Christy M. Rhodes

• Associate Professor at East Carolina University

Social presence is the feeling of connectedness among learners. In this article, the authors explore the theory and practice related to social practice in online adult learning environments.

The current political climate, changes in demographics, and a globalized world call for culturally responsive practices that strengthen the education and development of the future generation of global citizens. The chapter will unfold the meaning of cultural responsive practices in education through the lens of the relational cultural theory (RCT)....

The growing diversity of the United States population continues to impact public education in many ways. One key area has been the increased awareness of the need to adapt learning environments to enhance the motivation of students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. Culturally responsive teaching is one approach designed to increase m...

In recent decades, educational research has strongly supported the incorporation of culture and cultural identities into adult learning environments. However, much of the literature about culturally responsive teaching, a well-established framework in multicultural education research, has been conducted in the K-12 setting, leaving one to question...

The growing diversity of the United States population continues to impact public education in many ways. One key area has been the increased awareness of the need to adapt learning environments to enhance the motivation of students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. Culturally responsive teaching is one approach designed to increase m...

This article describes three programs which provide formal student engagement training and leadership opportunity with adult basic education learners.

This paper introduces monetization of knowledge (MOK), an emerging online learning approach popular in China in recent years. The use of this innovative online learning method is growing among white-collar Chinese workers and appears to play a role in satisfying the needs of lifelong learners.

There are few places more open and inclusive than an adult English language class. Or, are there? Although adult educators teaching in these multi-cultural and linguistically heterogeneous environments use practices designed to embrace their students’ diverse ethnic and linguistic identities, they less frequently incorporate practices to be inclusi...

Communities thrive when individuals work together to share knowledge and resources. This phenomenon, social capital, is widely understood as the access and proficiency individuals have to knowledge and networks that facilitate acquisition of economic resources and social well-being (Putnam, 2000). This paper presents findings from data collected in...

The current political climate, changes in demographics, and a globalized world call for culturally responsive practices that strengthen the education and development of the future generation of global citizens. The chapter will unfold the meaning of cultural responsive practices in education through the lens of the relational cultural theory (RCT)....

The growing diversity of the United States population continues to impact public education in many ways. One key area has been the increased awareness of the need to adapt learning environments to enhance the motivation of students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. Culturally responsive teaching is one approach designed to increase m...

The concept of culturally responsive teaching has long been associated with the traditional, face-to-face classroom. However, the growth of distance education has meant that traditional classrooms are being replaced by online courses, and educators who were used to teaching in face-to-face classrooms now find themselves in a very different situatio...

In recent decades, educational research has strongly supported the incorporation of culture and cultural identities into adult learning environments. However, much of the literature about culturally responsive teaching, a well-established framework in multicultural education research, has been conducted in the K-12 setting, leaving one to question...

For adult English language learners, the English language classroom provides a space for students to examine cultural as well other identities. However, discussions often center on racial, rather than sexual identities. In addition, attention to how adult English language instructors engage in classroom practices that focus on sexual identities is...

Amidst the ethnic and linguistic diversity in adult English language classes, there is heightened importance to using culturally responsive teaching practices. However, there are limited quantitative examinations of this approach in adult learning environments. The purpose of this investigation was to describe patterns of culturally responsive teac...

Sociocultural theory and its intersection with Boud and Walker’s model of reflection is used as a framework to understand a surprisingly positive teaching and learning experience in a course on critical race theory. Classroom climate, learner expectations, and cognitive and emotional learner outcomes seem to have played key roles in the success of...