This dissertation is accessible only to the Illinois State University community.
- Off-Campus ISU Users: To download this item, click the "Off-Campus Download" button below. You will be prompted to log in with your ISU ULID and password.
- Non-ISU Users: Contact your library to request this item through interlibrary loan.
Graduation Term
Spring 2026
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Department of Educational Administration and Foundations: Educational Administration
Committee Chair
Lydia Kyei-Blankson
Committee Member
Francis Godwyll
Committee Member
Kevin Swier
Abstract
Despite comprising a substantial proportion of the community college population, nontraditional students are frequently taught and studied through deficit-oriented or narrowly pedagogical lenses that underrepresent adult learning processes, particularly in nonmajor science courses. This qualitative multi-case study examined how community college biology faculty design, enact, and sustain andragogical practices in nonmajor biology courses to better serve nontraditional learners. Guided by Douglas’s Structure–Function–Purpose (SFP) framework, the study explored how instructional structures (course design and policies), instructional functions (teaching strategies and classroom interactions), and instructional purposes (learning goals and intended outcomes) collectively operationalize adult learning theory in practice.
Data were collected through semi-structured faculty interviews, repeated classroom observations, and instructional document analysis across two cases, enabling triangulated cross-case analysis. Findings indicate that andragogy was not implemented as an explicit theoretical model but enacted as an integrated instructional system. Faculty consistently emphasized learner autonomy, relevance, experiential knowledge, accountability, and mutual respect—closely aligning with the core assumptions of Malcolm Knowles’ theory of andragogy. Instructional effectiveness emerged not through reduced academic rigor, but through intentional alignment of structural supports (e.g., transparent expectations and attendance norms), functional practices (e.g., applied examples, dialogic questioning, formative feedback), and purposeful outcomes (e.g., persistence, conceptual understanding, real-world application).
The analysis further revealed a recursive process in which classroom enactment informed faculty beliefs and instructional design, resulting in continuous refinement over time. This study contributes to adult learning theory by empirically demonstrating how andragogical principles function as a systematic instructional framework in nonmajor biology courses and advances a transferable Science of Andragogy with implications for faculty development, curriculum design, and institutional policy.
Access Type
Dissertation-ISU Access Only
Recommended Citation
Douglas, TS, "Toward A Science of Andragogy: A Qualitative Multi-Case Study of Nonmajor Biology Instruction For Nontraditional Students in Community Colleges" (2026). Theses and Dissertations. 2326.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/2326