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WHDL - 00010231

Graduate theological student's educational expectations and the experienced curriculum foci : knowledge-centered, learner-centered, society-centered

Julie Woolery

Resource Types

Academic (Thesis, Dissertation, Etc.)

Resource Languages

English

Institutional Repository

Description / Abstract

This study sought to describe the educational expectations and current experiences of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (APNTS) students in terms of knowledge-centered, learner-centered, and society-centered perspectives. The diversity represented by the APNTS faculty and students leads to a unique mixture of educational views. With past experience in teaching styles, classroom environment, language of instruction, and educational purposes, differences in what is expected compared to what is experienced can have a profound effect on a student's view of his or her education. This study was significant in giving a voice to students in how they feel about their educational expectations and experiences and in furthering faculty understanding of students' experiences in order to enhance communication and the quality of education at APNTS. Open-ended questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups were used to explore the viewpoints of APNTS students about their expectations and experiences. The researcher then analyzed these expectations and experiences in terms of knowledge-centered, learner-centered, and society-centered perspectives. --The researcher used the theoretical framework of Arthur Ellis to articulate the educational perspectives found in APNTS students' expectations and experiences. While no curriculum holds purely to one model, Ellis felt that one or a combination of the knowledge-centered, learner-centered, and society-centered perspectives could describe experience curricula. This study employed a qualitative, descriptive method to explore students' educational expectations and experiences in light of Ellis' curriculum foci. APNTS graduate students from the 2008-09 school year were asked open-ended questions concerning their expectations and experiences through open-ended questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. The researcher carefully reviewed the responses and analyzed the findings in terms of knowledge-centered, learner-centered, and society-centered perspectives. --Knowledge-centered expectations were found in the students' purpose in attending APNTS, high academic standards, evaluation techniques, and instructional methods. Learner-centered expectations were found in the students' desires for spiritual growth through their education, student capacity and understanding, communication outside the classroom and about assignments, and relationships with professors. Society-centered expectations were found in the purpose of mission training, the importance of interactive discussion, and the desired balance between academics and practical training. --APNTS students related current knowledge-centered experiences concerning academic standards, instructional methods, and evaluation, similar to their expectations. Learner-centered experiences mainly dealt with the personal development of using English in their studies. Students found society-centered experiences through class discussions and practical assignments. In the areas of communication, spiritual growth, student capacity, and relationships with professors, students expected learner-centered approaches but found their experiences to be more in line with knowledge-centered perspectives. Students also desire a stronger emphasis on society-centered practical training in order to have a balance between knowledge-centered and society-centered perspectives in classroom. --The findings of this study presented a mixture of knowledge-centered, learner-centered, and society-centered perspectives among APNTS students' educational expectations and experiences. Students feel the quality of their education could be enhanced by incorporating more learner-centered approaches with consistency in communication and understanding each student as a unique individual, in addition to a stronger balance between theory, coming from the knowledge-centered perspective, and practical training, coming from the society-centered perspective.