Committee Chair

Tucker, James A.

Committee Member

Ahmadi, Mohammad; Breznitz, Dan; Rausch, David

Department

Dept. of Education

College

College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

There are substantial bodies of theoretical literature regarding learning by individuals, organizations, and regions. There appears to be no theory that applies at all levels, or explains how learning at one level relates to learning at other levels. This study reviews the theoretical literature on individual, organizational, and regional learning, applies textual analysis to chart the gap between these bodies of literature, and posits an explanation that fills this gap. The fundamental theory proposed here is that community yields learning, or that community makes people smarter. A conceptual framework is provided for explicating and evaluating the proposed theory, and it is illustrated via a thought experiment. Community is presented as a phenomenon or process, rather than a place or thing, and learning as a gain in capabilities, which are equated to real freedoms: specifically, liberty, prosperity, and wellness. This study details how community functions result in increased capabilities, and provides suggestions on how this proposition might be applied in practice and investigated through research.

Degree

Ed. D.; A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Education.

Date

5-2013

Subject

Community education

Document Type

Doctoral dissertations

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

xi, 313 leaves

Language

English

Rights

https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

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