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Rural Student Experiences at an R1 Doctoral University

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Rural Student Experiences at an R1 Doctoral University RURAL STUDENT EXPERIENCES AT AN R1 DOCTORAL UNIVERSITY by PHILLIP D. GRANT, JR. (Under the Direction of Sally J. Zepeda) ABSTRACT This case study sought to understand the experiences of rural students at an R1 Doctoral University in the Southeastern United States. Using interviews, demographic information surveys, and descriptive statistics, this single-case study assessed the phenomenological experiences of rural students from Georgia. The researcher engaged in deductive, inductive, emotion, and holistic coding in ATLAS.ti to discover themes in the transcripts. Three research questions framed the study: 1. What is the rural student experience at an R1 Doctoral University in the Southeastern United States 2. How do rural students decide to attend an R1 Doctoral University in the Southeastern United States? 3. How does being rural affect a student’s sense of belonging at an R1 Doctoral University in the Southeastern United States? For first research question, three themes emerged: (a) curricular disadvantage sets rural students back, especially in STEM (b) socioeconomic status mediates experience (c) rural students alter their religious views in college. For the second research questions, two themes emerged: (a) poor college advising in rural public schools (b) geography is a dynamic barrier. Finally, for the third research question, two themes emerged: (a) rural students experience a shift in cultural and academic expectations (b) residence halls create cultural bridging opportunities for rural students. The researcher provided implications for future research and for practitioners in the concluding chapter of this study. INDEX WORDS: Advanced Placement, College access, elite universities, Rural student experiences, STEM RURAL STUDENT EXPERIENCES AT AN R1 DOCTORAL UNIVERSITY by PHILLIP D. GRANT, JR. B.A., The University of Alabama, 2011 M.P.A., The University of Alabama, 2013 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2018 © 2018 Phillip D. Grant, Jr. All Rights Reserved RURAL STUDENT EXPERIENCES AT AN R1 DOCTORAL UNIVERSITY by PHILLIP D. GRANT, JR. Major Professor: Sally J. Zepeda Committee: John P. Dayton Joseph C. Hermanowicz Electronic Version Approved: Suzanne Barbour Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2018 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the memory of my father, Phillip Dale Grant, Senior and in honor my mother, Pennye Anne Purvis Grant. The journey to a formal education begins before birth. My mother was dedicated to my development well before my arrival. Before I was born, my mother listened to classical music and read books aloud to me. She encouraged my curiosity by taking me along with her on errands and explained to me what she was doing when she paid the water bill or deposited a check at the bank. In elementary school, she would spend two hours with me the night before a test to quiz me. My mother instilled in me an intellectual confidence and curiosity that I will hold with me for my entire life and for that I will be forever grateful. I am sad that my father will never hold this study in his hand, as it is just as much his as it is mine. When I told him years ago that I intended to pursue a Ph.D. and attempt a career in academia, he never doubted me. Though he had never finished a bachelor’s degree himself, he believed that I could complete this degree, and so I did. Though I had trouble making ends meet in graduate school, I was never hungry, because my father never hesitated to help when I asked for it. In the first four years of my time in Athens, I called him at least twice a week and spoke with him for hours about the classes I was taking and how my dissertation study was evolving. My father supported my dreams my entire life and it is for that reason that this dissertation was written. I am honored to carry on my father’s name. This dissertation is for my two biggest fans, my mom and dad. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The acknowledgements section of a dissertation is never complete, as the number of positive influencers, well-wishers, and core supports is ever-growing. What follows is a chronological and incomplete acknowledgement of my support team for the last five years. My parents, Pennye and Dale Grant, for whom this dissertation is dedicated to, I must thank for encouraging me to gain a formal education and to take it as far as I could. I had many teachers growing up who encouraged me follow my dreams, including Katrina Cook, Ernestine Chandler, Brenda Boyette, Nancy Brown, Carl Woods, and Benjamin Harrison. My start in the world of education policy was initiated solely because of the efforts of my mentor at The University of Alabama (UA): Dr. Stephen Katsinas. Dr. Katsinas is the Director of the Education Policy Center (EPC) at UA and hired me as a part-time research assistant. In my previous five years at UA, I was looking for an opportunity to participate in faculty research, especially in the field of education policy. My time at the EPC changed my life. My co-workers Jon Koh and Lucas Adair can attest that Dr. Katsinas pushed us to our intellectual limits by treating us as co- researchers rather than students. Though Dr. Katsinas is one of the world’s experts on the impact of the Pell Grant in higher education funding and access, he encouraged us to arrive at our own conclusions, gave us speaking opportunities in front of elected officials, v and allowed us to be co-authors of EPC policy papers and refereed journal articles. Dr. Katsinas encouraged me to seek out a Ph.D. program. I can say definitively that I would not have had the opportunity to continue my studies without Dr. Katsinas decision to take a chance on a working-class student from rural Alabama. Thank you, Dr. Katsinas. While Dr. Katsinas is the reason that I began my journey, Dr. Sally Zepeda is the reason that it is complete. Dr. Zepeda welcomed me to the University of Georgia (UGA) as my advisor and accepted my offer to serve as my Major Professor. Dr. Zepeda is the most professional and productive scholar I have ever met, which is the reason I asked her to be my major professor. Much like Dr. Katsinas, Dr. Zepeda asks for performance and not promises; her standards of herself and her students are high. Perhaps most importantly, I want to thank Dr. Zepeda for her support during a most difficult time of my life. Thank you, Dr. Zepeda. Though I did not realize it at the time, one of the most important decisions that I made in my first week at UGA was attending a debate at the Phi Kappa Literary Society. Thank you, to the members in the Fall 2013 semester for accepting me as a member, and I hope that I now leave the Society in a better position than when I arrived. Additionally, I want to thank every member who read one of the hundreds of drafts of this study, including Halle Hammond, Glenn Jacoby, Jess Brown, Kevin Jones, and Melina Lewis. You all went beyond the call of duty to help me finish this study, and you are all friends for life. I also want to thank Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, and Junya Nakano, the producers of the soundtrack for the 2001 video game, Final Fantasy X. I wrote this entire vi dissertation in the University of Georgia’s Ilah Dunlap Little Memorial Library listening to the Final Fantasy X soundtrack, including the tracks “Spira Unplugged,” “Besaid,” “The Travel Agency,” “Calm Before the Storm,” and “Macalania Woods.” These songs provided me with a means to focus my attention on my research participants rather than the distractions in my environment. Finally, I want to thank my dissertation committee members, Dr. John Dayton and Dr. Joseph Hermanowicz, for their diligent work steering this study and pouring over manuscript drafts. Dr. Dayton advised the legal implications of sampling for this study, which was critical in data collection. Dr. Heranowicz’s expertise in research methodology was vital in improving this study’s rigor. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ iv LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ xii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 Problem Statement ................................................................................... 3 Background of the Study .......................................................................... 7 Research Questions .................................................................................. 8 Conceptual Framework............................................................................. 9 Overview of the Research Procedure ...................................................... 14 Significance of the Study ........................................................................ 17 Assumptions of the Study ....................................................................... 18 Definition of Terms ................................................................................ 18 Limitations of the Study ......................................................................... 20 Organization of this Dissertation ............................................................ 21 2 REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE
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