Counseling, Higher Education & Special Education Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2757

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    AN EXPLORATION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITMENT: A GROUNDED THEORY INVESTIGATION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONALS
    (2015) Pepin, Sean C; Drezner, Noah D; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    As part of the project to create a more democratic society, social justice work is a critical component, especially within higher education. Social justice work comes with a wide array of deeply challenging issues and obstacles to remaining engaged. The purpose of this study was to expose those challenges and understand how individuals traversed those challenges. By looking at what the challenges were and how individuals navigated them, this study also dove into the personal reasons why social justice work can be incredibly challenging. Through this grounded theory investigation, a model for social justice commitment emerged, which illustrates the iterative nature of social justice commitment. The result is that one’s commitment is a cycle of growth, beginning with one’s internal and external engagement. As individuals engage in social justice work, nine distinct challenges emerged from the data. These challenges interrupt a person’s engagement, and can either be resolved through the use of three identified motivating forces or can cause a person to retreat to a time of pause. Finally, one of the unique findings within this study was the relationship commitment has with the concept of hope. As challenges increase, individuals have a decreased sense of hope. Hope is a fundamental component of long-term engagement, and individuals appeared to move to towards the edge of hope throughout their long-term engagement; however, they did not appear to ever fully leave hope or commitment behind. Finally, this research moved from the discovery of a social justice commitment model towards the practical implications for such a model. By weaving the identified challenges and the emergent commitment model together, applications were created for individuals, institutions, and future research. The resulting implications focused primarily on critical self-reflection for individuals, an increase in robust content and reflection for institutions, and a new direction for social justice research to explore the affective domain of development.
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    RACIAL CONSCIOUSNESS, IDENTITY, AND DISSONANCE AMONG WHITE WOMEN IN STUDENT AFFAIRS GRADUATE PROGRAMS
    (2012) Robbins, Claire Kathleen; Jones, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of this study was to investigate racial identity among White women enrolled in student affairs and higher education (hereafter, SA/HE) master's degree programs. Guided by a social justice epistemology encompassing constructivism, feminist inquiry, and Critical Whiteness, this grounded theory study included the following research questions: (1) how does racial identity develop over time among White women; (2) how do White women construct racial identities; (3) in what ways do educational and professional experiences, including those that occur in SA/HE master's degree programs, influence White women's racial identities; and (4) in what ways do multiple layers of social context, including power and privilege, influence White women's racial identities? Data sources included two interviews with a sample of 11 White women in SA/HE master's degree programs, and data analysis procedures were consistent with grounded theory for social justice. The outcome of this study was a grounded theory of racial consciousness, identity, and dissonance among White women in SA/HE graduate programs. The emergent theory consisted of two core processes: changing one's perspective and the emergence of racial dissonance. The first core process, changing one's perspective, foregrounded a series of developmental shifts through which participants became conscious of whiteness and developed racial identities. These shifts or "lenses" corresponded to a series of visual metaphors, including not seeing race, peripheral visions, and "opening my eyes." The second core process, the emergence of racial dissonance, disrupted the developmental process of changing one's perspective. When new insights threatened preexisting worldviews, participants were forced to confront racial dissonance, or discomfort and ambiguity about race, identity, and privilege. In response, participants developed strategies for resisting, engaging, and transforming racial dissonance. Navigating racial dissonance was a performative process that gave participants the capacity to resume the developmental process of changing one's perspective and to adopt a new lens with two regions, "a conscious lens of whiteness" and "a vision for my life." This grounded theory of racial consciousness, identity, and dissonance among White women has implications for SA/HE graduate preparation programs, social identity and student development theory, and future research.
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    A Case Analysis of a Model Program for the Leadership Development of Women Faculty and Staff Seeking to Advance Their Careers in Higher Education
    (2011) Calizo, Lee Scherer Hawthorne; Komives, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The purpose of this case study was to explore a model of leadership development for women faculty and staff in higher education. This study is significant because it explored the only identified campus-based program open to both faculty and staff. The campus-based Women's Institute for Leadership Development (WILD) program at the University of Cincinnati evolved over a few years and became a regionally-based program subsequently called the Higher Education Collaborative (HEC). These two programs at the University of Cincinnati served as the foci of this case study research. Using methods consistent with case study research, I interviewed six past participants of the programs (three from each), plus the program coordinator, and several other campus administrators. Document reviews were conducted on marketing materials, progress reports, websites, budgets, status of women reports, and other documents found in university archives. A focus group was conducted with the primary informants of the study as a way to check identified themes with the participants. Findings suggest that elements of the leadership development programs did have influence on the participants in terms of their leadership self-efficacy, career aspirations and career paths. A comparison of the WILD and HEC programs suggest that the regionally-based HEC provided a solid opportunity for skill development and training, while the campus-based WILD program excelled at providing opportunities for participants to develop meaningful relationships and gain insights into the operations of the University. Participants in the HEC program engaged in the experience to learn about ways to advance in their careers, unlike the women in WILD who participated in order to be better in their current positions. WILD alumnae had changed positions, taking on more responsibilities and in some cases higher ranking titles since participating in the program. It was too soon to tell the career path implications for the HEC participants. Other universities wishing to create a pipeline for women to advance into leadership can learn from the University of Cincinnati. Elements of both the WILD and HEC programs serve as valuable models for creating effective leadership development opportunities for women. Making sure women understand the purpose of an all-women experience is an important component that was missing from the UC programs.
