some seventy full time practicing ministers of the United
Methodist Church. Open-ended questions were used in the
interviews to investigate the ministers' areas of
profession-related self-directed learning, concerns and what
is important to them in their learning efforts. Terrance L.

Albrecht says "open-ended questions call for a broad

80
response and allow answers in any direction" (Albrecht,
1980:241).

The information gathered from the open-ended
interviews, in addition to personal knowledge and
experience, and from previous research and literature, was
used by the researcher to develop a preliminary
questionnaire instrument. The questionnaire instrument was
primarily based on the research findings and concepts
developed by Tough (1978), Penland (1979), Coolican (1974),
and Scanlan and Darkenwald (1984). Other researches were
also used. The literature on ministers were used and
compared with the information from the interviews. The
preliminary questionnaire instrument was tested on a
convenience sample of five ministers. The ministers
completed the questionnaire and returned their feedback to
the researcher. Also the ministers were asked by the
researcher to give comments concerning the questionnaire
instrument. The comments and feedback from the ministers
were used to revise the questionnaire. The revised
questionnaire was tested and revised again.

The final revised questionnaire, in a self-administered
format, was mailed to a random sample of 140 ministers of
United Methodist Church in the West Michigan conference for
data collection. This sample was drawn from the ministers
who were full members of the United Methodist church, in the

West Michigan Conference. All ministers who were full

81
members had two years of practice following seminary
training.

As there were no relevant instruments available to use
in this study, a self-administered survey was designed to
gather descriptive data about the profession-related
learning activities, learning supports, and learning
barriers as perceived by these ministers.

The construction of an adequate survey instrument is a
very important aspect of a survey study. According to
Mouley (1980), next to the chance of a suitable topic and
population, no other aspect of a survey study is more
crucial to its success than adequate construction of the

survey itself.

- - w

The first step in the construction of a survey
instrument is the conceptualization. This step involves a
thorough review and grasp of the available literature, the
objectives of the study, and the nature of the data needed
(Babbie, 1973). While the understanding of the literature
can point out the general areas of significance, survey
researchers may gain a more realistic perspective of the
important variables in their study by conducting exploratory
interviews with the representatives of the population for

whom the survey is intended (Mouley 1970: Sheatsley 1983).

82

Because of the exploratory nature of study and
limitation of literature on the topic of ministers'
profession-related self-directed activities, information for
survey construction was obtained by conducting exploratory
interviews. The research conducted face-to-face interviews
with a purposive sample of seven ministers from the
population of the United Methodist Church ministers in the
West Michigan Conference. In a purposive or judgmental
sampling, the researcher uses his/her judgment to choose
respondents who fit the purposes of the study, rather than
just choosing the nearest available individuals as in
convenience sampling (Bailey 1978).

Because of the exploratory nature of this phase of
survey research, it was important to use a diverse sample of
ministers. The interview sample included three female and
four male ministers who represented rural and urban church
settings.

Open-ended questions in the interview protocol were
used to investigate the areas of inquiry for this study.
Open-ended questions allow the respondent considerable
freedom to determine what information to give voluntarily,
including attitudes that closed questions might miss (Denzin
1970).

There are some disadvantages to open-ended questions
according to Stewart and Cach (1974). Open-ended interviews

require a skillful interviewer who is able to control the

83
interview, redirect responses without creating repercussions
in the thought flow that could reduce the enthusiasm of the
responses which follow.

The interviews were carried out in a friendly and
relaxed climate. In order to ensure such a climate, the
researcher engaged the respondent in casual conversations at
the beginning of the interview. Before the interview began,
the respondents were oriented with the following
information:

1. The nature and purpose of the interview.

2. Participation in the interview was voluntary.

3. Confidentiality of respondent and responses would

be maintained.

4. Copy of the research findings would be made
available for respondents who were interested in
obtaining them.

To ensure adherence to the research questions, an

interview guide was used. Borg and Gall (1983) recommended

the use of an interview guide.

I ! . '3
Qn. 1. (a) (Broad question) What types of duties are you
engaged in your ministry?
(b) Which duties are most important and common
(daily, weekly, and monthly) in your

ministry?

Qn.

Qn.

2.

4.

84

(a) (Broad question) How do you learn these
duties in an on-going basis?

(b) How did you obtain the information necessary
to 1) keep yourself current and/or 2) to
acquire skills or knowledge necessary to
perform each of those duties in the last six
months?

(Optional On. How did you learn each of those
duties?)
Probes:
-In what ways
-where
~from whom
-how much time

(c) How would you prefer to learn these duties if

you were to learn them again?
Probes: why?
what advantages?
Tell me about your involvement in continuing
education at your home or away from home. How
have you conducted your continuing education in
the last year?
Probes:
What were the areas of learning?
Where?

Why did you participate?

85
How was it planned?
How was it evaluated?
What subjects and topics?

Qn. 5. What types of support and resources do you feel
are essential and important in the future learning
of your ministerial duties?

Probes:

-human supports/resources?
-material support/resources?
-non-material?

-others?

Qn. 6. What made it difficult for you to learn these
duties?

Probes:
-what major barriers?

-what restraints?

owork-related onon-material
ohuman omaterial
opersonal?

The information from the exploratory interviews and
from the literature was used for the construction of the

questionnaire.

Questionnaitelmnsxolonnont

Following the exploratory interviews the next step in

the construction of a survey was item construction (Borg and

86

Gall 1983). Items for this survey were constructed using

numerous guidelines available and suggested in the survey

literature (Borg and Gall 1983: Babbie 1973: Berdie and

Anderson 1984: Selltiz, Wrightsman, 8 Cook 1981). This

study used the following list of such guidelines and

suggestions for item construction:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

10.

11.

Questions should be relevant to most respondents

Sentence structure should be clear and simple to
understand.

Respondents should be asked about information that
they are competent to answer reliably.

Items should be specific and clear.

Items should ask for one bit of information at a
time.

Items written in the negative should be avoided.
The use biased terms should be avoided.

Items should be put in psychological logical
order.

The items should be put in an order which does not
influence answers that precede or follow them.

Response alternatives in close-ended (fixed
response) questions should be mutually exclusive
to cover all significant alternatives.

Each item on the questionnaire should be developed
to measure a specific aspect of one of the study
objectives or hypotheses.

There are four types of survey questions: questions of

fact, of information, of opinion or attitudes, and of

behavior.

These types of survey questions appear in two

forms, free responses or fixed responses (Backstrom and

87

Hersh-Cezar 1985). Although most questionnaires contain a
mixture of both response formats, the choice is determined
by the nature of the problem. Mouley (1970) suggested that
free-response questions should be used in earlier stages of
the investigation of a topic and fixed-response questions in
the final stage of the questionnaire. Also, the length of
the questionnaire should be reduced by the use of fixed-
response questions to ask simple, informative questions.

In this study, the researcher used questions of fact,
information, and behavior to investigate the learning
behavior of the United Methodist Church ministers. Both
free and fixed-response formats were used in the item
construction. As a result, a preliminary (draft)
questionnaire was developed for pre-testing.

The questionnaire was developed from the information
from literature and studies on ministers, the interviews on
the study objectives, and self-directed learning theoretical
concepts developed by Allen Tough (1971, 1976, 1979),
Penland (1979), and other adult learning researchers. While
Allen Tough used a "learning project model" to guide his
study, this study used learning activities as the guiding
concepts. Lists of ministerial duties, learning activities,
content areas for learning, learning supports, and learning
barriers were developed and used on item construction on the

questionnaire. Before the lists were used in the

88

cquestionnaires, the items were categorized according to

related clusters .

WW:
The following areas of inquiry were used to guide this

study :

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

How do ministers conduct their learning in their
quest to gain knowledge, skills, or attitudes
necessary to maintain competence in their
professional duties?

a) What professional duties are ministers
engaged in?

b) What types of learning activities are
ministers pursuing to learn their ministerial
duties?

c) What types of learning activities do
ministers prefer to use?

Do the preferences for learning activities cited
by ministers differ significantly between groups
within selected demographic characteristics?

How are ministers engaged in organized learning
activities?

a) What criteria do ministers base their
decisions on for participation in continuing
education activities?

b) To what extent are ministers engaged in
organizing their learning in the church-
organized and provided continuing education?

c) How do ministers distribute their learning
between self-learning at home and learning at
organized learning activities?

What learning resources and supports do ministers
identify as important on their on-going
profession-related learning?

What major learning barriers do ministers
encounter which hinder their on-going profession-
related learning effectiveness?

89

The survey questionnaire included six major sections.
The first area of inquiry of the study was covered by
sections I and II of the questionnaire. Section I covered
professional duties of ministers (ten items). Nine closed
questions were used, requiring a "yes" or "no" response.
The items for this section were from the listing from the
interviews. A tenth question, open-ended, was included for
important items which might have been excluded. Section II
covered actual learning activities (16 items) and preferred
learning activities (15 items). Questions 11 to 26 covered
the actual learning activities and contained the activities
which were reported in the interviews. A Likert type scale
(1-5) was used to measure the frequency of engagement in
these activities (5- Once each day: 4 - Once each week: 3-
Once each month: 2- Rarely but at least once each year: 1-
Never). One question was left open for a possible
additional learning activity not included in the
questionnaire. Four more items of actual learning
activities required a "yes" or "no" response. Preferred
learning activities were covered by a list of actual
learning activities for the respondents to rate the
importance of each learning activity on a four-point Likert
Scale (4- Very important: 3- Important: 2- Somewhat
important: and l- Unimportant).

Section III covered organized learning activities. The

first 10 items covered the criteria for a decision to attend

90

organized learning activities (12 items). These questions
required rating of importance on each criterion on a four-
points Likert Scale (4- Very important: 3- Important: 2-
Somewhat important: and 1- Unimportant). Five items covered
the distribution of learning between learning in self-
learning and organized continuing education away from home.
The questions asked the respondents to indicate how they
learned each of the provided major areas of learning, if
they did, by self learning at home or in organized learning
events away from home. The last part of section three
covered the extent of ministers' engagement in church-
organized and provided continuing education (6 items). The
first question asked the number of continuing education
events the respondents attended in the last 12 months. The
following four questions asked the percent of all learning
events that were required, voluntary, self-selected, and
organized by United Methodist Church. The sixth question
asked whether the respondents were encouraged to attend.

Section IV covered the learning supports and resources.
The first part covered the learning assistance ministers
turn to for help (5 items). A five-point Likert-type scale
was used to measure the frequency of the learning assistance
that was needed (5- Nearly always: 4- Often: 3- Sometimes:
2- Rarely: 1- Never). The second part covered important
learning supports (9 items). The respondents were asked to

rate the importance of each learning support listed on a

91
four-points Likert-type scale (4- Very important: 3-
Important: 2- Somewhat important: and 1- Unimportant).

Section V covered learning barriers which ministers
experience. Twelve questions, using a five-point Likert-
type scale, were used to measure how often the barriers were
experienced (5- Very often: 4- Often: 3- Sometimes: 2-
Rarely: and 1- Never). The barriers listed were reported in
the interviews, most of them as a confirmation of the
literature on ministers.

Section VI covered the demographic characteristics of
the study participants. Ten questions covered the age,
gender, experience, location, congregation size, educational
level, seminary training, current study status, type of

training, and funds allocated for continuing education.

WW

After the development of the draft questionnaire, the
next step is to pre-test it (Borg and Gall 1983). Pre-tests
refer to the testing of the study design. The purpose of
conducting pre-tests is to assess item clarity and to locate
errors in the formatting or directions (Babbie 1973). The
pre-test sample should be selected from a population similar
to that from which the researcher plans to draw research
subjects. Also, according to Borg and Gall (1983), the pre-
test form of the questionnaire should provide space for the

respondents to make comments about the questionnaire itself

92
so they may indicate whether some questions seem ambiguous
to them, whether provisions should be made for certain
responses that are not included in the questionnaire, and
other points that can lead to improving the questionnaire.

This study adopted the pre-testing strategy proposed by

William Belson (1981). Belson's pre-testing strategy is as
follows:

1. Respondents are asked to repeat their
understanding of the meaning of the question in
their own words.

2. Questions are revised and retested until they are
understood by all or most of the members of the
pretest sample.

3. Techniques for administering the questionnaire
during the pre-test should be essentially the same
as planned for the main study.

4. The number of cases in the pre-test sample need
not be large, especially if the subjects are taken
from a well-defined professional group.

The draft questionnaire in this study was pre-tested on

a convenience sample of five United Methodist Church
ministers. The ministers were encouraged to give feedback
comments to the researcher concerning the questionnaire
instrument, especially the item construction, clarity, and
ideas on the items and sections. The pre-test form of

questionnaire included a space for comments.

93

Borisins_tho_onootionnairo

The pre-test comments and feedback information from the
sample of ministers was used to develop a complete and final
questionnaire. The revised questionnaire was tested and
revised again on the same sample. The respondents' comments
concerning the questionnaire were carefully read, noted, and
incorporated into the questionnaire. The specific
information on how to improve the questionnaire was
especially used and incorporated in the appropriate places.
The researcher looked for suggestions on clarity, item
construction, and formatting. Ambiguous wording was I
clarified throughout the questionnaire, and specific
response categories added or deleted as suggested by the

pre-test sample respondents.

El . i ! i ll Ei J E i E ! : J] !'
The questionnaire and cover letter were the main
sources of information the respondents referred to in
deciding whether or not to complete the questionnaire.
Thus, great care was taken in making the format of the
questionnaire attractive and encouraging a potential
respondent to complete the questionnaire (Borg and Gall

1983).

94

Some rules of questionnaire format have been developed

based on experience and research on questionnaire designs

(Berdie and Anderson 1974). These rules are:

1.

2.

Make the questionnaire look attractive.

Organize and lay out the questions so that the
questionnaire is easy to complete as possible.
Number the questionnaire items and pages.

Include brief, clear instructions, printed, if
possible, in bold lettering.

Use examples before items that might be confusing
or difficult to understand.

Begin the questionnaire with a few interesting,
non-threatening items.

Include enough information in the questionnaire so
that items are meaningful to the respondent.

Make the questionnaire as short as possible and
consistent with the study's objectives.

Important questions in a long questionnaire should

not be put at the end of the questionnaire.

These rules of questionnaire formats were followed and

used as a checklist for the questionnaires in this study

before posting them to the selected sample.

The major problems in doing a questionnaire survey is

to get a sufficient percentage of responses to use as a

basis for drawing conclusions, and the single most important

factor in determining the percentages was the letter

95
transmittal. According to Gall and Borg (1983), the
respondents should be given a good reason for completing the
questionnaire and sending back to the researcher at a given
time. The transmittal letter should also give assurance of
confidentiality if sensitive information is asked. Purpose
of the study should be explained briefly and in such a way
as to make the subject feel that the study is significant
and important.

