Browsing by Author "Owusu-Agyeman, Yaw"
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- ItemNegotiating co-ownership of learning in higher education : an underexplored practice for adult learning(Taylor & Francis, 2019) Owusu-Agyeman, Yaw; Fourie-Malherbe, MagdaAdults who enrol in higher education institutions (HEIs) often have contributions that could serve in enhancing the planning and implementation of their programmes. Importantly, while terms such as active learner engagement and knowledge co-creation dominate adult learning discussions, there are unanswered questions pertaining to how adult learners negotiate co-ownership of their learning. The current empirical study explores the relevant factors that could enhance adult learners’ involvement in negotiating co-ownership of learning in a higher education setting. A mixed method of gathering and analysing data from adult learners (n = 200) was followed. While structural equation modelling (SEM) served as the quantitative data analysis method, codes, categories and themes developed from the focus group discussions and interviews were used to analyse the qualitative data. The study revealed that negotiating co-ownership of learning among adult learners in HEIs is influenced by the level of engagement and adult learners’ acquisition of relevant core knowledge and skills. The authors discuss the implications of the results by reflecting on the pluses of negotiating co-ownership of learning at the institutional and classroom levels while also showing how the lack of these provisions could hinder effective learning among adult learners.
- ItemThe relevance of telecommunications and electrical engineering programmes to the needs of adult learners in Ghana(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-03) Owusu-Agyeman, Yaw; Fourie-Malherbe, Magda; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Department of Curriculum StudiesENGLISH ABSTRACT : The growth in the Telecommunications and energy sectors in Ghana requires a highly trained workforce to meet the increasing knowledge and skills demands of the industry. The training of the workforce calls for adequate arrangements by higher education institutions (HEIs) to satisfy both the needs of industry and those employed in these sectors. A significant number of these employees are adult learners enrolled for Telecommunications and Electrical Engineering programmes at HEIs. These programmes are not necessarily designed to address the specific needs of adult learners, thereby leading to dissatisfaction among adult learners. This study, investigating the relevance of Telecommunications and Electrical Engineering programmes to the needs of adult learners, was framed along an interpretive paradigm, relative ontology, transactional epistemology and constructivist theory of learning. Building on the work of Buchanan and Smith (1998), the study uses an integrated framework to interrogate the key considerations necessary for developing adult learning programmes for students pursuing Telecommunications and Electrical Engineering in three diverse universities in Ghana. The study adopted an embedded multiple case study design that was adapted from Gable’s model. Probability and non-probability methods of sampling were used to gather relevant information from respondents and discussants. The sample included 200 student respondents, while focus groups discussions were conducted with 11 groups of adult learners from the three purposively selected institutions. The views of heads of the Telecommunications and Electrical Engineering departments, industry representatives, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Accreditation Board and the Deputy Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress provided additional evidence for the empirical study. Statistical software, Statistica, was used in analysing the quantitative data, while the hermeneutic process of developing patterns, codes and themes were used to analyse the interviews conducted. The study revealed that in developing relevant curricula for adult learners in the field of Telecommunications and Electrical Engineering, the constructivist theory required amplification by other theories such as experiential and transformative learning. Secondly, the three cases investigated in this study did not provide separate curricula for adult learners who enrolled in the programmes with varied experience and skills expectations. The study also found that while adult learners were not involved in the planning of their programmes, relevant learning resources such as text books, e-books, course materials, laboratory guides, field work guides and industrial attachment manual for their programmes were either not provided or were not in good condition. The possible implications for the study are that different learning theories are required to design appropriate curricula for adult learners in the engineering field, HEIs and industry should collaborate to develop the knowledge and skills of adult learners and adult learners should be actively involved in the planning of their programmes together with their facilitators and programme developers.
- ItemStudents as partners in the promotion of civic engagement in Higher Education(Routledge, 2021) Owusu-Agyeman, Yaw; Fourie-Malherbe, MagdaThe development of the knowledge and skills of students can only be complete when the tenets of civic engagement are inculcated in them to respond to the needs of society. However, due to the weakening role of higher education institutions to develop a university ethos that stimulate civic interest and participation among students, it has become necessary to examine the aspects that enhance civic engagement. Using social-cognitive and transformative learning theories, we examined six major aspects namely, civic knowledge, civic skills, civic culture, cultural diversity, social responsibility and, students as partners to reveal the sets of relationships and antecedents that enhance civic participation among students. We relied on a mixed method approach for gathering and analysing data from students in an HEI setting in Ghana (n=261). Results revealed that cultural diversity experience, social responsibility, and students as partners represent important aspects for stimulating civic participation among students in HEIs.