University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2016 “It’s Like a Mountain”: The Lived Experience of Homeless College Students Valerie Karen Ambrose University of Tennessee, Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching Commons, Community College Leadership Commons, and the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Ambrose, Valerie Karen, "“It’s Like a Mountain”: The Lived Experience of Homeless College Students. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2016. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/3887 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Valerie Karen Ambrose entitled "“It’s Like a Mountain”: The Lived Experience of Homeless College Students." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Educational Psychology and Research. Mary F. Ziegler, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Ralph Brockett, Gary Skolits, Colleen Gilrane Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) “It’s Like a Mountain”: The Lived Experience of Homeless College Students A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Valerie Karen Ambrose August 2016 ii Copyright © 2016 by Valerie Karen Ambrose All rights reserved iii Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my husband, Todd Juhasz, and my parents, Ann and Don Ambrose, for their unwavering support and unconditional love. I could not have finished this journey without them. Also, I dedicate this to both of my grandmothers, Karin Welch and Muriel Ambrose. Both of them would have liked to have gone to college, and they would have excelled, but neither of them had the opportunity. This is for them. iv Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor and mentor, Dr. Mary F. Ziegler, for her support and guidance during my PhD experience. Her encouragement has enabled me to gain skills and experience of which I could only dream when I began the program. I would also like to thank Dr. Ralph Brockett, Dr. Gary Skolits, and Dr. Colleen Gilrane for serving on my committee. Their feedback has been invaluable. Thanks also go to my parents, Don and Ann Ambrose. Their love, guidance, support, and editing advice has been instrumental in my academic career and broader life. I couldn’t have asked for better or more wonderful parents. Special thanks to my amazing friend, Dr. Kathleen Pierce, for encouraging me to pursue a PhD and her continual support and cheerleading. Without her advice and encouragement, this would not have come to fruition. I would also like to thank my dear friends and colleagues, Dr. C. Amelia Davis, Dr. Kellee R. Vess, and Cecilia Teal. Through our collaboration, discussions, and friendship, I have grown immeasurably as a person and a scholar. Thanks also to my brother, Brian Ambrose, a brilliant man, superb friend, and technology guru. Additionally, thanks go to our future daughter and our cat, The Goobs, for keeping me company during late nights of writing and editing. Finally, thanks go to my husband, Todd Juhasz, the love of my life. His belief in my abilities and the importance of my research were essential to my completion of this project. v Abstract The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of college for homeless students. Using a phenomenological approach, the researcher completed interviews in which participants were asked to describe what college was like for them. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a hermeneutic approach. All interviews were analyzed within the contexts of each other to identify themes. The participants all lived in a world of homelessness that they could never fully ignore. The world of homelessness was grounded in the contexts of the body and other people. An encompassing central theme of “Escaping the Homeless World through College” wove throughout the interviews as students described the ways in which college did or would help them escape. This central theme was divided into long- and short-term escapes. Three themes emerged within the central theme including: (a) “Meeting Basic Needs,” (b) “Emotional Stress,” and (c) “Isolation.” Each theme revealed the ways in which the world of homelessness intruded on and created barriers to the participants’ college goals. The theme “Meeting Basic Needs” contained the sub-theme “Lack of Ability to Focus on Studies” and the theme “Isolation” contained the sub-theme of “Independence.” Study findings suggest that homeless college students experience physical, emotional, and interpersonal challenges that hinder their ability to perform in school even though they are motivated to attain a college degree that they think will enable them to escape homelessness and find a job that will provide stability and security. vi Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Homelessness and Education .................................................................................................... 2 Governmental Response ..................................................................................................... 2 Homeless College Students ................................................................................................. 3 Nontraditional Students and College .................................................................................. 4 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................................... 5 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................. 6 Research Question .................................................................................................................... 6 Research Paradigm .................................................................................................................... 7 Ontology & Epistemology .................................................................................................. 7 Qualitative Approach: Phenomenology .............................................................................. 8 Definitions, Assumptions, Delimitations, and Limitations ....................................................... 8 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................................ 10 Overview of the Following Chapters ...................................................................................... 10 Chapter II: Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 12 Economic Inequality ............................................................................................................... 12 What Causes Homelessness? .................................................................................................. 13 Who Are the Homeless? ......................................................................................................... 14 Homelessness and Education .................................................................................................. 17 Government Response ...................................................................................................... 18 K–12 Homelessness and Its Effect on College Students .................................................. 20 Homeless College Students ............................................................................................... 20 Nontraditional Students and College ................................................................................ 25 Social Capital .............................................................................................................. 27 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 30 Chapter III: Method ...................................................................................................................... 31 Reflexivity/Subjectivity .......................................................................................................... 32 Research Paradigm .................................................................................................................. 34 Ontology ........................................................................................................................... 34 Epistemology .................................................................................................................... 35 Qualitative Approach: Phenomenology ...........................................................................