In order to ensure a sufficient return rate of the
questionnaires for this study, a letter of transmittal,
based on the above guidelines, was sent with the
questionnaires. Also, the follow-up techniques were used.
The first follow-up postcard was mailed to the entire sample
exactly one week after the initial mailing. This follow-up
served both as a thank you to respondents for sending in the
completed surveys and as a reminder to potential respondents
regarding the importance of their participation. In the
event that the survey had never arrived or had been
misplaced, opportunity to contact the researcher for
replacement was given. The second follow-up postcard was
mailed to non-respondents after exactly three weeks after
the initial mailing. This was a reminder to potential
respondents that their participation was important. An
offer to replace the questionnaire was made. The third
follow-up followed five weeks after the initial mailing.

This last follow-up was a replacement of a survey

96
questionnaire, cover letter, and a stamped return envelop,

with a special appeal for participation.

WM

Since the instruments were developed by the
investigator, validity and reliability must be addressed.
There are four types of test validity recognized in
educational measurement: content, concurrent, predictive
and construct. Construct, concurrent, and predictive
validity were not able to be tested because of insufficient
data from previous studies and a lack of available
instruments to test the variables in this study. Content
validity was chosen as the most appropriate test of validity
for this study.

Content validity is the degree to which the test items
represent the content the test is trying to measure and the
total universe of content in that area (Borg and Gall,
1971). Unlike other types of validity, content validity is
tested subjectively (Borg and Gall, 1971). There is no
statistical test for content validity. A review of the
literature indicates material necessary for item
construction but it is based on subjective judgment of the
investigator (Crano and Brewer, 1973). The content areas
for the instruments knowledge of ministers' professional
duties, learning activities, learning supports, and learning
barriers were estimated by the judgment of the investigator

based on the review of literature, consultation with experts

97
on ministers, and from the information provided by the
questionnaire pretest evaluation (feed-back) forms completed
by ministers: All ministers who participated in the pretest
agreed with each of the content areas as representative of
the ministers' profession.

Reliability is the level of consistency of measuring
instrument (Borg and Gall, 1971). It is easier to determine
reliability than validity. Reliability is usually expressed
as a coefficient indicating the extent the test is free of
error variance (Borg and Gall, 1971). The internal
consistencies of the instruments used for this study were
assessed through computation of alpha coefficients. The
coefficient alpha for the actual learning activities scale
equalled 0.67 (n-74). The scale for preferred learning
activities had a coefficient alpha of 0.69 (n-74): the
scales for learning supports and learning barriers measured

0.63 (n=74) and 0.74 (n-74) respectively.

mm

Data analysis was started as soon as the questionnaires
were received. The responses from the self-administered
survey were prepared for computer analysis using the
statistical package provided for social sciences (SPSS-X).
The outputs obtained were primarily frequency distributions,
percentages, valid percentages, cumulative percentages,
totals, and descriptive statistics. Rank order was made

where necessary. Tables were drawn explaining the results.

98
For research questions investigating the relationship
between independent and dependent variables (question 2),
the Analysis of Variance (f-test) was used to analyze the

quantitative data.

Snanarx

Chapter Three has presented the research methodology
used for this study. The chapter discussed the population
of the study, study sample, research design, instrumentation
and procedures, reliability and validity, data collection,
and analysis. The next chapter is the presentation and

analysis of the research data.

CELPTBR IV

Presentation and Analysis Data

Introdnotion
This chapter presents the analysis and findings of data

collected from the survey instruments and procedures
described in Chapter III. The findings of the analysis of
data related to the research questions are presented.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the
profession-related, self-directed learning activities
carried out by ministers in the United Methodist Church,
Western Michigan Conference, in their quest to acquire the
skills, attitudes, and knowledge required for improving
professional competence in their work. The research
questions in this study were:

1). How do ministers conduct their learning in their quest
to gain knowledge, skills or attitudes necessary to maintain
competence in their professional duties?

a) What professional duties are ministers engaged in?

b) What types of learning activities are ministers

pursuing to learn their ministerial duties?

c) What types of learning activities do ministers

prefer to use?

99

100
2). Do the preferences for learning activities cited by
ministers differ significantly between groups within
selected demographic characteristics?
3). How are ministers engaged in organized learning
activities?

a) What criteria do ministers base their decision on
for participation in continuing education
activities?

b) To what extent are ministers engaged in the

- organization of their learning in church-organized
and provided continuing education?

c) How do ministers distribute their learning between
self-learning at home and learning at organized
learning activities?

4). What learning resources and supports do ministers
identify as important in their on-going profession-related
learning?

5). What major learning barriers do ministers encounter

which hinder their on-going profession-related learning

effectiveness?
Mini}.
2' " H I °!' Q 11! Q' ! ! QL‘St
e e g ’0 so ‘ e ee , ‘ e 1" eV-

Ministers were asked the duties that they engaged in
learning in the past 12 months. Table 1 shows the
ministers' participation in a variety of duties. These are
the duties ministers considered most important in their

 

 

profession.
Table 1
-Professional Duties:
Ministers' Participation

Professional Frequency Percent

Duties (N - 92) (*>
Preaching 92 100
Teaching in church 88 96
Conducting worship 91 99
Administration 92 100
Counseling 89 97
Pastoral Care 91 99
Evangelism/Missions 89 98
Youth Ministry 70 80
Connectional Duties 89 97

 

The study participants indicated a high involvement in all
the professional duties. The range of involvement is
between 80% (lowest) and 100% (highest). All participants,
92 (100%) were involved in preaching and administration.
Seventy participants (80%) were involved in youth work. All

study participants were active professional practitioners.

Tables 2 and 3 are summaries of ministers'
participation in their actual learning activities.
Table 2

Actual Learning Activities:
Degree of Ministers' Participation

 

 

 

Learning Rarely Once a Once a
Activities Fr (%) Menth Week
(N - 92) Fr (%) Fr (%)
Read newspapers 7 (8) 3 (3) 81 (89)
Read periodicals 0 (0) 13 (14) 78 (86)
Read lectionary materials 26 (29) 9 (10) 56 (62)
Read books a (9) 23 (31) 55 (61)
Watch T.V. 32 (37) 9 (10) 49 (54)
Listen to radio 39 (42) 7 (8) 45 (50)
Work with support groups 23 (25) 36 (40) 32 (46)
Consult with colleagues 20 (22) 37 (41) 34 (37)
Self-learning 42 (46) 28 (31) 21 (24)
Listen to cassettes 56 (61) 17 (19) 18 (20
Confer with specialists 59 (64) 25 (28) 7 (8)
Table 3

Other Actual Learning Activities:
Participation in the Past Year

 

 

Learning Activity No Yes

(N - 92) Fr. (%) Fr. (%)
Attend learning events 2 ( 1) 90 (99)
Learn by doing 4 ( 3) 88 (97)
Take college courses 71 (77) 21 (23)
Take correspondence courses 80 (95) 4 ( 5)

 

103
The learning activities that ministers indicated they used
most frequently (each week) include: reading newspapers (81
[89%]): reading periodicals (78 [86%]): reading lectionary
materials (56 [62%]): reading books (55 [61%]): and watching
television (49 [54%]). In Table 3, the majority of
ministers indicated high involvement in learning by doing
(88 [97%]) and in organized learning activities (90 [99%]).
Consultation with colleagues and working with support groups
(Table 2) were used monthly as major learning activities.
Monthly consultation with colleagues was 67 (69%) and
working with support groups was 68 (86%).

Two learning activities were least used by ministers
(Table 2). Fifty-nine (64%) indicated they rarely conferred
with specialists. Fifty-six (61%) ministers rarely listened
to cassette tapes. In Table 3, only 21 (23%) ministers took
college courses and 4 (4%) took correspondence courses.

While there was a higher involvement in some learning
activities than others, the responses show diversity in
ministers' participation in different learning activities.
This diversity is shown by the variation in the frequencies
(Table 2) in which ministers used different learning
activities. With an exception of reading periodicals,
reading books and reading newspapers, in all the learning
activities the frequencies were distributed over rarely,
monthly, and weekly, with large percents in both extremes--

weekly and rarely. The ministers varied the most in use of

104

radio and also TV while 39 (42%) ministers rarely listened
to radio and 45 (50%) listened weekly. Thirty two (37%)
ministers rarely watched T.V., while 49 (54%) watched weekly
for profession-related learning.

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niniotoro_orofor_to_nooz

Table 4 is a summary of the ministers' preferred
learning activities according to the degree of importance.
The preferred learning activities are ranked according to
the importance and summarized in Table 5.

Table 4

Ministers Preferred Learning Activities:
Degree of Importance

 

 

1 2 3 4

Learning Somewhat Very
Activities Unimport. Important Important Import.
(N a 92) Fr. (%) Fr. (%) Fr (%) Fr. (%)
Read books 0 (0) 2 (2) 30 (33) 60 (65)
Read periodicals 0 (0) 6 (7) 30 (31) 56 (60)
Attend learning

events 1 (1) 7 (8) 38 (41) 46 (50)
Learn by doing 1 (1) 21 (22) 39 (42) 31 (34)
Consult with

colleagues 1 (1) 23 (25) 40 (44) 28 (30)
Read newspapers 5 (5) 19 (21) 36 (39) 32 (35)
Work with support

groups 1 (1) 26 (28) 33 (41) 27 (29)
Self-learning

projects 8 (9) 22 (24) 40 (44) 22 (24)
Read lectionary

materials 15 (16) 23 (25) 21 (22) 33 (35)
Confer with -

specialists 6 (7) 43 (47) 34 (37) 9 (10)

Take college
courses 11 (12) 40 (43) 27 (29) 14 (15)

105
Table 4 (cont'd)

 

 

1 2 3 4

Learning Somewhat Very
Activities Unimport. Important Important Import.
(N - 92) Fr. (%) Fr. (%) Fr (%) Fr. (%)
Listen to cassettes 19 (21) 45 (49) 24 (26) 4 (4)
Watch TV' 19 (21) 52 (57) 19 (21) 2 (2)
Listen to radio 33 (36) 40 (44) 18 (20) 1 (1)
Take correspondence

courses 56 (61) 28 (30) 7 (8) 1 (1)

 

Some learning activities clearly stand out in the data
(Tables 4 and 5) as the most preferred learning activities
used by ministers. These activities, in order of their
importance, are: 1) reading books, 2) reading periodicals,
3) attending organized learning activities, 4) learning by
doing, and 5) consulting with colleagues.

Table 5

Ministers' Preferred Learning Activities:
A Rank Order of Importance

 

 

Rank Learning Activity X SD
1 Read book 3.63 .53
2 Read periodicals 3.54 .62
3 Attend organized learning events 3.40 .68
4 Learn by doing . 3.09 .78
5 Consult with colleagues 3.03 .78
6 Read newspapers 3.03 .88
7 Work with support groups 2.99 .79
8 Self-learning study projects 2.83 .90
9 Read lectionary materials 2.78 1.11
10 Confer with specialists 2.50 .76
11 Take college courses 2.48 .90
12 Listen to cassette tapes 2.14 .79
13 Watch TV 2.04 .71
14 Listen to radio 1.86 .76
15 Take correspondence courses 1.49 .69

 

106

On a scale of importance (1-4), reading books was
selected by 30 (33%) ministers as "important" and 60 (65%)
as "very important" in their profession-related learning
(Table 2). Reading books was the most important learning
activity with a mean of 3.63 (Table 5), and had lowest
variation of frequency scores in relation to all other
learning activities, as indicated by a standard deviation of
.53. In a one-choice selection of most important learning
activity (Table 6), reading books was chosen by 26 (28.6%).
Reading periodicals was the second most preferred learning
activity by ministers with a mean of 3.54. Thirty ministers
(31%) rated reading periodicals as "important" and 56 (60%)
as "very important." Reading periodicals was also among the
most important learning activities selected by ministers
(Table 6). Attending organized learning activities was
ranked third in the preferred learning activities (Table 5)
with a mean of 3.40, and second in the most important

learning activity (Table 6).

107
Table 6

Most Important Learning Activities:
One Choice Selections

 

 

Learning Activity Frequency Percent
(N ' 91) (%)
1 Read books 26 28.6
2 Attend learning events 25 25.3
3 Consult with colleagues 13 14.3
4 Work with support groups 9 9.9
5 Read periodicals 5 5.5
6 Learn by doing 4 4.4
7 Self-learning study projects 4 4.4
8 Read lectionary materials 3 3.3
9 Confer with specialists 2 2.2
10 Take correspondence courses 2 2.2

...:
H
0
0'

TOTAL

 

Thirty-eight (41%) ministers rated attendance to organized
learning activities as ”important" and 46 (50%) as "very
important." Learning by doing, with a mean of 3.09, was
ranked fourth preferred learning activity. Thirty-nine
(42%) chose it as ”important" and 31 (34%) as very important
to their profession-related learning. Also, in Table 6,
learning by doing was listed among the most important
learning activity. Consultation with colleagues was the
fifth most important learning activity, with a mean of 3.03
(Table 5). In Table 6, it was listed third by ministers in
the most important learning activities. Forty (44%)
indicated consulting with colleagues was "important" and 28

(30%) as "very important."

108
The least preferred learning activities are shown in
Table 7. Table 7 is the summary of the learning activities
that ministers do not prefer to use. These are the least
preferred learning activities, ranked according to
importance.
Table 7

Least Important Learning Activities:
One Choice Selections

 

 

Learning Activity Frequency Percent
(N - 89) (%)
1 Correspondence courses 30 33.7
2 Listening to radio 14 15.7
3 Watching TV 12 13.5
4 Listening to cassette programs 11 12.4
5 Reading lectionary materials 6 6.7
6 Reading newspaper 5 5.6
7 Taking college courses 3 3.4
8 Support groups 2 2.2
9 Learn by doing 2 2.2
10 Self-learning study projects 2 2.2
11 Confer with specialists 1 1.1
12 Attend learning events 1 1.1
89

TOTAL 100

 

The least preferred learning activities, starting from the
least important, are: 1) taking correspondence courses: 2)
listening to radio: 3) watching television: and 4) listening
to cassettes. These activities were ranked least important
(Table 5) and selected by ministers as the four least

important among the least important learning activities.

