Positive Experiences: Focusing on the Good in New Professionals in Student Affairs Amy Dinise-Halter
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University of Northern Colorado Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC Dissertations Student Research 5-1-2014 Positive experiences: focusing on the good in new professionals in student affairs Amy Dinise-Halter Follow this and additional works at: http://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Dinise-Halter, Amy, "Positive experiences: focusing on the good in new professionals in student affairs" (2014). Dissertations. Paper 107. This Text is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © 2014 AMY DINISE-HALTER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO Greeley, Colorado The Graduate School POSITIVE EXPERIENCES: FOCUSING ON THE GOOD IN NEW PROFESSIONALS IN STUDENT AFFAIRS A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Amy Dinise-Halter College of Education and Behavioral Sciences Department of Leadership, Policy and Development: Higher Education and P-12 Education Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership May 2014 This Dissertation by: Amy Dinise-Halter Entitled: Positive Experiences: Focusing on the Good in New Professionals in Student Affairs has been approved as meeting the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in College of Education and Behavioral Sciences in Department of Leadership, Policy and Development: Higher Education and P-12 Education, Program of Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership Accepted by the Doctoral Committee ______________________________________________________ Tamara Yakaboski, Ph.D., Research Advisor ______________________________________________________ Matthew Birnbaum, Ph.D., Committee Member _______________________________________________________ Jennifer Murdock, Ph.D., Committee Member _______________________________________________________ Maria Lahman, Ph.D., Faculty Representative Date of Dissertation Defense ___March 24, 2014____________ Accepted by the Graduate School _________________________________________________________ Linda L. Black, Ed.D. Dean of the Graduate School and International Admissions ABSTRACT Dinise-Halter, Amy. Positive Experiences: Focusing on the Good in New Professionals in Student Affairs. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2014. Student affairs researchers for decades have examined new professionals’ development and retention into the field. Many researchers explored skills, qualities, and supervision styles needed to retain professionals. Others looked at environmental factors, like institutional type and organizational structures, that contributed to new professional development and learning in first positions. While these studies produced a foundational body of research on new professionals, all are from a deficit standpoint allowed for the gap in understanding what new professionals are doing well in their development and how are they thriving and succeeding when entering the field. In this dissertation study, the author used positive psychology theories, photojournals as a method, and portraiture methodology to explore the research question: How do self-identified positive professional experiences impact new professionals’ development in student affairs? Positive psychology shifted the paradigm in psychology from focusing on deficit and lack of mentalities to good, thriving, strength-based mentalities. This shift challenged the field to understand more about what new professionals in student affairs are doing right in their lives, how are they thriving, and use those qualities, experiences and characteristics to produce positive feelings in all areas of life. iii In addition to interviews, photojournals were used as a data collection method. In this study, photojournals may be described as a photoelicitation method through a technique called autodriving which put the camera in the hands of the participants. Participants in this study were asked to capture photos of six to ten moments or accomplishments in their professional development they saw as positive. These photos contributed to the portrait process as it added a visual element to an artistic methodology. Portraiture methodology is a qualitative, constructivist methodology that allowed I, as the researcher, to capture stories and experiences from 10 new professionals in this study and creatively depict them by bring the art of writing and the science of research together. The focus of this methodology is on goodness which is the process of unearthing good in the research process, nicely connecting to positive psychology. The findings from this study are 10 individual portraits of each participant’s experiences of being a new professional. Findings include four themes: providing transformative moments, being a change agent, encouraging a positive spirit, and the need for reflection and relationships. These themes highlight for each participant how the four themes played out in their professional development as a new professional. In the discussion and implications section, practical examples are discussed for new professionals, supervisors of new professionals, and faculty in graduate preparation programs. Key Words: Student Affairs; New Professionals; Portraiture; Photojournal; Professional Identity iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my cheering section: When I began this journey of achieving a doctoral degree, I thought of it as a marathon and kept pace to the end. No good runner though finishes any race without a wonderful cheering section To my husband Joe, who always encourages me to be the best I can be for whatever I set my mind to do. To my son Connor, who probably will not remember Mommy being in school, but thanks baby for your understanding. To my Mom and Dad, thank you for the endless phone calls on my rides to and from class. For the support, proofreading, and tireless efforts you give me every day. To my committee, your support and encouragement has been amazing. To Tamara, I feel lucky every day I get to call you my Chair. Finally, to my Grandpa John, who has left lessons, nuggets, and inspiration for my entire family long past his time here on earth. Writer by profession, but his lack of education limited his career opportunities. He was deeply passionate about his entire family getting an education so we would not face the limitation he did. I hope this degree carries on his legacy in ways special to his own life’s passion, writing. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1 Purpose of Study ................................................................................................ 6 Research Question ............................................................................................. 7 Importance of Study ........................................................................................... 8 Overview of Dissertation ................................................................................. 11 Statement of Philosophy of Student Affairs Practice ...................................... 13 CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .............................................................. 17 Socialization into Student Affairs .................................................................... 17 Key Aspects of Socialization for New Professionals in Student Affairs ......... 19 Socialization and Professional Life ................................................................. 24 Organizational Theory ..................................................................................... 35 Perceptions of New Professionals’ Preparation ............................................... 45 Theoretical Framework .................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................. 52 Constructivism ................................................................................................. 54 Portraiture ........................................................................................................ 57 Pieces of the Portrait ........................................................................................ 63 Setting and Participants .................................................................................... 72 Data Collection Methods ................................................................................. 79 Analysis............................................................................................................ 87 CHAPTER IV. PORTRAITS AND DISCUSSION .................................................... 94 Juliana .............................................................................................................. 97 Beth ................................................................................................................ 104 Stella .............................................................................................................. 114 Jane ................................................................................................................ 125 Teddy ............................................................................................................. 134 Rachel ...........................................................................................................