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IES Grant

Title: Georgia Partnership for Adult Education and Research (GPAER)
Center: NCER Year: 2018
Principal Investigator: Greenberg, Daphne Awardee: Georgia State University
Program: Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships in Education Research      [Program Details]
Award Period: 2 years (09/01/2018 – 08/31/2020) Award Amount: $399,760
Type: Researcher-Practitioner Partnership Award Number: R305H180061
Description:

Co-Principal Investigator: Feinberg, Iris; Tio, Rosaline

Partner Institutions: Georgia Office of Adult Education: Technical College System of Georgia; Georgia State University: Adult Literacy Research Center

Purpose:The research team will conduct initial, exploratory research on factors that influence adults' participation and success in adult education programs and build capacity of the Georgia Office of Adult Education (GOAE) staff to use data and participate in research aimed to improve adult education outcomes. In Georgia, more than 1.1 million adults have less than a high school education, yet in 2016, only about 41,000 of these adults received adult education services. To provide useful and effective services to Georgian adults in need, GOAE wants to know more about what is happening in the programs, what influences adults' participation, and what services may lead to better outcomes.

Partnership Activities: This partnership will conduct two broad categories of work to address GOAE's immediate research needs and long-term goal of being better equipped to leverage data and research. They will conduct mixed-methods exploratory research that leverages existing program administrative data and qualitative data they will collect from administrators, students, and instructors. They will also meet frequently to discuss findings and policymakers' needs, develop and refine research agendas, and provide professional development and training to state and program data analysts.

Setting:  The research will take place through out Georgia in adult education programs that offer Adult Basic Education and Adult Secondary Education classes.

Population/Sample: The research team will use data from all 378 program sites in Georgia and will interview approximately 24 students and 24 instructors from 6 program sites.

Data Analytic Strategy:  The researchers will use mixed methods including thematic analysis of the qualitative data retrieved from case studies and interviews. They will also use hierarchical linear modeling and logistic regression analyses of state administrative data and other quantitative data (e.g., online survey responses).

Outcomes: This project will produce data to help GOAE provide support to programs to improve retention and learner gains and future research plans.


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