109

Fifty-six (61%) ministers scored correspondence courses
as "unimportant” and another 28 (30%) as "somewhat
important," making up a total of 91 percent of ministers who
did not consider correspondence courses as important in
their profession-related learning. Thirty three (36%)
ministers indicated listened to radio was unimportant to
their learning and 40 (44%) indicated radio was somewhat
important. This showed that a majority of 76 (80%)
ministers did not consider listening to radio as important
learning activity. Watching television was considered by
the majority of 52 (57%) ministers as somewhat important and
by 19 (21%0 as unimportant. Only 19 (21%) of ministers
considered watching television as important with only 2 (2%)
ministers indicating television as very important. Watching
television is the third least important learning activity
indicated by ministers (Table 7). Listening to cassette
tapes was considered as the fourth least important learning
activity (Table 7). It is also listed among the last four
activities in the rank order list of importance of the
learning activities (Table 5). Nineteen (21%) ministers
indicated cassette tapes as unimportant in their learning
and 45 (49%) as somewhat important. This makes up a
majority of 64 (70%) who did not consider cassette tapes as
important in their learning. Only 24 (26%) ministers
considered cassette tapes as important and only 4 (4%)

indicated cassettes were very important.

110

Although some learning activities clearly stand out as
most important or least important, ministers indicated a
wide variation in the importance that they placed on the
learning activities as shown by standard deviations (SD)
ranging from .53 (smallest) to 1.11 (largest) in the 1-5
point scale. This diversity of importance placed on the
learning activities is also confirmed in Table 6 (most
important learning activities). In these tables, some
learning activities appear in both the listing of most
important activities as well as in the listing of the least
important learning activity. This overlap can partially be
explained by the minister's diversity of learning

preferences.

I; ' '_,." . ! I 9; ‘ ‘ ‘°_ (‘1'... 19!, .1: -: ‘ _‘°
Analysis of variance (f-test) was used to test the
differences between the independent and dependent variables,
all at a = 0.05. Tables 8 to 12 present the ANOVA tests' .
summaries.
Null Hypothesis #1: There is no significant difference
between the ministers' chronological age groups and the
importance placed on self-learning by doing, as a preferred

learning activity at the a = 0.05.

111

Table 8

ANOVA: Self-Learning by Doing
by Chronological Age

 

 

Source SS DF MS F-ratio P-value
(sig of F)

Chronological

age (between) 6.909 2 3.454 2.254 .111

Residual

(within) 4136.395 89 1.533

 

Since F-ratio (2.254), Table 8, is not statistically
significant at a = 0.05, the null hypothesis is not
rejected. This means that the chronological age does not
make difference in the importance ministers place on self-

learning by doing as a preferred learning activity.

Table 9

ANOVA: Self-Learning by
Doing by Location

 

 

Source 88 DF MS F-ratio P-value
(sig of F)
Location (between) 1.084 2 0.542 .336 .715

Residual (within) 140.205 37 1.612

 

112

Null Hypothesis #2: There is no significant difference
between the ministers' location and the importance placed on
self-learning by doing, as a preferred learning activity, at
a - 0.05.

In Table 9, the F-ratio (.336) is not statistically
significant at a - 0.05. Therefore, the null hypothesis is
retained. This means that location does not make a
significant difference in the importance placed on self-
learning by doing. There is no significant difference in
the importance ministers from different locations place on
self-learning by doing as a preferred learning activity.

Null Hypothesis #3: There is no significant difference
between the ministers' years of professional service and the
importance placed on self-learning by doing, as a preferred
learning activity, at a a 0.05.

Table 10

ANOVA: Self-Learning by
Doing by Years of Professional Service

 

Source SS DF MS F-ratio P-value
(sig of F)

 

Years of Pro-
fessional service
(between) 4.696 2 2.350 1.509 .229

Residue (within) 138.605 89 1.557

 

The F-ratio (1.509) was not statistically significant

at a = 0.05 (Table 10). Therefore, the null hypothesis is

113
retained. It is, therefore, concluded that a minister's
length of professional service does not make a difference in
the importance of self-learning by doing as a preferred

learning activity by ministers.

Table 11

ANOVA: Consultation with Colleagues and Friends
by Years of Professional Service

 

Source SS DF MS F-ratio P-value
(sig of F)

 

Years of pro-
fessional service
(between) 9.715 2 4.858 2.665 0.075

Residual (Within) 162.241 89 1.823

 

Null Hypothesis #4: There is no significant difference
between the minister's years of professional service and the
importance placed on consultation with colleagues and
friends, as a preferred learning activity, at a = 0.05.

Table 11 presents the ANOVA analysis of consultation
with colleagues and friends by the minister's years of
professional service. The F-ratio (2.665) was not
statistically significant at a - 0.05. The null hypothesis
was therefore retained (not rejected). This means that
ministers with different lengths (years) of professional

service do not differ significantly in the importance they

114
place on consultation with colleagues and friends as a
preferred learning activity.
Null Hypothesis #5: There is no difference between
minister's location and the importance placed on
consultation with colleagues and friends, as a preferred

learning activity, at a - 0.05.

Table 12

ANOVA: Consultation with Colleagues and
Friends by Minister's Location

 

 

Source 88 DF MS F-ratio P-value
(sig of F)
Location (between) .055 2 .027 0.014 .986

Residual (within) 170.845 89 1.964

 

Since, in ANOVA Table 12, the F-ratio (0.014) was not
statistically significant, the null hypothesis was not
rejected. This means that minister's location does not make
difference in the importance ministers place on consultation
with colleagues and friends as a preferred learning
activity.

In summary, ministers from different age levels,
locations, or lengths of professional service, do not differ
significantly in the importance they place on self-learning
by doing as a preferred learning activity. Also, ministers

from different lengths of professional service or different

115
locations do not differ significantly in the importance they
place on consultation with colleagues and friends as a
preferred learning method. These also considered important
preferred learning activities by ministers of different

ages, professional experiences, and locations.

Table 13 presents the criteria according to the degree
of importance.
Table 13
Ministers' Criteria for Decision to Participate in

Organized Learning Activities:
Degree of Importance

 

Criteria for Unimport. Somewhat Import. Very
Decision to Important Import.
Participate Fr. (%) Fr. (%) Fr. (%) Fr (%)

 

Leadership reputation

for quality 0 (0) 1 (1) 32 (35) 59(67)
Subject related to

personal goals 0 (0) 2 (2) 21 (23) 69(75)
Deals with congre-

gational needs 0 (0) 9 (10) 42 (46) 41(45)
Reasonable cost 2 (2) 16 (17) 44 (47) 30(33)
Convenient dates 1 (1) 19 (21) 47 (51) 25(27)

Sponsor's reputation
for quality 3 (3) 17 (19) 45 (48) 27(29)

116
Table 13 (cont'd.)

 

 

Criteria for Unimport. Somewhat Import. Very
Decision to ,Important Import.
Participate Fr. (%) Fr. (%) Fr. (%) Fr (%)
Appropriate timing 2 (2) 22 (24) 51 (55) 17(19)
Interaction and

fellowship with

colleagues 1 (1) 26 (28) 44 (48) 21(22)
Comfortable facility 15 (16) 45 (48) 25 (27) 7(8)

Academic c

redit 26 (28) 47 (51) 11 (12) 8(9)

 

Table 14 presents the rank of importance of the criteria

that minis

ters base their decision on for participation in

continuing education activities.

Table 14

Ministers' Criteria for Decision
to Participate in Organized
Learning Events:
A Rank Order of Importance

 

 

Rank Criteria Frequency Percent
1 Leadership reputation

for quality 91 99
2 Subject related to

personal goals 90 98
3 Deals with congre-

gational needs 83 91
4 Reasonable cost 74' 80
5 Convenient dates 72 78
6 Sponsors reputation

for quality 72 77

117

Table 14 (cont'd.)

 

 

Rank Criteria Frequency Percent
7 Appropriate timing 68 74
8 Interaction 8

fellowship with

colleagues 65 70
9 Comfortable facility 32 35
10 Academic credit 19 21

 

The most distinctive and important criteria selected by
ministers, in order of their importance were: leadership
quality 91 (99%): subject-related to personal goals 90
(98%): and the learning event dealing with congregational
needs 83 (91%). These seem to be the most crucial criteria
that ministers base their decision for participation in
organized learning events on. Over ninety percent (90%) of
ministers indicated these criteria as important. Reasonable
cost was also a very important criteria as indicated by,a
majority of 74 (80%) ministers.

Ministers indicated that four criteria were important,
though not crucially important, for their decision to
participate in organized learning events. These criteria
were selected by a majority of at least seventy (70%). They
include convenient dates (78%), appropriate timing (74%),

and interaction with colleagues (70%).

118
The least important criteria were very clearly
indicated by ministers as comfortable facility and academic
credit. Only a small minority indicated these criteria were
important. Comfortable facility was selected by thirty two
(35%) as important and only nineteen (21%) indicated

academic credit was important.

Table 15 presents number of learning events that

ministers participated in and the extent of engagement.

Table 15

Continuing Education Events:
Extent of Ministers' Engagement

 

Required learning events 11%
Voluntary learning events 87%
Self-selected learning events 86%
Learning events encouraged 69%
UMC organized learning events 63%
Other agents organized learning events 37%

 

Total number of learning events attended in the last 12
months: mean - 3.34: max. = 13: min. = 0, med. = 3, mode =
3.0, so = 2.05)

Most of the ministers participated in 3 continuing

education events. The majority of the events (63%) were

119
organized by ministers' own denomination (United Methodist
Church) but a significant minority (37%) of the events were
organized by other continuing education agents.

The majority of ministers were not required to attend
learning events that they attended. Only a small number
(11%) of events were required, although they were encouraged
to attend the majority of the events (69%). Ministers
indicated that they participated voluntarily in most of the
learning events as indicated by a majority of 87 percent.
Ministers (86%) also selected the learning events they
wanted to participate in.

Ministers seemed to have control over the organization
of their learning. They chose the learning events that they
wanted, without being required, and their participation was
voluntary. They were responsible for their learning in
organized learning events. Also, ministers learned mostly

(63%) in their denominationally-organized learning events.

Table 16 is a summary of the distribution of learning
between self-learning at home and in organized learning

activities. The content areas of learning are presented.

120
Table 16

Distribution of Learning Between
Self-Learning Projects at Home and
Organized Learning Activities:
Ministers' Participation

 

Content of Self Organized Content
Learning Learning Learning not learned
Activities in the last

12 months
N s 92 Fr. (%) Fr. (%) Fr. (%)

 

Biblical, doctrinal,
and historical

theology 61 (66) 24 (26) 7 (8)
Personal and

spiritual growth 69 (75) 23 (25) 0 (0)
Skills for

ministry 32 (35) 56 (62) 3 (3)

Issues in church
and society 49 (53) 28 (30) 15 (16)

Career assessment
and development 25 (27) 10 (11) 57 (62)

 

As shown by Table 16, all ministers learned in all five
selected areas of learning. But a majority of 57 (62%)
ministers did not conduct any learning in the area of career
development.

Ministers were actively involved in four areas of
learning. Three of the four areas that ministers were
involved in learning were learned mainly by self at home, as
indicated by the majority of ministers. Sixty one (66%)

ministers learned biblical, doctrinal, and historical

121
theology on their own at home while a minority of twenty
four (26%) learned in organized learning activities. Sixty-
nine (75%) ministers learned spiritual growth on their own
at home, while twenty-three (25%) learned in the organized.
learning activities. The issues in church and society were
learned by self at home by a majority of 49 (53%) and in
organized learning activities by a small minority of 28
(30%). Skills for ministry were learned mainly in organized
learning activities as shown by a majority of 56 (62%)
ministers. A significant number of ministers, 57 (62%), did
not conduct learning in career assessment and development.
Also, a small number of 15 (16%) ministers did not learn in
the area of issues in church and society.

In summary, the majority of ministers' learning was
done by self at home. However, the data also show that
learning by self at home or in organized learning activities
may depend on the area (content) of learning. Certainly,
ministers learn skills for ministry mainly in organized

learning activities.

0 0! ' J! 1! 1° ‘0 <10 ...-01 0°
niniototLisontifLsannortentJnthoiLonzsoins

Ministers in the study have sought assistance for their
profession-related learning from a variety of sources (Table

17). Table 17 summarizes the ministers' sources of

122
assistance for learning, according to the frequency the
assistance was sought for profession-related learning.
Table 17
Sources of Assistance for Learning:

Frequency of Assistance Sought by
Ministers for Profession-Related Learning

 

Source of Never Rarely Some Often
Assistance times
N - 92 Fr. (%) Fr. (%) Fr. (%) Fr. (%)

 

Intimates (spouse,

close friends) 3 (3) 9 (10) 25 (27) 54 (58)
Acquaintances and

colleagues 3 (3) 5 (6) 32 (35) 51 (56)
Experts/other

professionals 9 (10) 22 (24) 36 (40) 24 (26)
Small groups/

,support groups 8 (8) 39 (43) 26 (29) 15 (17)
Non-human

(material) resources 5 (5) 11 (12) 28 (31) 47 (51)

 

The sources of assistance most frequently used by ministers
were: intimates (spouse and close friends), acquaintances
and fellow ministers, and non-human resources (books, tapes,
computers).

Fifty-four (58%) ministers often sought learning
assistance from their intimates. Also fifty one (56%) of
ministers in the study often sought learning assistance from
their acquaintances, and forty-seven (51%) often used non-

human resources for their learning. Only a small proportion

123
of ministers often sought assistance from experts (26%) and
small groups (20%). But a significant minority (40%) of
ministers do sometimes seek assistance from experts.

Tables 18 and 19 present the ministers' learning
supports and resources-degree of importance and a rank order
of importance respectively.

Table 18
Ministers' Learning Supports

and Resources:
Degree of Importance

 

 

Learning Not Somewhat Import. Very
Supports Import. Important Important
N a 92 Fr (%) Fr (%) Fr (%) Fr (%)
Time for

learning 3 (3) 4 (4) 36 (39) 49 (53)
Funds for .
learning 4 (4) 16 (17) 37 (40) 35 (38)
Spouse's

support 5 (6) 15 (17) 39 (44) 29 (33)
Learning

opportunities 5 (5) 23 (25) 48 (52) 16 (17)
Congregational

support 4 (4) 26 (28) 46 (50) 16 (17)
Material

resources 15 (16) 36 (39) 27 (29) 14 (15)
Support groups 31 (33) 41 (44) 16 (17) 4 (4)
Experts and

mentors 35 (38) 40 (40) 17 (18) o (0)

 

124

Table 19

Ministers' Learning Supports
and Resources: A Rank Order
Of Importance

 

 

Rank Learning Frequency Percent
1 Time for learning 85 92
2 Funds for learning 72 78
3 Spouse's support 68 76
4 Learning opportunities 64 69
5 Congregational support 62 67
6 Material resources 41 44
7 Support groups 20 21
8 Experts and mentors 17 18

 

The single most important learning support indicated by
ministers was time for learning. Eighty five (92%)
ministers indicated time for learning was an important
support. Forty nine (53%) indicated that time for learning
was very important. Other important supports, according to
the order of importance, were: funds for learning (78%),
spouse's support (76%), learning opportunity (69%), and
congregational support (67%). Ministers differed in the
importance they placed on material resources. Forty one
(44%) indicated material resources were important.

