A comparative case study of perceptions of effective instruction in four Illinois community college GED programs

The qualitative case study explored the perceptions of GED students, teachers, and administrators to learn how they describe and understand effective instruction. Fifteen adult students, eight teachers, and five administrators from four community colleges participated in this study. All of the participants met for face-to-face interviews with the researcher. Teachers and administrators completed demographic inventories. Documents were also collected and analyzed. Students and teachers were also asked to describe a critical incident when learning or teaching was a struggle.;All of the GED programs studied had open-entry, multiple level classes, so that students could enroll at any time. Instruction at these programs was self-paced and targeted each student's level in the five GED subjects. Administrators perceived that they needed this structure in order to respond to community needs and keep classrooms full. This class design was considered cost effective because there was a regular turnover of students; as students dropped out, new students enrolled. Persistence was a concern in all the programs.;Data analysis revealed that students and teachers have certain strategies that they consider more effective than others. Students identified five effective strategies and teachers identified seven effective strategies. Some of the students described feeling anxiety and fear as they entered the GED class due to prior educational experiences. As a result, they perceived that a classroom must be non-threatening and a teacher welcoming if learning was to occur. Students from other countries who did not have an opportunity to complete their education wanted a respectful classroom where they were not afraid to use their limited English. Students who were displaced or dislocated workers also needed the assurance that they were making progress towards earning their GED so they could return to employment or job training.;Communication among students, teachers, and administrators about effective instructional strategies was limited and usually informal. Since there was little sharing of perceptions, there was not a process for developing a shared vision for the GED program. Recommendations were made for administrators, teachers, students, the field of adult education, each community college GED program, and for future research.