NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS’ TRANSITION TO COLLEGE THROUGH THE LENS OF BRONFENBRENNER’S ECOLOGICAL THEORY, SCHLOSSBERG’S TRANSITION THEORY AND GENDER SCHEMA THEORY by Elfriede Neber A dissertation proposal submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Education In Higher Education Academics MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana November 2018 ©COPYRIGHT by Elfriede Neber 2018 All Rights Reserved iii DEDICATION To Tricia for your support, wisdom, guidance and understanding throughout this process. To Tim for your constant encouragement and patience with this process. To my participants for their willingness to share their stories. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Completing this dissertation reminded me of running a marathon. Even though each step of the race has to be run by the individual, their success does not happen in isolation but depends on the race organizers, the volunteers on the sidelines providing food and beverages, and the crowds and other runners screaming their words of encouragement. Writing this dissertation felt very much the same. Although, I had to do the work, it was the encouragement and support of so many people that helped me to finish this race because just like with running a marathon, there were many points where I asked myself, “why am I doing this,” and it would have been much easier to drop out. To begin with I want to thank my committee chair, Dr. Tricia Seifert for being my coach, supporting me through this process and allowing me to do this journey at my own pace. I want to thank the rest of my committee, Dr. Carrie Myers, Dr. Bryce Hughes and Dr. Sweeney Windchief for all their valuable insights and help with my work. I want to thank my husband Tim Dallacqua, for encouraging me to run this race, never doubting that I would finish and cheering me on every step of way. I want to thank the other members of my doctoral cohort who were fellow runners in this race, Dr. Leanne Frost, Dr. Sandy Bauman and Eleazar Ortega, who pulled me along when I wanted to quit and showed me that the finish line could be reached. Finally, I want to thank my participants who gave me the heart and motivation to finish the race so that their stories could be told. v TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1 Background ......................................................................................................................1 Statement of Problem .......................................................................................................6 Conceptual/Theoretical Framework.................................................................................9 Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory .....................................................................10 Schlossberg’s Transition Theory ...........................................................................12 Gender Schema Theory..........................................................................................15 Statement of Purpose .....................................................................................................16 Guiding Research Questions ..........................................................................................18 Research Design.............................................................................................................20 Limitations and Delimitations ........................................................................................20 Assumptions ...................................................................................................................21 Significance of the study ................................................................................................22 Chapter Summary ..........................................................................................................24 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ..............................................................................................25 Introduction ....................................................................................................................25 Characteristics and Challenges of Nontraditional Students ...........................................26 Gender Schemas and Coping Styles ..............................................................................33 Transition to College and Schlossberg’s Transition Theory..........................................39 Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory and Nontraditional Students ...............................43 Institutional Factors and Nontraditional Students..........................................................47 Chapter Summary ..........................................................................................................53 3. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................55 Introduction ....................................................................................................................55 Research Design.............................................................................................................57 Context of the Study ......................................................................................................60 Positionality and Reflexivity..........................................................................................63 Population and Sample ..................................................................................................67 Access to Participants and Confidentiality ............................................................68 Sample....................................................................................................................71 Instruments .....................................................................................................................75 Procedure .......................................................................................................................76 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................77 Methods for Ensuring Credibility and Validation .........................................................80 Chapter Summary ..........................................................................................................82 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED 4. RESULTS AND RESEARCH FINDINGS ...................................................................85 Introduction ....................................................................................................................85 Initial Analysis ...............................................................................................................86 Personal Circumstances .........................................................................................88 Initial Transition to College ...................................................................................92 Ongoing Student Experiences ................................................................................97 Personality Characteristics ...................................................................................100 College Structural Issues......................................................................................103 Data Analysis Using Schlossberg’s Transition Theory ..............................................108 Type of Transition................................................................................................109 Moving In.............................................................................................................110 Moving Through ..................................................................................................112 Moving Out ..........................................................................................................114 Situation ...............................................................................................................115 Trigger......................................................................................................115 Timing ......................................................................................................116 Control .....................................................................................................118 Role Change .............................................................................................118 Duration ...................................................................................................120 Previous Experience.................................................................................120 Concurrent Stress .....................................................................................121 Attitude ....................................................................................................122 Self ......................................................................................................................123 Ego Development.....................................................................................125 Outlook ....................................................................................................126 Self-Efficacy ............................................................................................127 Commitment ............................................................................................129 Spirituality................................................................................................131