The two least likely important learning supports were
the use of support groups, indicated as important by 20
(21%) ministers, and the use of experts and mentors (18%).
These two learning supports were ranked last in the rank

order of importance (Table 19).

125

In summary, ministers sought learning assistance from a
variety of sources. Ministers mainly learn from intimates,
acquaintances and fellow ministers, and non-human resources.
Their most important learning supports were, in order of
importance wer time for learning: funds for learning:
spousal support: learning opportunities: and support of
their congregations. Use of experts was the least important

learning support for ministers.

Table 20 presents the frequency in which ministers
experience various barriers that hinder their profession-
related learning effectiveness.

Table 20
Profession-related Learning Barriers:

Frequency of Ministers' Experience
of Learning Barriers

 

Learning 1 2 3 4 5
Barriers Never Rarely Some- Often Very
times Often
Fr % Fr % Fr % Fr % Fr %

 

Inability to
arrange time for
learning 5 5 13 14 34 37 26 28 14 15

Lack of learning
opportunities 10 11 14 15 41 44 17 19 10 10

Lack of money
for learning 16 17 24 26 28 30 14 15 10 10

126

Table 20 (cont'd.)

 

 

Learning 1 2 3 4 5
Barriers Never Rarely Some- Often Very
times Often

Fr % Fr % Fr % Fr % Fr %

Professional

stress 22 24 18 20 29 31 20 22 3

Inability to

decide on

learning needs 27 29 31 34 29 32 4 4 1

Lack of resource

people and

materials 29 32 45 49 15 16 1 1 2

Inability to

learn by myself 36 40 33 36 17 19 5 5 0

Inability to

find materials 31 34 41 45 19 20 l 1 0

Congregational

lack of under-

standing 43 47 38 41 9 10 1 1 1

Inability to

elicit the

support of

experts 41 45 41 45 9 9 1 1 0

Conference's

lack of under-

standing 52 57 24 26 11 12 5 5 0

Spouse's lack

of understanding 59 66 24 27 5 5 1 1 0

 

The rank order of

learning barriers, according to the

frequency they are experienced, is presented in Table 21.

127

Table 21

Profession-related Learning Barriers:

A Rank Order of Frequencies by Ministers

 

 

Rank Learning Barrier x SD
1 Inability to arrange time for

learning 3.34 1.07
2 Lack of learning opportunities 3.03 1.10
3 Lack of money for learning 7.76 1.23
4 Professional stress 2.61 1.17
5 Inability to decide on learning

needs 2.14 .93
6 Lack of resource people and

materials 1.94 .85
7 Inability to learn by myself 1.90 .89
8 Inability to find learning

materials 1.89 .76
9 Congregation's lack of

understanding 1.69 .78
10 Inability to elicit the support

of experts 1.67 .70
11 Conference's lack of understanding 1.66 .89
12 Spouse's lack of understanding 1.42 .65

 

The four learning barriers which were most frequently

experienced by ministers were inability to arrange time for

learning, a lack of learning opportunities, lack of funds

for learning, and professional stress.

Seventy-four (80%) ministers experienced inability to
arrange time for learning sometimes or more often. Only
five (5%) ministers never experienced this major learning
barrier and 13 (14%) rarely experienced it. With a mean of
3.34 (Table 21), inability to arrange time to learn was

ranked as the first major barrier.

128

The lack of learning opportunities was ranked second
major barrier by ministers, with a mean of 3.03. Sixty-
eight (73%) ministers experienced a lack of learning
opportunities sometimes or more often. Only ten (11%)
never, and 14 (15%) rarely, experienced a lack of learning
opportunities. Lack of funds (money) for learning, as a
major learning barrier, was experienced sometimes or more
frequently by 52 (55%) ministers. Only 16 (17%) indicated
they did not experience a lack of money for learning.
Twenty four (26%) experienced it rarely. Lack of money was
ranked third in the rank order of means of frequencies. The
fourth major learning barrier was professional stress,
experienced sometimes or more often by 52 (56%) ministers.
Only 22 (24%) ministers indicated that they never
experienced professional stress as a learning barrier, and
18 (20%) rarely experienced it.

Some learning barriers were considered least hindering
to ministers' profession-related learning. These included
lack of spouses' understanding of learning needs and lack of
conference officials understanding of learning needs. Also,
inability to learn by self was not considered a major
problem. Fifty two (57%) never experienced conference
officials' lack of understanding of their learning needs
while 24 (26%) rarely did. Only 17 (15%) experienced this
learning barrier sometime or more often. Some fifty nine

(66%) never experienced spouses' lack of understanding of

129
'their learning needs. Only 6 (6%) experienced it sometimes
or more often. Only 24% experienced inability to learn by
self sometimes or more often.

The majority of the barriers were not major barrier for
‘the majority. There was a wide distribution in the scores,
‘with the respondents varying from barrier to barrier as
shown by the large standard deviations (Table 21). The
frequency in which ministers experience learning barriers
vary among ministers.

In summary, the most common learning barriers reported
by ministers are inability to arrange time for learning
(80%), lack of learning opportunities (73%), lack of funds
“or learning (55%), and professional stress (56%).
‘ninisters vary in the frequency in which they experience
different learning barriers. Lack of understanding of
learning needs by spouses and conference officials are not
major learning barriers. Also, inability to learn by self

was not a major learning barrier.

Sumner!
Chapter IV has presented the summary and analysis of

the research data. The next chapter presents the summary
and conclusions of the study, its implications and

recommendations for further research.

Chapter V

Summary, Conclusions, Implications
and Recommendations

Introduction
In the first section of this chapter is presented an

overview of the study's purpose, procedures and major

findings. A discussion of the major conclusions, drawn from
the study findings, is presented in the second section. The
third section includes the presentation of the implications.

Finally, suggestions for future research are presented.

Summary
W511i.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the
profession-related, self-directed learning activities
carried out by ministers in the United Methodist Church,
Western Michigan Conference, in their quest to acquire the
skills, attitudes, and knowledge required for improving
professional competence in their work. The researcher
attempted to: 1) describe the actual and preferred learning
activities of ministers: 2) examine the relationship between

the selected demographic characteristics and a minister's

130

131
learning preferences: 3) examine how ministers engage in
organized learning activities: 4) describe the supports and
learning assistance that ministers identify as important in
their on-going profession-related learning: and 5) identify
the barriers that hinder ministers' profession-related, on-
going learning.

The following areas of inquiry were used to guide this

study:

1) How do ministers conduct their learning in their
quest to gain knowledge, skills, or attitudes
necessary to maintain competence in their
professional duties?

a) What professional duties are ministers
engaged in?

b) What types of learning activities are
ministers pursuing to team their professional
duties?

c) What types of learning activities do
ministers prefer to use?

2) Do the preferences for learning activities cited
by ministers differ significantly between the
groups within selected demographic
characteristics?

3) How are ministers engaged in organized learning

activities?

132

a) What criteria do ministers base their
decisions on for participation in continuing
education activities?

b) To what extent are ministers engaged in the
organization of their learning in the church-
organized and provided continuing education?

c) How do ministers distribute their learning
between self-learning at home and learning at
organized learning activities?

4) What learning resources and supports do ministers
identify as important in their on-going
profession-related learning?

5) What major learning barriers do ministers
encounter which hinder their on-going profession-

related learning effectiveness?

W
This study used descriptive research methodology. A

six-step procedure was followed in conducting the research.
These steps were as follows: 1) face-to-face interviews: 2)
development of a survey questionnaire: 3) pre-test of the
questionnaire: 4) revisions of the questionnaire: 5)
administering the revised questionnaire: and 6) analysis of
the data.

A random sample of 140 full-member ministers of the

United Methodist Church was selected for this study. There

133
was a questionnaire return rate of 102 (72.9%). Some
questionnaires were not usable and 92 (65.7%) were used for
the study. Descriptive statistics, frequency counts and
tables were used to present, analyze and summarize the data.
The analysis of variance (f-test) was used to analyze the
quantitative data and to investigate the relationships
between the selected demographic variables and the learning
preferences reported by ministers who participated in the
study.

Area of Inquiry #1

Ministers used a wide variety of actual learning
activities to learn multi-role professional duties. All
study participants were highly involved in practicing all
duties and participated in all listed learning activities.
There was a diversity in ministers' use of different
learning activities (Table 2).

The most common learning activities used by ministers
were: reading, learning by doing, attending organized
learning activities, and consulting with colleagues (Table
2). The most important and preferred learning activities

were indicated by ministers as: reading books (98%):

134
reading periodicals (91%): attending organized learning
activities (91%): learning by doing (76%): and consulting
with colleagues (74%). Reading books was a single most
important and preferred learning activity as indicated by a
very high majority of 98 percent.

The least used actual learning activities by ministers
were conferring with specialists, listening to cassettes,
and taking correspondence courses (Table 2). Ministers also
indicated that they least preferred to learn by taking
correspondence courses, listening to radio, watching T.V.,
and listening to cassettes (Tables 5 and 7).

Although some learning activities clearly stand out as
most important or least important, ministers indicated a
wide variation in their preferences and the importance that

they placed on the learning activities.

Area of Inquiry #2

N ! _ ’ ‘ '. ’- ‘ ’I! t! 9‘ “! ° “-..- Q. !

Ministers of different levels of chronological age do
not differ significantly in the importance they place on
self-learning by doing as a preferred learning activity.

Ministers from different locations do not differ
significantly in the importance they place on self-learning

by doing as a preferred learning activity.

135

Ministers' length of professional service does not make
a difference in the importance of self-learning by doing as
a preferred learning activity.

Ministers with different lengths of professional
service do not differ significantly in the importance they
place on consultation with colleagues as a preferred
learning activity.

Ministers' location does not make difference in the
importance ministers place on consultation with colleagues

as a preferred learning activity.

Area of Inquiry #3
H . i ! l i i i J .
I'Vili ,

The ministers who participated in the study indicated
that the most influential factors for their decision to
participate in organized learning events were leadership
reputation for quality (99%), subject-related to personal
goals (98%): the event deals with congregational needs
(91%): and reasonable cost (80%). Ministers did not
consider academic credit as an important factor for their
decision for participation.

Ministers in the study seemed to have control over the
organization of their learning. They chose the learning
events that they wanted, and their participation was

voluntary. Ministers indicated that they participated in

136
most of the learning events voluntarily as shown by a
majority of 87 percent. Also, 86 percent of the ministers
selected the learning events in which they wanted to
participate. Only a small percent (11%) of their
participation in learning events was required. Ministers
were responsible for their learning.

Most of the learning events in which they participated
(63%) were organized by the ministers' church denomination,
the United Methodist Church.

Most of the ministers' profession-related learning was
done by self at home. Most of the areas of learning
(content) was learned by ministers on their own without
attending learning events away from home.

Professional skills for ministry were learned
predominantly at the learning events away from the home
area. Only 35 percent learned skills for ministry at home

on their own.
Area of Inquiry #4
.—, ‘ ._- (190‘s. , ,—° .,—.. ,. _. .---_ .,- - . e.
The ministers in this study looked for a variety of

sources for learning assistance. The most frequently used

sources of learning assistance were intimates (58%),

137

colleagues (56%) and non-human (material) resources (51%).
Experts were used often only by 24 percent of the ministers.

The most important learning supports indicated by
ministers were: time for learning (92%), funds for learning
(78%), spousal support (76%), learning opportunities (69%),
and congregational support (67%).

The ministers in the study indicated that use of
experts were the least important learning support. The use
of expert was shown as important only by 18 percent of

ministers in the study.

Area of Inquiry #5
no. u. . a. - - .. u , - : -..-_. - , q'.-eu
,- .,-.. ,. . .‘- '.,- - , -. -t,,',. -- - 'v-,e o

The learning barriers that miniSters in the study
reported they most frequently experienced were: inability
to arrange time for learning (80%), a lack of learning
opportunities (73%), a lack of funds for learning (55%), and
professional stress (56%).

Ministers varied in frequency in which they experienced
different learning barriers.

The least experienced barriers included a lack of
understanding of learning needs by spouses and conference
officials.

Inability to learn by self was not a major learning

barrier. Only 24 percent indicated that they experienced

138
inability to learn on their own, sometimes or more

frequently, and only 5 percent experienced it often.

Conclusions and Discussion
The following conclusions were drawn from the findings

stated in this chapter and also in Chapter IV.

LearninLAotixitios

Ministers participated in many and different
profession-related learning activities which differed from
one minister to another. There was a diversity in both the
participation and in preferences of learning activities.
This means that ministers differed in their learning
practices, approaches, and preferences to learn in carrying
out their profession-related duties.

These findings are in agreement with the study findings
on self-taught adults done by Danis and Tremblay (1985).
They found that all "self-taught adult learners do use a
variety of settings, methods and resources, in order to
learn and emphasize the importance of controlling the pace
of their learning process."

This may be explained by the characteristics of adult
learners developed by Knowles (1978). In his theory of
andragogy, Malcolm Knowles presents adult learners as having
different orientations to learning given their multiple

roles, life tasks, responsibilities, and opportunities.

139
This is true for ministers. They are adults with multiple
roles, responsibilities, and opportunities available to
them. They are likely to participate and also prefer to
learn by different learning methods, given their diversity
of personal and professional needs, goals, and available
learning sources and opportunities.

Ministers in this study preferred to learn by learning
activities in which they had personal and active
involvement. They least preferred to learn by learning
activities in which they passively participated. Coolican
(1974) found that three methods most commonly used in
learning by her study participants were practice, reading,
and discussion, respectively. Listening, observation and
instructors were used but not frequently. She found that
the methods used most often for self-directed learning were
all active, involving learners more directly. The least
used techniques in her study were passive, mainly watching
and listening to someone else do something. Coolican's
study is verified by the findings of this study. Ministers
preferred to learn by active participation, through reading,
learning by doing, consulting with colleagues, and attending
organized learning events.

