Online Learning and Discussion Forums for Adult Students Essay

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Critique Analysis of ResearchArticle 1: Meaningful Learning from Sustained Online CommunicationResearch ProblemThe research problem identified by Abdallah and Albadri (2013) is how to promote active learning and critical thinking among adult learners and whether this can be done using online discussion boards. They situate their research within the understanding that “to motivate adult learners they need to be engaged in activities to make them think, reflect and express their experiences and views” (Abdallah & Albadri, 2013, p. 1). However, the problem is that “engaging students through online discussion boards does not automatically guarantee meaningful learning, warranting the need for suitable assessment tools to measure students learning and performance” (Abdallah & Albadri, 2013, p. 2). Thus, the research question that Abdallah and Albadri (2013) pose is this: “how to evaluate students learning through the examination of the knowledge constructed by them to ensure that learning is occurring?” (p.2).The research problem is thus identified in the introduction of research study. It is essentially a problem of evaluation. The assumption of the authors is that online collaboration tools can provide a social constructivist tool to adult learners that will facilitate active learning and critical thinking. This assumption is supported by the literature reviewed in the study’s literature review. The problem that arises from this review is the problem that the researchers address in order to provide better understanding of how teachers can be sure that online discussion boards facilitate active learning and critical thinking among adult learners. The researchers note that it is a problem of evaluation and their study shows that teachers wrongly evaluate these online discussion boards in terms of quality of learning when what they should be doing is devising their own experiential measures of evaluation.Review of the LiteratureIn their review of the literature, the researchers develop a table that compares and contrasts what researchers in the past have concluded about the most common methods for measuring the success of online learning via discussion boards. However, the literature review is not extensive. It consists of 8 studies that serve to make up the table of comparisons. The key take-away from the comparison table is that adult learners require a way to be engaged that will facilitate deep and critical thinking. The authors then use a study by Henri (1992) to examine the difference between surface and in-depth processing. The literature review thus sets the stage for a discussion of the methodology applied in the research study.Article’s ContributionWhat makes the article different from its predecessors is that it is an exploratory qualitative case study devised to determine “whether students are gaining merely surface learning or deep learning that can motivate them to become self-learners and critical thinkers” (Abdallah & Albadri, 2013, p. 3). Because the authors do not identify gaps in the literature that they want to address but rather only use the literature as a framework for situating their own case study, there is no clear understanding presented of why the study was needed or what contribution it makes to existing literature beyond the fact that methods of evaluating online discussion forums for adult learners may not be entirely appropriate.

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Theoretical Model and Expected SignsThe authors use Knowles’ theory of andragogy as a framework for their research. This is clearly stated in the research study’s introduction, and the theory is described in sufficient detail so that the reader can see its relevance and how and why it applies to the present study. The theory of andragogy is stated as being one that shows “that adults learn differently from children because the learning process of adults is different as adults are more…

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…the recommendations, the study itself comes across as something of a nebulous attempt at relevance. While it is helpful to point out flaws in a currently rigid system, the researchers spend more time looking at areas of focus that could be theoretically more helpful but not enough time on the reality of the situation that personnel directors face—such as the fact that they often are crunched for time and do not have a budget to implement such changes. When a staffing crisis arises, there is little opportunity to psychologically evaluate candidates or to provide training or apply a selection process to an expatriate’s spouse. There is hardly enough time simply to do this for the potential hire. Why would the researchers assume that personnel directors will be able to include a potential hire’s spouse in the selection and training process. The recommendation is understandable in the light of the proposition that the four dimensions identified are most relevant to proper selection and training processes, but in the light of reality it is not a very relevant or even possible recommendation. For this reason, the recommendations/conclusions drawn from the data by the researchers appear misapplied. While the research does strongly support a reason to believe that the dimensions presented are important, it fails to explain how the research was conducted or what criteria were used to obtain studies for review. It also fails to show how the dimensions can be practically applied to the selection and training processes of personnel directors, although it does not fail to explain why they should be applied. The study is certainly helpful in the sense that it provides a solid framework for future research, but it presents itself to authoritatively and with too little focus on validity to be taken seriously by a personnel director facing….....

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