2016 Annual Conference

This session describes how researchers created a smartphone app to collect longitudinal data to evaluate a nonformal experiential farming program for veterans. We describe the app’s functions and explain its integration in a single-case design. Threats to internal validity, design controls, and visual and statistical analysis of data are reviewed.

This session is intended for adult education researchers and practitioners seeking innovative ways to overcome hurdles when evaluating nonformal learning experiences. It may be especially valuable to those educators and researchers working with learners in remote settings where frequent contact with learners is impractical, as well as those working with learners from vulnerable populations for whom random program assignment is ethically questionable. Additionally, this session may be of interest to researchers concerned with minimizing recall bias when investigating nonformal learning.

This session describes how researchers created a smartphone app to collect longitudinal data to evaluate a nonformal experiential farming program for veterans. The program and its learners are described, as well as the app’s development, functions, and integration within a single-case design. A brief overview of single-case designs is then provided. Threats to internal validity, design controls, and visual and statistical analysis of data are reviewed. This innovative approach arose as a response to situational hurdles that researchers faced when trying to quantitatively demonstrate the effects of nonformal experiential learning on veterans’ well-being and social isolation. Preliminary data are shared to demonstrate the immediate value this approach may have for educators and researchers seeking to communicate the effectiveness of nonformal learning programs. This approach may be particularly valuable to those seeking to augment qualitative data to address the increasing demands of funding agencies for quantitative evidence.