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FROM FAMILY BACKGROUND TO SOCIALIZATION TO POST GRADUATE PLANS: A CASE STUDY EXAMINING THE MCCARL CENTER FOR NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT SUCCESS

Saras, Allison (2016) FROM FAMILY BACKGROUND TO SOCIALIZATION TO POST GRADUATE PLANS: A CASE STUDY EXAMINING THE MCCARL CENTER FOR NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT SUCCESS. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This case study examines the McCarl Center for Nontraditional Student Success at the University of Pittsburgh and studies how the socialization processes of nontraditional undergraduate students’ influences their plans, career and academic, upon graduation. Within the study, my research questions focus on how the individual attributes and family background, socialization processes (interaction, integration and learning), normative contexts (majors, peer groups and co-curriculum) and personal communities (family, friends and employers) contribute and influence a nontraditional student’s motivations and aspirations upon graduation. The conceptual framework used to structure this study was Vincent Tinto’s (1975, 1993) student integration theory and John Weidman’s (1984, 1989) socialization model. To study this particular phenomenon, I used a case study (Yin, 2013) as my methodological approach and the tool for collecting my data was phenomenological interviewing (Seidman, 2013). I conducted 19 personal interviews with nontraditional students associated with the McCarl Center at the University of Pittsburgh. After analyzing the interview data collected, I found that nontraditional students have individualized situations that influence their socialization processes on and off campus and the aspirations to continue onto graduate study is a strong and likely possibility. However, after graduation nontraditional students first want to enter the workforce before enrolling in a graduate study program to ease student debt, gain work experience or to simply take a break from higher education. In conclusion, my study has several implications on today’s nontraditional student experience, existing policy and procedures, and the setting in which this study was conducted, the McCarl Center.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Saras, Allisonsaras@pitt.eduSARAS
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee MemberBickel, William
Committee MemberDeAngelo, Linda
Committee MemberBrown, Sherry
Committee ChairGunzenhauser, Michael
Jacobs, Richard
Date: 9 September 2016
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 18 July 2016
Approval Date: 9 September 2016
Submission Date: 2 September 2016
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 154
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: School of Education > Administrative and Policy Studies
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Nontraditional, veterans, graduate study, socialization, ambitions, motivations, social integration, academic integration
Date Deposited: 09 Sep 2016 18:41
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2016 14:36
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/29452

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