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    "Figuring it Out": A Grounded Theory of College to Post-College Transition
    (2011) Fox, Kirsten Freeman; Komives, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Before colleges and universities can be truly effective in preparing students for a post-college life, an understanding of the college to post-college transition process for recent college graduates is needed. Although there is extensive literature characterizing the college experience, little research exists surrounding the experiences of recent college graduates, especially during the transition out of college. The purpose of this study was to understand the transition from college to post-college life for recent college graduates. Conducted from a constructivist epistemological paradigm, this study employed grounded theory methods to understand how participants interpreted their post-college transition experience. Specifically, this study aimed to understand the post-college transition process, the experiences most salient during the transition, and how recent graduates make meaning of post-college life. In-depth interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 13 recent graduates from a large, Mid-Atlantic research institution over 18 months. The result was the emergence of a theory of college to post-college transition grounded in the perspectives and experiences of the participants. The grounded theory of college to post-college transition builds upon three findings: the process of post-college transition, the construct of transitioning adult, and how recent graduates approach the transition. The post-college transition process was characterized by navigating a series of realizations about self and what matters. This process of "figuring it out," incorporated four active and overlapping characteristics germane to the transition: managing loss, establishing place, focusing on self, and searching for purpose. The transition process was also enhanced by participants' ability to negotiate external influences and internal coping strategies. Through the stories of the participants, it also emerged that recent college graduates equate the post-college transition with the transition to adulthood. The "transitioning adults" navigated the post-college transition through one of five distinct approaches: Initiator, Instrumentalist, Observer, Adaptor, and Traditionalist. The findings are relevant for recent college graduates and college students preparing to graduate, as well as for employers, parents, faculty, and college administrators. This research also has implications for student affairs practice and workforce preparedness. Finally, the findings inform both theory development and future research, particularly on lifespan development and transition theory.
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    Secondary Transition Experiences: Analyzing Perceptions, Academic Self-Efficacy, Academic Adjustment, and Overall Impact on College Students' with LD Success in Postsecondary Education
    (2011) Butler, Allison Lynette; Fabian, Ellen; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The National Center for Special Education Research at the Institute of Education Sciences under the United States Department of Education funded the National Longitudinal Transition Study - 2 to provide the first national overview of the characteristics and experiences of youth with disabilities which includes self-representations of themselves, their schooling, their personal relationships, and their future aspirations. The study was initiated in 2001 and data collection ended in 2010. The NLTS2 provided insight to youth's perceptions of secondary experiences and expectations for the future which was an area with limited research. The current study draws from college students with learning disabilities in an attempt to analyze their perceptions through experience. Exploratory and descriptive, this investigation examines the relationship between students' perceptions of their secondary transition experiences, academic self-efficacy, academic adjustment, and cumulative semester grade point average (GPA). The purpose of this study was to analyze participants' experiences to generate information regarding how students perceive the effectiveness of their secondary transition programs in pursuit of postsecondary success. In addition, this study examined self-efficacy issues and academic adjustment. Through online survey administration the following instruments were used: a demographic questionnaire, National Longitudinal Transition Study - 2 (NLTS2) Youth Continuation Interview (YCI) containing questions asking participants to rate their perceptions, the Academic Self-Efficacy scale (CASES; Owen and Froman, 1988), and the academic adjustment subscale of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ; Baker & Siryk, 1989). Data was analyzed using a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Pearson's product moment correlations. In addition a step-wise multiple regression was performed in order to identify the most influential factors associated with postsecondary academic success (GPA). Academic self-efficacy was the primary determinant of student success. Variables found to have significant relationships with academic self-efficacy were perceptions of secondary transition experiences, academic adjustment, self-reported cumulative grade point average, and number of semesters completed. An inverse relationship was discovered to exist between academic self-efficacy and type of institution as well as being African American and Latino students.