Ministers also least preferred to learn by passive
involvement. The least preferred learning activities by
ministers were passive and included watching T.V., listening

to cassettes, and listening to radio. Self-directed

140
learning as a concept of andragogy is proactive learning,
according to Malcolm Knowles (1978). Proactive learning
moves the responsibility for the initiative and sense of
discovery to the learner, as opposed to passive or reactive
learning, which traditionally has been the pedagogical
approach. The proactive approach is begun by the learners
attempt to meet needs and to satisfy goals (Knowles, 1978).

The most important learning activities utilized by
ministers were, in order of importance, reading, learning by
doing, consultation with colleagues, and attending organized
learning events. These findings paralleled the results
reported by other professionals. Hummel (1985) found that.
medical doctors mainly learned by reading, informal
discussion, formal consultation, attending meetings, and
interpersonal contact with colleagues. A study done on
scientists and engineers by Marqulies and Raia (1967) found
interaction with colleagues was the second most useful
learning resource.

In 1979, Penland, in a national probability sample,
found that reading books was rated "extremely important"
resources by 71 percent of his population, exceeded as a
preferred source only by colleagues and relatives. In
Penland's study, 44 percent indicated reading as the best
way for them to learn. An overwhelming majority (98%) in
this study indicated reading books as their best way to

learn.

141

It was found in this study that ministers from
different age levels, locations, or lengths of professional
service do not differ significantly in the importance they
place on self-learning by doing. Also, ministers from
different lengths of professional service or locations do
not differ significantly in the importance they place on
consultation with colleagues as a preferred learning method.

It seems that learning by doing and consultation with
colleagues, as preferred learning activities, are valued by
ministers across all age levels, lengths of professional
service, and from different locations.

While previous research has indicated much use and
importance of learning by doing and consultation with
colleagues, this study verifies these findings and also
tests the uniformity of importance of these methods across

age, location, and length of professional service.

Wat:

The most important and influential factors for
ministers' participation in organized learning events were
leadership quality, personal goals, congregational needs,
and affordable cost. Academic credit is not an important
factor in influencing ministers to attend learning events
away from home.

Ministers were problem- and needs-centered in their

approach to continuing education events. They attended

142
learning events to meet immediate and practical needs, both
personal and professional. The ministers in the study had
control over their learning, even in the church organized
continuing education. They were responsible for selecting
the learning events of their choice and they chose events
which met their personal and professional goals.

According to Knowles (1984):

adults are motivated to devote energy to
learn something to the extent that they
perceive that it will help their tasks
or deal with problems that they confront
in their life situations. Furthermore,
they learn new knowledge,
understandings, skills, values, and
attitudes most effectively when they are
presented in the context of application
to real situation.

In this study ministers attended organized learning
activities for practical reasons. They attended learning
activities which related to their personal goals and also
congregational needs. They were pragmatic in their approach
to continuing education. A study conducted by Burgess
(1971) found that the desire to reach a personal goal and
desire to comply with formal requirements were, among other
reasons, major motivation for participation in continuing
education events. This seems true of the clergy ministers.
Although ministers learned mostly at home, they went to
continuing education events for formal requirements,

professional skills. MCCatty (1973) reports his respondents

were motivated by job-related learning which included

143
keeping up with the literature and new discoveries, as well
as learning in order to handle particular cases. However,
Lowe (1982) did find that one factor that influenced non-
participation in organized learning activities was, "some
adults do not participate because they feel they can learn
on their own.” In any case, whenever ministers participate
they seem to be influenced by a desire to meet personal
goals and learn professional skills. But affordable cost
also seem to influence their participation. This is an
institutional support which ministers do not get enough from
their congregations and also conference. Ministers are
dependent on their churches for both salaries and
educational benefits. As Gamble (1984) points out, some
ministers are rewarded more than others. For some churches,
personal and professional development of ministers is not a
priority.

Also, leadership quality seems very crucial to their.
decisions. It seems that ministers value leadership that
they trust to conduct their continuing education. According
to Gamble (1984), "religious leadership is a high-risk
venture. It requires deep inner resources that leaders
trust, as a basis for confidence in their ability to attract
and hold followers.” Leaders must continually draw upon
those resources for strength, assurance, and competence so
that they are able to assemble and maintain a following.

Values of the teachers and facilitators of continuing

144
education seems to be held in high standard and this
standard influences the ministers' participation in the
learning events. Nearly all of the guest leaders for
continuing education activities, conducted by United
Methodist seminaries, come from theological seminaries,
church-related agencies, and some from theological
universities (Noris, 1979).

Ministers in the study took responsibility and
conducted most of their profession-related learning on their
own at home. They were self-directed learners. But they
learned the professional skills mostly at organized learning
events.

The United Methodist Church ministers studied learned
much more beyond what the denomination required them to.
Only 10 percent of their overall learning was indicated by
ministers as required. The ministers in this study
participated mostly in their denomination organization
learning events.

Ministers in this study organized and controlled their
own learning. Of all the learning that ministers conducted
in continuing education events, 87 percent was voluntary and
86 percent of events were self-selected. This finding is
comparable with Penland's (1977) and Tough's (1976, 1978)
studies. Penland (1977) found in a national sample, that 76
percent of his survey respondents planned their own learning

projects. Allen Tough (1978:10) used a learning project

145
model to study adult learners by the method of in-depth
interview protocol. He found that 73 percent of all the
learning projects conducted by adult learners were voluntary
and self-planned. While this study used learning activity
as a guiding concept, the findings are comparable. In a
study of self-taught learners, Danis and Tremblay (1985)
found, "Throughout their learning process, the self-taught
adults assume the monitoring of their own learning, even
when consulting an external agent, or when participating in
a formal educational activity." Ministers in this study
were self-taught adult learners. In self-directed learning,
a learner makes choices concerning the direction and options
available to achieve proficiency and to accumulate necessary
knowledge (Tough, 1978: Knowles, 1984). Even learners who
hesitate to take major responsibility for their learning do
appreciate the opportunity to select and plan for learning
activities that fit their needs, interests and tasks that
they need to perform (Brockett, 1985).

Adults become increasingly self-directed as they
develop from youth to adulthood. Malcolm Knowles (1978)
speculated that as an individual matured, his/her need and
capacity to be self-directing, to utilize his/her
experiences in learning, to identify his/her own readiness
to learn, and to organize his/her learning around life
problems, she/he increases steadily from birth to

adolescence.and beyond. Ministers in this study had high

146
self-direction in their learning profession-related duties.
According to a study conducted by L. Guglielmino (1977),
self-directed learners have learning traits which include
confidence, an ability to comprehend, initiative,
organization, persistence, and a drive for autonomy as seen
in the desire to plan and control their own learning

activities.

W
Ministers in this study did not learn in isolation.

They sought learning assistance from many sources, both
human and non-human. Intimates and colleagues provided most
of the ministers' learning assistance.

The learning supports indicated as important in this
study were time for learning, funds for learning, spousal
support, provision of learning opportunities, and support
from congregation. The single most important learning
support was identified as the provision of time for
learning. Experts and mentors were not indicated as
important learning supports.

Brookfield (1982a:50) studied independent learners and
concluded "independence clearly did not mean isolation." He
found in his study that independent learners consulted with
each other for learning. The learners identified themselves
as belonging to a larger learning community who shared some

concerns, pleasures, and difficulties. The independent

147
learners were actively learning from each other's
specialties. They exchanged ideas on new techniques as well
as offer advice on the solution of problems. Brookfield
found that the most important sources of information were
human resources, knowledge, and expertise contained within
the groups. The group members possessing skills in
specialist area were consulted for assistance in solving
problems. This study supports Brookfield's study of
independent learners. The ministers in this study learned
from each other. They consulted with colleagues and friends
and intimates. In Brookfield's study, the most valuable
sources of information were identified as human resources.
Ministers in this study sought learning assistance mostly
from intimates, colleagues, and friends. A small majority
of ministers (51%) did seek help from non-human sources.

In self-directed learning, the learner carries out his
or her learning activities, not in isolation or on a solely
independent basis (Knowles, 1975): rather, self-directed
learning frequently includes peers, teachers, friends, and
relatives, as an integral part of the learning process.

This was found in this study to be true of ministers as they
learned profession-related duties.

A study conducted by Penland (1979) indicated that 59
percent of participants turned to intimates for assistance

in their learning. Penland's finding is supported in this

148
study of ministers. This study found that 58 percent of
participants turned to colleagues often.

Experts were the least important resources of learning
support. In a study conducted by A. Tough (1978:15), he
found that the amateurs-learners' friends and peer groups
handled 80 percent of all the learners' learning projects
planning. Only 20 percent of all the learning projects were
assisted by professional planners. Although Tough's study
used the learning project model as a guiding concept, it is
partially supported in this study. Professional planners in
this study were not commonly used by ministers. Only 24
percent of ministers in this study used professional experts
often. One advantage of learning through other people is
that one may save resources, especially money and time.

This may explain partially why experts are not used often by
ministers. Besides learning from friends and colleagues
provides fellowship and exchange of valuable information
related to social networking and sharing of common problems.

The diversity in the use of different learning sources
may be explained by the different individual learner's needs
and goals to be accomplished in the learning. Different
needs may need to be met by different learning support.

Ministers as self-directed learners value time and
funds for learning. These were indicated as most important
learning support. Ministers perform multi-role duties which

take most of their personal and professional time for

149

learning. Time and money go together in learning. Time is
needed to conduct learning and the money is needed for
learning resources, materials, and travel. Spousal support
is valued by ministers. Spouses are the closest source of
support. The ministers can not only confide in their
spouses but may get the necessary understanding and
emotional support. Learning opportunities are related to
the information, facts, or ideas that a learner may need in
order to meet personal or professional needs or goals.
Ministers value learning opportunities as self-directed
learners who know the information that they need to get.

Ministers seek a variety of learning assistance,
resources, and supports, both human and material to learn
professional duties. They seek learning assistance mostly
from human sources, especially their intimates and

colleagues.

W
The most common and major learning barriers experienced
by ministers were inability to arrange time for learning
(80%), lack of learning opportunities (73%), lack of funds
for learning (55%), and professional stress (56%).
Inability to learn by self or to decide on learning
needs was not a major learning barrier for ministers. Major

learning barriers of ministers were related to factors

150
beyond the ministers' direct control, mostly institutional,
informational, or situational.

There are many and varied barriers to ministers on-
going professional learning, mostly differing from one
minister to another. The major learning barriers are those
related to resources and supports that are necessary for
self-directed learning.

Scanlan and Darkenwald (1984) found that the barriers
to participation in professional continuing educational
activities included conflicting demands of professional work
time, cost of attending programs, scheduling difficulties
(work constraints), lack of quality programs, and apathy
towards participating'in continuing education. The findings
of the Scanlan and Darkenwald study are supported by this
study of ministers. Ministers experience the same barriers
other professionals experience. Earlier studies have shown
the major learning barriers were time pressure (68%) and
financial support (47%) (Mill and Hesser, 1972). In this
study, inability to arrange time was the most common barrier
(80%). Lack of funds for learning was experienced often by
55 percent of the ministers.

Darkenwald (1980) summarized research on the barriers
to participation in adult learning as: 1) informational
barriers--those related to the individual's general
awareness of the educational resources offered to him/her in

his community, situational barriers--those related to the

151

individual's life situation, income, health, family
responsibilities, work obligations, and places of residence:
institutional barriers--those including procedures and
practices that exclude or discourage participation, like
inconvenient schedules, locations, transportation, and lack
of information: dispositional barriers--such as individually
and collectively held beliefs, values, attitudes, or
perceptions that inhibit participation in learning
activities, like lack of confidence.and lack of interest.

Ministers' major learning barriers in this study were
mainly situational and institutional. Ministers' lack of
funds for learning, lack of local learning opportunities,
experiences of work stress, and inability to arrange time
for learning due to work obligations, were all related to
ministers' life situations and institutional demands. While
ministers could arrange to overcome some of these learning
barriers over time, these are the barriers over which
ministers do not have complete direct and personal control.
These are barriers that other people, congregations or
conference have some control. Inability to learn by self
was not a major learning barrier for ministers. According
to studies done on adult learners, individuals are in
control of their learning. They know what they want to
learn and they seek ways and opportunities to learn (Tough,
1978: Knowles, 1984). Their major problems are related to

the situation, opportunities, and resources which adults use

152
to learn. When the adults are provided with the proper life
situation, learning opportunities and resources, they are
likely to succeed in their learning on their own.

Ministers in this study lacked essential learning
supports for their profession-related learning. They lacked
not only time and money to learn but they also lacked the
learning opportunities necessary for them to get the
information they need in their professional work. In
addition, the work stress contributed to the learning

barriers.

Implications of the Study for
Continuing Education of Ministers

The findings of this study have implications to the
educators and providers of ministers' professional
continuing education. The study has described how ministers
learn and identified the critical supports for profession-
related learning, factors that influence ministers most in
deciding to participate in continuing education events, and
the barriers that hinder ministers' learning to improve
effectiveness in ministerial work. Providers who are aware
of the ways ministers learn, the sources ministers seek for
learning assistance, the learning barriers they experience
and how they make learning decisions, could offer assistance

and meet the learning needs.

153
Ministers in the study were responsible and in control

of their learning. They controlled the planning and
selection of organized learning activities. Most of their
learning was on their own at home. The ministers were
highly self-directed learners. The learners determined what
they learned. This means that ministers' input is very
important for determining the relevance of learning help
offered. There should be effective and efficient ways of
communicating and getting feedback from ministers so as to
determine their real learning needs and goals for continuing
education. The providers of ministers' education could use
needs assessment methods, surveys or participatory research
to find the needs and learning contents for specific
learning events. Ministers need to be involved in the
planning stage of their continuing education. As Gamble
(1984:64) pointed out,

When the pastor is not clear about the

purposes to be served in learning, the

choice of events becomes more subject to

mood. A tendency may be seen to

gravitate toward the 'expert' who is

knowledgeable and has organized the

subject matter into manageable units.

The pastor enters the learning

situation, not as a self-directed

learner but in a dependent mode. The

teacher-learner relation tends toward

pedagogy (with the learner a 'child')

rather than andragogy (with the learner

as an 'adult').
In order to provide continuing education to ministers as

"adults" who are self-directed, and know their learning

154
needs and goals, the ministers' continuing education
educators need to take the role of facilitators of
ministers' learning rather than expert-teacher role.

