Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
College students with disabilities--United States; College students with disabilities; Developmental psychology; Identity (Psychology)--Social aspects; United States; Academic theses;
Abstract
The purpose of my research study was to examine the processes of psychosocial identity development of college students with orthopedic disabilities. Using qualitative methods allowed my participants to speak for themselves-something that does not always happen-about their life experiences, many times showing the positive role college attendance played in their lives. Nine individuals participated in my study: three graduate students, one alumnus, and five undergraduates. The experiences they shared with me were looked at individually as well as together. I compared the data to a preliminary model I developed prior to the interviews, through reading and analyzing various minority identity development theories, and personal experience; as a result of the interviews and analysis I refined the model. Themes that emerged from my data analysis included: awareness and acknowledgment of difference, acknowledgment and acceptance of disability, journey towards finding acceptance from others, finding acceptance from others ( context bound), finding universalizing acceptance from others (not as context bound), finding direction for life and moving towards integration, and establishing a positive identity with the integration of an orthopedic disability. These themes were examined in light of a preliminary model I created by analyzing various minority identity development theories, my personal experience, and interviews with participants. Through analyzing the interviews, I refined the model. My model, presented in the last chapter, contains seven aspects (listed above) and three segments-acknowledgment, acceptance, and integration. The model is nonlinear; therefore, a clear distinction between the various aspects does not exist. I presented a variety of implications and recommendations that may be applicable to a variety of settings. The implications and recommendations come from what the students shared with me, as well as my own thinking. Likewise, I have presented a number of ideas for future research.
Year of Submission
2003
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Department of Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Postsecondary Education
First Advisor
Michael Waggoner
Second Advisor
Carolyn R. Bair
Third Advisor
Geraldine E. Perreault
Date Original
2003
Object Description
1 PDF file (262 leaves)
Copyright
©2003 Kimberly Sue Jolly
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Jolly, Kimberly Sue, "Psychosocial Identity Development in College Students With Orthopedic Disabilities: College as Transformation" (2003). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 3091.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/3091
Comments
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