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    A LEARNING COMMUNITY PROJECT: COMPARATIVE INTERVENTIONS ON WRITING APPREHENSION AND LOCUS OF CONTROL OF DEVELOPMENTAL STUDENTS AT A TWO-YEAR COLLEGE
    (2010) Massie-Burrell, Terri; Komives, Susan R.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The education of under-prepared college students is a topic that interested and motivated this researcher to conduct a study on learning communities and measuring change in writing apprehension and locus of control of developmental students at a community college. Higher education is generally viewed as a place for the intellectually elite. However, more institutions are finding that students are enrolling at post-secondary institutions lacking proficiency in basic skills such as mathematics, reading, and writing. This study focused on the developmental studies area of writing. A limited, but growing, number of institutions are pursuing differing ways of addressing the educational needs of students at risk of possible failure. Astin's (1984, 1999) foundational research states that locus of control is a factor of consideration to facilitate academic success for college students who are coming to some resolve about whether they have influence over, or if their effort in college is directly correlated with, successful outcomes; that is, students' beliefs about control being external or by chance opposed to internal based on effort or involvement. Pajares' (2003) research which is grounded in Bandura's work (1986) found that students' beliefs about their writing have an influence on academic outcomes. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the sparse body of knowledge in developmental education and the success of developmental writing students. The goal was to increase the knowledge base about developmental writing students at a two-year college and their engagement in a learning community.
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    From dialogue to action: The development of White racial allies
    (2010) Alimo, Craig John; Inkelas, Karen K.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The Supreme Court rulings of Gratz, et al. v. Bollinger, et al. and Grutter, et al. v. Bollinger, et al. (2003) legally affirmed the relationship between positive student learning outcomes and the presence of racial diversity on college and university campuses (Gurin, Dey, Hurtado, & Gurin, 2002). Institutions of post- secondary education are poised to leverage the presence of racial diversity to engage and educate for social change. The purpose of this study is to examine how a race/ethnicity themed intergroup dialogue facilitates the development of confidence and frequency of White college students' engagement in actions that are congruent with the development of White racial allies. Variables measuring confidence and frequency of action engagement included: (a) self-directed, (b) other-directed, and (c) intergroup collaborative actions. Participants were part of the Multiversity Intergroup Dialogue Research (MIGR) project that included nine college and universities. Using an experimental design with stratified random assignment, three MANCOVA analyses were used to determine the differences in dependent variables between experimental dialogue and waitlist control groups. Covariates included pretest responses repeated survey measures and college involvement variables. All three analyses yielded multivariate group differences. Univariate ANOVA analyses revealed group differences for only the frequency subscales.
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    EXPLORING LEADERSHIP AMONG DEAF COLLEGE STUDENTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY AT A POPULATION SERVING INSTITUTION AND PREDOMINANTLY HEARING INSTITUTIONS
    (2007-08-09) Slife, Nathan Matthew; Komives, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This thesis examined the influence of deaf student experiences at a deaf serving institution versus predominantly hearing institutions on leadership outcomes. This study utilized the I-E-O Model and the Social Change Model of Leadership. Data were collected from a random sample of 365 undergraduates at Gallaudet University and 216 undergraduates nationally through the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership. The study was administered over the web utilizing the Socially Responsible Leadership Scale-Revised2. Data were analyzed using a two way multivariate analysis of variance examining institutional serving type and gender differences on outcomes and a hierarchical multiple regression analysis examining input and environmental variables on a specified outcome. Participants at hearing serving institutions scored significantly higher than participants at a deaf serving institution on the outcomes of Congruence, Commitment, and Controversy with Civility. The variable accounting for the most variance in the outcome measure of Controversy with Civility was discussions of socio-cultural issues.
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    Cocurricular Involvement, Formal Leadership Roles, and Leadership Education: Experiences Predicting College Student Socially Responsible Leadership Outcomes
    (2006-05-31) Haber, Paige; Komives, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This thesis explored gender differences in socially responsible leadership outcomes and the extent to which cocurricular involvement, holding formal leadership roles, and participating in leadership programs contributed to these outcomes. This study utilized the Input-Environment-Outcome model and the social change model. Data was collected from a random sample of 3410 undergraduates at the University of Maryland through the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership. Participants completed a web-based survey that included the Socially Responsible Leadership Scale-Revised2. Data was analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance to identify outcome gender differences and hierarchical multiple regression to identify the extent to which environmental variables of this study contributed to outcomes. Women scored significantly higher than men in five of eight outcome measures. Each environmental variable emerged as significant for at least one outcome, and involvement in student organizations was the most common environmental variable. Results from this study provide implications for practice and future research.