Since the real life of ministers' professional
continuing learning is self-directed, the scope of
ministerial pre-service training, mostly done in the
seminaries, needs to be more broadened to incorporate
knowledge about self-directed learning. More faculty and
administrative staff of the seminaries may need to be
provided with opportunities to become more knowledgeable in
the many published studies on self-directed adult learning.
Over the last twenty years much study on adult learning
characteristics have been done. Self-directed learning has
dominated research on adult learning. Brockett and Hiemstra
(1985:36) have recommended all educators of adults to be
knowledgeable in self-directed learning. This means that
both pre-service and in-service training of ministers should
prepare ministers to understand and be able to use their
self-directed learning behavior effectively. Self-directed
learning can be made part of curriculum in the seminary
education courses so as to ensure that ministers do not
leave pre-service training without fully understanding vital
learning behavior.

The facilitators (teachers) of ministers' continuing
education certainly need to be knowledgeable on how

ministers learn on their own. Collican (1974) recommended,

155
among other things, that adult educators should help adults
increase their competencies for self-directed learning by
helping learners determine how to determine educational
needs, organize learning experiences, and evaluate learning
outcomes.

In order to help ministers participate in more
continuing education events, the events must relate to
ministers' personal and professional goals and needs, as
defined by the ministers. Especially the continuing
education of ministers needs to be mainly related to
congregational needs and professional skills. Ministers are
likely to attend learning events that provide skills for
ministry as well as relate more directly to the problems and
needs faced by their own congregations. Most importantly,
the leadership of the ministers' continuing education need
to be those ministers trust and who have credibility.
Ministers will also attend learning events that have costs
they can afford. Since ministers indicate lack of funds,
events that have relatively low costs, trusted leadership
and subjects relate to skills and congregational needs will
likely be attended by the majority of ministers.

Continuing education for ministers should not be
heavily focused on academic credits. Majority of the
ministers learn for professional skills in continuing
education activities. Some ministers may be pursuing

academic credit for the doctor of ministry.

156

Ministers learn mostly at home rather than in organized
activities. They do not only read but also spend much time
consulting with colleagues and learning by practice.
Learning through practice and colleagues, though problematic
to measure the learning, are vital learning experiences by
ministers which could be recognized by the United Methodist
Church as a Continuing Education Growth Unit (GU) just as
reading is.

There is a need for the continuing education programs
to offer a wide diversity of learning opportunities, and a
variety of topics of learning. Ministers differ in needs
and professional goals and turn to appropriate learning
opportunities and activities to meet their diverse needs.

In order for ministers to learn effectively in their
professions, their congregations will need to allow more
time for ministerial learning. This can be done by reducing
the ministers' time demands by congregations. Sharing
church responsibilities with church members can provide more
time for ministers to learn and to do the duties that are a
priority and most essential to be done by the minister
herself or himself.

The ministerial profession has multi-role duties. Some
of the duties could be assigned to other leaders in the
church so as to reduce the professional stress experienced
by ministers, and also provide more learning time. The

congregations need to provide funds for ministers continuing

157
education, for personal and professional development. The
United Methodist Church should offer more learning
opportunities locally for ministers who are not able to find
learning opportunities within their reach. The findings of
this study indicated that most of the continuing education
events that ministers attend are organized by their
denomination, United Methodist Church. Also, a study by
Noris (1979) found that United Methodist seminaries play the
major role in offering continuing education for ministers.
United Methodist Church needs to take a major and
responsible role to provide ministers with quality
continuing education programs and help remove learning
barriers.

While ministers did not indicate lack of learning
support by congregation or denominational organization
(conference officials), the majority of the ministers'
learning barriers are those which are within the control of
those institutions. Both the congregations and conference
officials need to help ministers overcome learning barriers
in order for ministers to learn effectively and provide

quality professional service efficiently.

Recommendations for Further Research
It would be helpful to replicate this study with
different samples and sample sizes of ministers so as to

clarify some of the aspects of the findings, and test the

158
extent to which the findings can be generalized among
ministers. This study can be replicated with ministers who
have not had at least two years of professional service and
who do not have seminary training, but who are practicing in
the ministerial profession. The study could also be
replicated with ministers of other denominational
backgrounds. A replication of this study will increase its
significance as well as raise more questions on the
ministers' self-directed learning.

It is recommended that further investigations be
conducted on ministers' profession-related learning to
follow this study. Such investigations could include:

1) A study to determine the extent to which multi-
role duties influence ministers' learning behavior.

2) A study to examine the extent to which professional
stress is a motivator or barrier for ministers' profession-
related learning.

3) A comparative study of actual and preferred
learning activities, using a powerful statistical test(s)
may give further insight into the problems facing ministers
in their attempts to learn through their preferred methods.

4) An examination of factors which are not covered in
this study, but which contribute to effective learning, such
as attitudes and gifts (used in biblical contexts)--how they
relate to self-directed learning and learning barriers in

the ministerial profession.

159

5) A study to examine learning opportunities that
various ministers prefer to have and how these preferences
differ within demographic variables and individual
minister's learning characteristics.

6) An exploration of the phenomena of the networking
of colleagues among the ministers, and an investigation of
types of learning assistance they provide each other, types
of networks, specific processes of interactions, contents of
consultation and possible learning barriers experienced in
the network.

7) An investigation of ministers' reading behavior to
determine the extent to which ministers are utilizing
current and available sources effectively.

8) A study to examine the correlation between
professional stress and participation in continuing
education and to find if the degree of participation
correlate with intensity of stress.

9) An exploration of the nature and content of
profession-related learning assistance sought by ministers
from intimates (spouses).

10) A study to compare the learning preferences used
by highly self-directed ministers with those used by low
self-directed ministers. The Self-Directed Learning
Readiness Scale (SDLRS) developed by L. Guglielmino (1977)

could be used to measure self-direction.

160

11) An in-depth study on one or more of the important
learning preferences in this study, like learning by doing
(practice).

12) An in-depth study on this study's findings that
ministers have major control of their learning, even in the
church organized continuing education.

13) An in-depth study on how ministers profession-
related learning barriers could be removed or minimized,
from the ministers' own perspectives, and compare the
findings with the perspectives of the providers of

ministers' continuing education.

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH RESEARCH
APPROVAL DOCUMENTS

1636 H Spartan Village
Eat Lansing, MI. 48823
February 21, 1989

Bishop Judith Craig
200 Murph-‘l‘elegraph
155 West Congress
Detroit, MI. 48226

Blshop Craig:

.‘. .: . .k t .54me..’ e :!

Thls letter follows the discussions that I had with you on February
10, 1989 at the Unlverslty Methodist, concerning my doctoral study
proposal at Michigan State University. I greatly appreciated the
fellowship, your understanding and helpful comments. Since then 1
have been working to incorporate your input 1nt0 my study.

As I mentloned to you I need an approval note from you to
conduct my study 1n your Michlgan Area. Please address the
letter to me on the above address.

I will contlnue to work wlth Reverend Sharon Zimmerman Radar
on thls project. She has been very helpful as my key contact
person. I also plan to work with Rev. Ronald J. Thompson,
(Chairman, committee on continuing education) who has helped me
1n this project in clarifying learning actlvltles of the United
Methodlst Church ministers. He is willing to review my
questionnaire with me before I send It to ministers.

I am attaching a statement of the purpose and focus for my study.
1 do believe that the project will benefit the ministers, planners of
continuing education and the Michigan conferences.

Thank you for assisting me with thls project.

Sincerely,

David M. K1tonga

cc. Rev. Sharon 2. Radar, University Methodlst Church
Rev. Ronald Thompson, Marshall Methodist Church.

161

THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

lSS WEST CONGRESS SUIT" " -' DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48226
(3l3l SCSI-8540

 

I

 

JUDITH CRAIG, Resident Bishop

. MICHIGAN AREA
DBERT E. HORTON, Assistant to the Bishop DE I R0” CONFERENCE

I RGI NI A A. KELLY, Executive Secretary WEST \uuucAN CONFERENCE

February 28, 1989

Mr. David M. Kitonga
1636 H. Spartan Village
East Lansing, MI 48823

Dear David:

This note is my way of granting approval for you to engage in a study of
Continuing Education patterns among the United Methodist Pastors in the
Michigan Area. I am interested in your work and will appreciate your report
when it is concluded. I trust this note will be satisfactory for those who
are supervising your work and for any others who may inquire as to my
knowledge and approval of your work.

Faithfully yours,

Q... C»./

Jud' Craig

 

vk

162

APPENDIX 8

RESEARCH APPROVAL DOCUMENTS BY
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

To: The Chairman, UCRIHS

From: David Kitonga
(1-805154)

Date: April 21, 1989

SUDJQCtI :00 . on 0 :00 o . o :' '- o ... nut to on

W-

I am enclosing (l) a copy of research proposal information
required for the committee to review my dissertation research
design, and (2) two copies of chapter 111 (Research Methodology) of
the proposal which was approved by my doctoral committee on
December 9, 1988.

i am requesting to be exempted from the full committee
review according to the category “C" - survey research involving
interview procedures. Confidentiality of names in the interview
will be kept through out the study. There is no possibility that
any breach of confidentiality would lead to criminal, civil, financial,
or employability risk of the participants.

Thank you for your positive response and for informing me
about your decision in writing.

Current address:
David Kitonga
1636 H Spartan Village
East Lansing, MI. 48823

Res. Tel. (517) 353-6807

163

m: For the University Committee for Research In Human Subjects.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the profession-related self-
directed learning activities carried out by ministers in the United Methodist
Church, Western Michigan Conference, in their quest to acquire the skills,
attitudes and knowledge required for improving professional competence in

their work. The study attempts to 1) describe the actual and preferred
self-directed learning activities of ministers, 2) examine the extent to which
the ministers are engaged in self-directed learning in the church-organized
and provided continuing education. 3) describe the supports that ministers
identify as important in their on-going profession-related self-directed
learning and 4) identify the barriers that hinder ministers' profession-
related self-directed learning. The motivation for this study is to
investigate the on-going profession-related learning of church ministers in
an attempt to determine how self-directed learning can be facilitated to
maximize effectiveness and competence. This study will use the descriptive
research methodology. Face-to-face interviews followed by a self
-administered survey questionnaire 'will be the major instruments to
collect the data. The researcher will contact a small sample (7) of
participants by letter and telephone and seek voluntary permission for the
interviews. Using an interview protocol of open-ended questions the
research hopes to discover the major learning activities, learning supports
and barriers, and the extent of involvement in‘ organized learning events. A
survey questionnaire, based on the interview information,will be
developed. The survey questionnaire, in a self-administration format, will
be sent to a random sample of one hundred ministers of the United
Methodist Church, in the Western Michigan Conference, to complete and
return to the researcher at their discretion.

mmm

An informed consent form and information will be sent to a purposive
sample, interviews participants, describing the purpose of the study,
confidentiality of participants' names and anonymity of information. .
Participants will be requested verbally to participate in the interviews. For
the questionnaires, a simple random sample will be selected from the
listing of names provided by the United Methodist Church,Bishop‘s office. A
cover letter, guaranteeing the confidentiality of participants' names and
anonymity of information will be mailed to each respondent.

W
The following steps will be adhered to:

l. The researcher will make a commitment to keep confidentiality of
participants' names and anonymity of the information collected.
2. Only code numbers will be used for purposes of data
processing - no names will appear in any publication of
information collected.
3. After data is processed all records which contain the
participants‘ identity will be immediately destroyed.
4. The data will be reported in a manner in which the
participants identification cannot 'be associated with the information.

164

W

The researcher anticipates no social, physical or legal risk to the
participants. The interviews will use open-ended questions and will totally
be non-directive and the participants will be completely free to continue or
withdraw from the discussions at his or her own discretion. The
questionnaire will be self-administered and the respondents will
voluntarily participate or decline to participate.

Individual ministers who participate in this study will benefit as the
interviews and questionnaires will be very informative and will cause
them to think about ways they learn and will be able to identify their
learning behaviors and affirm their values. The planners of ministers'
education, including Land Grand universities and seminaries, will be helped
by this study findings to understand factors that enhance or facilitate
ministers' profession-related self-directed learning effectiveness.

Wm

The researcher will seek a verbal permission from each interviewee for
the interview. The interviewee will also sign an informed consent form
about the study procedures, purposes, nature, and voluntary participation,
before the interviews. The questionnaire respondent will be provided with
a cover letter explaining the purposes, nature, and voluntary participation.
The respondent will be free to participate or not to participate.

A formal approval will also be gained from the organizational leaders of
the United Methodist Church, Michigan Area, before the ministers are
contacted for the interviews.

165

Agricultural 8. Extension Education

Michigan State University
410 Agriculture Hall

East Lansing, Michigan 48824 - 1039

(517) 355 - 6580

April 24, 1989

Dr. John K. Hudzik, Chair

UCRIHS
206 Berkey Hall
Campus

Dear Dr. Hudzik:

This is to advise that Mr. David Kitonga's doctoral committee
met in December and approved the plan for his doctoral re-
search entitled "An Investigation of Ministers' Profession-

Related Self-Directed Learning Activities.

I have also

reviewed this proposal and approve of the proposed project.

Sincere

   
   
 

D

S. Joseph Levine
Associate Professor

SJL/mp

166

4' -- A -..-A-IE-a ...! n__‘_o.._.". l-QO;OAQO;A-

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

 

UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH INVOLVING EAST LANSING 0 ”(HIGH 0 “824-1111

Hummerswcxms)
206mm

(517) 353-9738
May 5, 1989 IRB# 89-228
David Kitonga
1636 H Spartan Viilsaige
East Lansing, MI 23

Dear Mr. Kitonga:

Re: ”AN NVBS'I'IGATION OF MINISTERS PROFESSION-RELATED
SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES IRB# 89-228"

The above project is exempt from full UCRIHS review. I have reviewed the proposed
research protocol and find that the rights and welfare of human subjects appear to be
protected. You have approval to conduct the research.

 

You are reminded that UCRIHS approval is valid for one calendar lyear. If you plan to
continue this project beyond one year, lease make provisions for o taining appropriate
UCRIHS approval one month prior to ay 5, 1990.

Any changes in procedures involvin human subjects must be reviewed by the UCRIHS
prior to initiation of the chan e. U S must also be notified promptly of any
problems (unexpected side e ects, complaints, etc.) involving human subjects during the
course of the work.

Thank you for bringing this profict to our attention. If we can be of any future help,
please do not hesitate to let us ow

 

cc: SJ. Levine

167

MS” is an Affirmation Action/Equal 0.0M" mu'm Institution

APPENDIX C

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE COVER LETTERS

309 Erickson Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI. 48823

June 6, 1989
Dear Pastor:

There is an increasing number of ministers who express
concern about their lack of effectiveness in carrying out certain
aspects of their ministry. This condition may be due partially to
the fast social changes in today‘s society and the increasing number
and variety of demands now being placed on ministers. The stress
generated by these demands is often so great that many ministers
have difficult coping with it. As a means of escape some leave the
profession. Given the increasing lack of effectiveness expressed by
ministers in their profession, it is important to learn how ministers
learn professional skills, knowledge, and attitudes to remain current
and to improve their competence after seminary training.

