Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Dissertation

Keywords

College graduates--Psychology; College students--Psychology; College graduates--Conduct of life; College students--Conduct of life; Adulthood;

Abstract

Institutions of higher education work to engage students in high-impact practices throughout their educational journey. Although prior research highlights the increase of stress as students near graduation, little research has explored how students manage the transition out of higher education. The purpose of this study was to investigate graduating students’ concerns, the emotional impact of those concerns, the discovery of information related to adulting practices, and the potential impact of a curriculum-infused exit program. The data were collected at a Midwest, comprehensive, liberal arts institution that confers bachelor, master’s, and doctoral degrees. To develop better praxis, the authentic union of action and reflection, a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach was used. Quantitative data were collected via a survey of participants (n = 94), which measured student concerns, perceived impact of life events, adulting confidence, adulting stress, and information gathering. This was followed by the collection of qualitative data via semistructured interviews with participants (n = 10) who reported high or low scores on the survey scales. Seniors were most concerned about financial matters and loss of social networks and had little knowledge of adulting concepts. These concerns led to high amounts of stress. Seniors discovered information related to adulting practices mostly from their families and 79% of respondents reported interest in an exit program. Findings indicated disequilibrium based on college affiliation and gender. The findings indicate a need for timely exit programming which could impact student wellness, equity between colleges, alumni engagement, and collaboration among faculty and staff.

Keywords: higher education, senior transition, adulting, mixed-methods

Year of Submission

2023

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Department of Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Shelley Price-Williams, Co-Chair

Second Advisor

Benjamin Forsyth, Co-Chair

Date Original

5-2023

Object Description

1 PDF file (xi, 176 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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