The purpose of this study is to investigate ministers'
profession-related learning activities in order to provide a research
base for guiding planners and providers of minister's continuing
education. I am conducting this study under the direction of
Dr. Peggy M. Riethmiller, Professor of Curriculum and instruction. 1
am writing this letter to you to request your assistance in this-
study by completing a questionnaire.

Your help and cooperation in completing the enclosed
questionnaire is very important and essential in order to gather
information that will be truly representative of the learning
activities of participants in the study. It would be greatly
appreciated if you would take ten (10) minutes to complete and
return the enclosed survey questionnaire.

This study will provide vital information to the United
Methodist Church, Michigan Area, about a) how ministers learn,
and prefer to learn to remain current and competent in the
ministry; b) how ministers participate in continuing education; c)
the barriers that hinder learning effectiveness; and d) the supports
and resources that ministers identify as essential and important in
their learning.

Please note that your participation is voluntary. Be assured
that your name will not be used anywhere or associated with any
information that you provide in'the questionnaire.

168

The findings of this study will be made available to the Board
of Ordained Ministry, West Michigan Conference. Also, copies of the
abstract of the findings will be mailed directly to study- participants

who request it.

Thank you for assisting in this study.

Yours sincerely,

\f \ .1", ' 1. T—ZT " .‘
:«I'VJ 7"I:'i\ ‘ a 95‘ 2- ,I I. ll 9:, t LL“.
David Kitonga ' -
Doctoral Student

.
~
. ,/ -.
. .0
/ .
l 4‘ c g
a

j . L. _
\ r
. d'o "//"/
' I

Dr. Peggy M. Riethmiller, Ph. D.
Director of Dissertation

P/S. Please complete the survey as soon as possible and return it

in the enclosed self addressed and stamped envelope.

169

   

THE WEST MICHIGAN CONFERENCE
BOARD OF ORDAINED MINISTRY

 

May 19, 1939

Dear Eriend,

This is to introduce Rev. David Kitonga, fran Kenya, who is a grad-
uate student at Michigan State University. He is working on a
doctoral progran in the area of continuing education.

Overthepast fewrnonths, Davidhas ccnsultedwithmeandtherrem—
bars of the Continuing Education Carmittee of the Board of Ordained
Ministry. He has also received a letter of approval fruit the Bishop
to conduct his study. He has developed a questionnaire to be used
with a statistical sample of the United Methodist clergy. Your
help in carpleting the questionnaire will be highly appreciated.

Davidisastuient frunKenyawhereheisanordainedpastorand
works with pastors in their ongoing education. He hopes that what
he might learn fran our educational processes will be helpful to
him upon his return to Kenya this fall.

Our assistance in his research will not only benefit this Christian
stuient, but will provide information which he will share with us
to guide our planning in this area.

Thank you for your help with this study.

Sincerely,

42% 6. W

DaleD.Brown,Chairperscn
BoardofOrdainedMinistry

170

APPENDIX D

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

9.5.

Questionnaire
Ministers' Profession-Related Learning Activities

A study of Ministers .
United Methodist Church,

West Michigan Conference

Research Study Conducted
by:

David Kitonga, Ph. D. Candidate,
College of Education,

Michigan State University

Code number

 

Date

 

171

I

Questionnaire

Ministers' Profession-Related Learning Activities

Page 2

 

Instructions:

(A) Please answer all questions in all the sections

(B) Mark only one response per item

(C) Please mark all your responses on the booklet itself

 

5.12:.”1.

 

W— ErefessienaLDnties;

If no, circle response “2".

Yes
1 Preaching/sermons
2. Teaching (sunday school, Bible studies, etc.)
3. Worship
4. Administration
5
6

Ht-Pp-‘HH

. Counseling
. Pastoral care (visitations, burials,
baptisms, marriages, etc. )
7. Evangelism/Missions
8. Youth ministry
9. Connectlonal/conference/district duties

10. Other important duties
(Specify' )

flfi-‘Hpfi—n

 

L

Have you engaged in one or more of the following ministerial
duties WW? If yes, circle response “1".

NNNNN

NNMNN

 

 

172

Section 11. Learning Activities

W

Dngo 3

 

 

W Actual Learning Activities

1n the list below, please indicate the frequency with which

you have engaged in each activity during the last 12
months in an effort to acquire information, skills,

knowledge or attitudes related to your ministerial duties.
(Please put “1", “2", “3", “4" or "5“ in the appropriate

space at the begining of each question)
REAL;
5 =- At least once m
About once W
About once W
Rarely (but at least once mm;

4
3
2
1 Never

_ 11. Read books on the topic/subject

12. Read Periodicals/magazines/journals

13. Read lectionary materials

14. Read newspapers

IS. Conferred with specialists

16. Worked with support groups and friends

_ 17. Consulted/worked with colleagues

_ 18. Organized my own study projects (self learning)
in my home

_19. Listened to cassette tapes

_20. Listened to radio programs

_21. Watched TV. programs

_22. Other (specify'

 

 

w

response "1", If no, circle response "2".

23.
24.
25.
26.

Yes
Took course(s) at nearby college/seminary 1
Learned by doing (practicing or trial 8. error) 1
Took correspondence course at home 1
Attended a learning event (seminars etc.)
away from home 1

173

Have you engaged in one or more of the following

learning activities WW? If yes, circle

towa

N

Page 4

We:

 

 

WW3:
How would you rate the importance of each of the following
activities

Key: 4

3
2
l

_ 27.
_ 28.
_ 29.

... 30.

_ 31.
._ 32.
... 33.

_ 34.

_ 35.
__ 36.
__ 37.

_ 38.
__ 39.

_ 40.

_ 41.
_ 42.

in learning/updating your profession-related duties“?

Very important
Important

Somewhat Important
Unimportant

Read books on the topic/subject

Read Periodicals/magazines/Journals

Read lectionary materials

Read news papers

Confer with specialists

Work with support groups and friends

Consult (work with) colleagues

Take college/seminary courses

Learn by doing (practicing or trial 8. error)
Take correspondence course(s) at home

Attend a learning event(s) (seminars etc.) away
from home

Organize your own study projects (self learning)
Listen to instructional cassette tapes
Listen to instructional radio programs
Watch instructional TV. programs
Other very important activities (specify'

 

 

43. Which

of the following activities listed in items 27- 42 above

would you rate as the W? W
number corresponding to that activity above)

44. Which of these activities (items 27-42 above) would you rate
as W? (underline Wit above).

174

9.5. 5

Winn
9W

When trying to decide whether or not to participate in an
organized continuing education event, WW

W211:

(Please put "1", “2", “3" or "4" in the

appropriate space at the begining of each question)

Key: 4 . Very important
3 . Important
2 . Somewhat Important
1 - Unimportant
_'. 45. Reasonable costs
_ 46. Leaders“ reputation for quality
_ 47. Some form of academic-credit or continuing education units

_. 48.
_ 49.
_ 50.
_ 51.
_ 52.
_ 53.
_ 54.
_ 55.

Deals with Subject(s)related to my needs and goals
Dates are convenient '

Deals with needs of my congregation (duties/tasks)
Appropriate timing (length, season)

Sponsoring agency's reputation for quality
Comfortable accommodations/facilities
Fellowship/interaction and learning from colleagues

other Whammlease specify

 

WM

Please indicate the W of your recent learning (lasLiz

months) in each of the following areas --

self-study or organized

continuing education activities away from home, like seminars,
conferences, etc.

 

Key:
Self-study Organized CE. W (I have not participa-
(self-learning) (seminars, etc) ted in any learning activity in this
area within the past 12 months)
I 2 9

 

56. Biblical, doctrinal 8. historical theology
57. Personal and spiritual growth

58. Skills for ministry

59. Issues in church and society

60. Career assessment and development

Hfi—o

LLL
LLLLL
LLLLL

175

Page 6

$211..le .
About how many organized learning events (seminars, workshops,
retreats, etc.) did you participate in during the last 12 months? __

M About what percent of these learning events (above) were
you required to attend ? _ 3

M About what percent of these learning events (Qn. 61 above)
were voluntary? __3

9m About what percent of these learning events (Qn. 61 above)
were you responsible for selecting (the events) to attend? _z

M Did church officials or others associated with the church
ever encourage you to attend these events? _I. No. _2. Yes

M About what percent of the learning events that you
participated in during the last 12 months were organized by:

a) United Methodist Church 3
b) Other continuing education agents __ 2 )

 

Wags
mew
When you needed assistance with your profession-related learning,
how often did you turn to each of the following sources for help?
Km 5 - Nearly always

4 = Often

3 - Sometimes

2 - Rarely
i - Never

_67. Intimates (spouse, close friends)
_68. Acquaintances and fellow ministers
_69. Experts, professionals
1 _70. Small groups working together, support groups
_71. Non-human resources (materials, books, tapes, computers etc.)

176

Page 7

° .Qn._ZZ_-_8_Q

How important were each of the following sources of support in

deciding whether or not you would undertake a profession-related
learning activity within the past 12 months?
Key:

4 . Very important

3 - Important

2 . Somewhat Important
1 = Not important

_72. Time for learning

_73. Funding for learning

_74. Understanding and support of spouse

_75. Understanding and support of congregation)

_76. Support groups and colleagues

_77. Support from other professionals, experts, mentors

_78. Adequate material resources (books, journals, tapes)

_79. Adequate learning opportunities and services ( educational
courses, programs, seminars, library services, etc.)

_80. Other-W source of suppdrt ?

 

1'77

Page 8

W
In the last 12 months, how often have each of the following
barriers hindered your pursuit of profession-related learning?

(Please rate your responses to the questions below by

checking

1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 against each question)

Km
5- Very often

4: often

32 sometimes

2- rarely

I: never

_81.
_82.

_83.
_84.
_85.
_86.

_87.
_88.
_89.
_90.

_91.

_92.

Inability to arrange time to learn

Conference officials' lack of understanding of my learning
needs

Spouse‘s lack of understanding of my learning needs
Congregation's lack of understanding of my learning needs
Inability to find materials (tapes, books, journals etc.)
Inability to elicit the support of resource people
(experts/professionals) '

Lack of necessary resources (people, materials, etc)

Lack of money(funding) for learning I

Lack of local learning opportunities

Inability to decide what I needed to learn in support of my
professional duties

Work-related (professional) stress

My lack of desire (inability) to learn by myself

178

Dug. 9

WW

(Please check (X) against the appropriate answer.)

93. Your Gender:
_1. Male _2. Female

94. Your Age: years

 

95. For about how many years have you been practicing in the
ministerial profession?

_1. 5 years or Under _5. 21 - 25

_2. 6 - 10 _6. 26 - 30

_3. 11 - 15 _7. 31 years or over
_4. i6 - 20

96. In what setting is your church located?
_1. Rural _2. Urban/city _3. Suburban

97. What is the size of your congregation membership?
members.

 

98. How much financial support was allocated by your church
for your profession-related on-going learning in the last year?

99. What is your highest educational level ?

 

_l. Bachelor's degree _3. Doctoral/specialist
.2. Master's degree _4. Other'
100. Do you have a seminary graduate degree?
_1. Yes
_2. No

101. Are you now working toward a higher degree program than
that checked in the above item?

_1. No
If yes please indicate which degree you are pursuing.

_2. Masters in seminary _

_3. Masters in public university/college
_4. Doctoral in seminary

_5. Doctoral in public university/college

179

APPENDIX E

INTRODUCTION CORRESPONDENCE

0‘ - _ 4.)
e‘ '. o ' ‘-
a: ‘1‘: '6 <

)niversity United Methodist Church

11203. Harrison At TrowbrIdge 0 East Lansing Mich. gan 48823 0 517- 351- 7030

 

 

Iaron Zimmerman Radar
.bert L. Hundley. Jr.
LSIOFS

 

 

Dear .

Mr. David Kitonga, a Ph.D. student at Michigan
State University is Interested In working on a
disertation regarding the strengthening of United
Methodist pastors in their duties through continuing
education. David wants to learn how we learn, why we
choose to learn what we do, etc. following our seminary
training.

In preparation for David’s study, he would like to
interview a few United Methodist pastors in the Lansing
area to get an overview of perspective on continuing
education of pastors. I have given David your name and
phone number as one who might be willing to talk with
him regarding this project. You will probably be
hearing from him within the next week or so.

David is a student from Kenya where he is a pastor
and works with pastors in their ongoing education. He
hopes that what he might learn from our educational
processes will be helpful to him upon his return to
Kenya.

Thanks for hearing his request and for any time
you can give to him for a brief interview.

Sincerely,

Sharon Zimmerman Rader

180

 

 

 

THE WEST MICHIGAN CONFERENCE
BINARI)(DEIDREMAHNEIJBdflNflSTTUY

December 1988

Dear Friends,

This is to introduce Mr. David Kitonga, from Kenya,

who is a graduate student at Michigan State University.
He is working on a doctoral program in the area of
continuing education.

David has asked our help in providing information about
our practice of continuing education, as well as what
we feel is needed and helpful in this area. He hopes
that his findings may be of help to us in the future.

Our assistance in his research will not only benefit
this Christian student, but will provide information
which he will share with us to guide our planning in
this area.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

M4. /$u/7wt/

Dale D. Brown, Chairperson
Board of Ordained Ministry

181

1636 H. Spartan Village,
East Lansing, MI. 48823
Tel. (517) 353-6807

November 29, 1988

Rev. Sharon Zimmerman Rader,
University United Methodist,
1120 S. Harrison,

E. Lansing, MI.

Dear Sharon:

Thank you so much for the time that you took to discuss with
me my study plans. You were so helpful and your suggestions
were very encouraging.

I have found it necessary to discuss with you again before I present
my study plans to Rev. Dale Brown, the chairman, Board of
Ordained Ministry. I will make an appointment to meet with you
this week if your schedules allow.

When we meet I would like to 1) outline my study plan to you
and 2) to get your inputs on the plan and how to approach it in
the United Methodist Church. This should not take more than
thirty minutes.

Since my study follows up the studies that have been done on the
United Methodist Ministers, I am enclosing some findings of some
of those studies that served as the initial base for my study.

My desire in this study is to provide vital information which can
be used to enhance the ministry effectiveness of the United
Methodist Church. I believe that my study should relate to a
need in the church, and also meet my academic requirements.

I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

David Kitonga 182

1636 H. Spartan Village, -
East Lansing, MI. 48823
(517) 353- 6807

December 3, 1988

Rev. Dale D. Brown,
Pastor, First United Methodist Church,
114 E. Michigan Avenue,

Battle Creek, MI. 49017

Dear Dale:

Thank you for the time that you took last week to discuss with me
concerning my study on United Methodist misters' continuing
education. I was very encouraged by your interest and support for
my study.

It was nice to learn from our discussion that very little is known
about how ministers conduct their own continuing education
besides the continuing education units of workshops and seminars
that are provided to them by the conference. My study directly
investigates what ministers are doing in their continuing education
for ministry and how their learning can be facilitated for the
ministry to be more effective. My study will provide the vital
information on the following areas:

1. How ministers have been learning and/or prefer to learn
to keep themselves current and competent in the ministry.

2. The learning (continuing education) barriers that hinder
ministers' effective learning in the ministry, and

3. The supports and resources that ministers identify as
essential and important in their future continuing
education learning efforts.

I was encouraged to learn from you that the findings from my-
study would be useful to the continuing education of ministers in
your conference. The studies done by Walsworth (1978) and
Cochrane (1981) at Michigan State University helped me greatly
when I was selecting the areas of my study. I want my study to
focus on something that is useful in fostering ministry effectiveness
and on what is also needed by the ministers in the conference.
This is how I expect my study to contribute to the conference.

1.83

D. Brown
12/4/88
P. 2

I will get the listing of ministers' addresses from Rev. Sharon
Zimmerman Rader, as you advised, so as to get the sample for my
study. This will be appropriate as her office is very near Michigan
State University. She has already been helping me a lot in .
providing the necessary information and contacts that I needed in
order to plan my study.

I will keep in touch with you concerning the progress of my study.

Sincerely,

David Kitonga

cc. Rev. Sharon Zimmerman Rader
University United Methodist.

184

1636 H Spartan Village
East Lansing, MI. 48823
February 21, 1989

Rev. Ronald Thompson,

Chairman, Board of Ordained Ministry
Committee on Continuing Education,
United Methodist Church,

P. 0. Box 110,

Marshall, MI. 49068.

Dear Rev. Thompson:

I greatly appreciated the time we had together to discuss my study
proposal. Your comments, input and clarifications of continuing.
education in United Methodist Church helped me greatly in
formulating my questionnaire. The continuing education material
(green and yellow sheets) that you provided were very useful for
my understanding of the organization of continuing education in
United Methodist Church. Thanks.

Thanks also for your willingness to help me in the future with my
study.

I will keep in touch. Keeping in contact with you is important as I
desire my study to be relevant and useful to United Methodist
Church.

Best wishes in your ministry.

Sincerely,

David Kitonga

cc. Rev. Sharon Zimmerman Radar
University Methodist.

185

APPENDIX F

INTERVIEW CONSENT FORM

W

This study investigates the profession-related self-directed
learning activtties of ministers of the United MethOdist Church.
Michigan Conference. The study examines the actual and preferred
self-directed learning activities, barriers, resources, and supports
that ministers identify as essential and important in their ongoing
profession-related self-directed learning. The study is designed to
determine how self-directed learning can be facilitated among the
United Methodist ministers so as to foster their ministry
effectiveness.

" I understand that the information I give during the interview
will be used for a research study as a part of David M. Kitonga's
doctoral program at Michigan State University. I also understand
that 1 am volunteering my time, one to two hours, to take part in
the study, that I may withdraw or decline to participate with no
penalty attached to such action and that all information collected
will be confidential, reported as group data and no respondent
names will be reported in connection with the data.

 

Signed:
(study participant)

Date:

 

186

APPENDIX G

INTERVIEW GUIDE AND WORKSHEETS

INTERVIEW GUIDE

W

Qn. I. (a) (Broad question) What types of duties are you
engaged in your ministry?
(b) Which duties are most important and common (daily,
weekly, and monthly) in your ministry?

Qn. 2. (a) (Broad question) How do you learn these duties in an
on-going basis?
(b) How did you obtain the information necessary to
i.) keep yourself current and/or 2.) to acquire skills or
knowledge necessary to perform each of those duties
in the last six months?

(Optional Qn.. How did you learn each of those duties?)

Probes: - In what ways
- where
- from who
- how much time

(c) How would you prefer to learn these duties if you
were to learn them again ?

Probes: why ?
What advantages ?

187

Qn. 4. Tell me about your involvement in continuing education at

your home or away from home. How have you conducted your
continuing education in the last year?

Probes:

What were the areas of learning?
Where ?

Why did you participate?

How was it planned?

How was it evaluated?

What subjects and topICS?

Qn. 5. What types of support and resources were essential and
important in the learning of your ministerial duties?
Probes:

human supports/resources ?
material support/resources ?
non-material ?

others?

Qn. 5. What made it difficult for you to learn these dutieS?
Probes: what major barriers ? '

what restraints'?

- work-related - non-material
- human - material
- personal

188

11111.13
Areas c
lmaior
phrases

‘

1)

‘

Bl _

r)
V
I

(1.}
g_/

rr1
«(...o-

WWW - worksheets

 

Types of learning Activities
animal
Areas of learning
(major categories and key Learning Activities
phrases)

 

A.)

 

B.)

 

c.)

 

D.)

 

 

E.)

 

189

Interview data

Qn *1 (b). Learning preferences.

Areas of learning
categories key phrases)

work sheet

Learning preferences
preferences list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

190

 

Interview data: work sheet

Qn. it 1. ( c ). Involvement in continuing education

Areas of learning

Location

Planning/
Evaluation

Reasons for

participation

 

 

 

 

 

 

191

 

 

Interview data: work sheet

On *2 Learninssunnorts

Areas of learning
(Categories 8. key phrases) Learning supports/resources
listing

 

 

 

 

 

 

192

 

 

On *3,

Areas

(Categ

Interview data: work sheet

Qn *3LearninLBamers

Areas of learning
(Categories and key phrases)

Learning Barriers
listing.

 

 

 

 

 

193

 

 

Other

Obser

Inter

MW

Other study-related Information:

Observations, stories etc. from the Researcher's
Interviews. I comments

 

 

194

APPENDIX H

QUESTIONNAIRE PRETEST COVER LETTERS

. ._- 3;.

'(J
:1

(I)

 

 

 

Jniversity United Methodist Church

1120 S. Harrison At Trowbridge 0 East Lansing. Micnigan 48823 0 517-351-7030

 

 

aron Zimmerman Rader
bert L. Hundley. Jr.
stors

 

 

 

April 7, 1989

Dear

Mr. David Kitonga, a Ph.D. student at Michigan State University is working on a
dissertation regarding the strengthening of United Methodist pastors in their
duties through continuing education. David wants to learn how we learn, why we
choose to learn what we do, etc. following our seminary training.

Over the past few months David has consulted with members of the continuing
education committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry; Dale Brown, chair of the
Board; and clergy members of the West Michigan Conference. He has developed a
questionnaire to be used with a statistical sample of United Methodist clergy.
Before administering the questionnaire, David would like to receive comment and
feedback regarding the questionnaire. I have given David your name and phone
number as one who might be willing to talk with him regarding this project. You
will probably be hearing from him within the next week or so.

David is a student from Kenya where he is a pastor and works with pastors in their
ongoing education. He hopes that what he might learn from our educational

processes will be helpful to him upon his return to Kenya.

Thanks for hearing his request and for any time you can give to him for a brief
interview.

Sincerely,

S haron Zimmerman Rader

195

APPENDIX I

PRETEST CORRESPONDENCE

1636 H Spartan Village
East Lansing, MI. 48823

April 28, 1989

(Respondent's address)

Dear

 

* Thank you for accepting to participate in the review (pretest) of
my study questionnaire on the United Methodist Church ministers'
learning activities. This is an important part of my study.

I am enclosing the questionnaire for you to complete, make
comments and return to me. Please follow these steps:

1. Read the cover letter (purpose of study).

2. Complete all questionnaire.
('Record the time taken to complete the 5 parts of the
questionnaire itself).

3. Write your comments on the feed-back form enclosed
at the end of question.

Your comments are very valuable to the success of this study and
they will be used to make the final and complete survey
questionnaire.

Thank you for completing the questionnaire and giving your feed
back information.

Sincerely,

David Kitonga.

196

1636 H Spartan Village
East Lansing, MI. 48823

May 25, 1989

(Respondent's Address)

Dear

 

Thank you so much for participating in the second pretest of my
study questionnaire. The questionnaire is now complete and ready
to be posted to the selected random sample of the study. In the
pretest form you indicated your interest in the findings of this
study. I will be very happy to post the abstract of the finding
when it is completed.

I have greatly appreciated your cooperation and the time you took
to help in this study.

Again, thanks for your understanding, friendliness, and willingness
to participate in this study.

Sincerely,

David Kitonga.

199

APPENDIX J

PRETEST FEED-BACK FORM

W

 

1. How long did you take to complete the questionnaire?

2. How is this timing for the questionnaire ?
_1. Too long
_2. Just right
_3. Other (specify)
3. Was the questionnaire clear, easy to understand, and
to complete? Please check one:
_1. All the questions were clear and easy to complete.
_2. Most of the questions were clear and easy to complete.
_3. Some questions were clear and easy to complete.
_4. Most of the questions mm clear and easy to complete.
_5. Other (specify)

 

 

Explain your answer

 

 

4. For each question you did not understand clearly, please
comment specifically on what you found difficult to understand.

Question Nos. Comments:

 

 

 

 

 

(use the back for more space if needed).

5. How can this questionnaire be improved in terms of clarity of
questions, sequence of questions and sections, format, ideas,
additions, etc.? Give your comments:

6. What did you like about/in the questionnaire?

7. Were .the categories listed in each section of questionnaire (duties,
learning activities, etc.) representative of ministers?

200

APPENDIX K

SURVEY FOLLOW-UP POSTCARDS

Ministers' Profession-related Learning Activities
First Follow-up Post card
(One week after initial mailing)

June 19, 1989

Dear Pastor:

Last week a survey on ministers‘ profession-related learning
activities was mailed to you. If you have already mailed your
completed survey, I would like to thank you for your participation.
If not, please do so today ._ your responses are very important to
the results of the study.

If you did not receive the survey or if it was misplaced, please call
me collect as soon as possible at (517) 353- 6807 during the day or
evening. I will be very happy to mail you another copy.

Again, thank you for your assistance and interest.

Sincerely,

David Kitonga
Doctoral Student

201

Ministers' Profession-related Learning Activities

Second Follow-up Post card
(Three weeks after the initial mailing)

June 26, 1989

Dear Pastor:

About three weeks ago a survey on ministers' profession-related
learning activities was mailed to you. As of today I have not
received your completed survey. '

I am writing again because of the significance each response has to
the value of this study. It would be greatly appreciated if you
would complete and return the survey as soon as possible.

If you did not receive the survey or if it was misplaced, please call
me collect as soon as possible at (517) 353- 6807 during the day or
evening. I will be very happy to mail you another copy.

Again, thank you for your assistance and interest.

Sincerely,

David Kitonga
Doctoral student

202

APPENDIX L

MINISTERS' CONTINUING EDUCATION IN
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

 

CONCERNING CONTINUING EDUCATION -

The Discipline. 1984

'. 446. Continuing Education—I. Ministers shall be expected
to continue their education throughout their careers, including
arcI'ully developed personal programs of study augmented
petiodically by involvement in organized educational activities.

2. Pastors shall be asked by the district superintendent in the
Charge Conference to outline their programs of continuing
education for the year. The district superintendent shall also ask
the local church to describe its provision {or time and financial
support for the pastor's program of continuing education.

3. Ministers in appointment beyond the local church shall
give evidence of their continuuig education program in their
annual reports (1 443.2”.

1447. Educational Leave—An ordained minister may re-
quest an educational leave of up to six months while continuing to
hold a pastoral appomtment. An Annual Conference may make
such educational leaves available to its ordained ministers who
have held full-time apponnttnents for at least five years.

in most cases the ministers' continuing education program
should allow for leaves of absence for study at least one week each
year and at least one month during one year of each

quadrennium. Such leaves shall net be considered as part of the
ministers' vacation and shall be planned in consultation with their
charges or Other agencies to which they are appointed as well as
the bishOp. distriCt superintendent. and Annual Conference
Continuing Education Committee.

Financial arrangements shall be negotiated in the following
manner: (a) for pastors it shall be done in consultation with the
district superintendent and the Pastor-Parish Relations Commit.
tee; (b) for district superintendents. with the district Committee
on Superintendency: (c) for conference staff. with the appropri-
ate committee of the Council on Ministries: (d) for others in
appointments beyond the local church. with the appropriate
persons in their agency.

203

 

APPENDIX M

UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION

   

 

 

JUDICIAL COUNCIL GENERAL CONFERENCE

 

 

 

The highest Judicial The legislative body
I body for the entire for the entire Church.'

 

 

! Church.‘

 

 

 

JURISDICTIONAL CONFERENCE

The representative regional body . . . com-
posed of an equal number of lay and minis-
terial delegates from the . . . Annual
Conferences within the Jurisdictional
boundaries. . . . lt elects bisnops to
serve in that Jurisdiction.'

r l

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

councn or BISHOPS EPISCOPAL AREAS l

The oooy conSisting The Annual Conference l

of all the bishops or Conferences dSSlgned ‘

of all the Jurisdic- to a bishop for . . . l

tional . . . Confer- SuperviSion . . . the

ences of the Church.‘ geographical region
covered by SuCh con-
ference.’

 

 

 

 

ANNUAL CONFERENCES

The basic administrative bocy
in the United Methodist Church
bearing responSibility for the
work of the Churcn in a sce-
Cific terr1tory.‘

/\

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DETROIT ANNUAL CONFERENCE HEST MICHIGAN ANNUAL COh?EEENCE
Geographically. this con- Geographically. this conference
ference includes the east- includes the western half of ‘
ern half of the state of the state of Michigan.

Michigan and the Upper ‘
Peninsula. |

 

 

l

DISTRICTS DISTRICTS

 

 

 

The major administrative The major administrative sub-
subdivision of an Annual division of an Annual Con-
Conference.’ ference.’

 

 

 

l

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOCAL CHURCHgESl LOCAL CHURCH(ES)
A . . . society of persons A . . . society of persons who
who have assumed the vows have assumed the vows of men-
of membership in the Unite bership in the United Methodist
Methodist Church and are Church and are associated in
associated in fellowship as fellowship as a local United
a local United Methodist Methodist church.‘
church.‘

 

 

 

 

*Definition from The Book of Disci line of the United Methodist
Church (Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, l§§05.
204

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