An Investigation of the Resilience of Community College Students with Chronic Physical Health Impairments A dissertation presented to the faculty of The Patton College of Education of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Mary Beth Held August 2017 © 2017 Mary Beth Held. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled An Investigation of the Resilience of Community College Students with Chronic Physical Health Impairments by MARY BETH HELD has been approved for the Department of Counseling and Higher Education and The Patton College of Education by Peter C. Mather Professor of Counseling and Higher Education Renée A. Middleton Dean, The Patton College of Education 3 Abstract HELD, MARY BETH, Ph.D., August 2017, Higher Education An Investigation of the Resilience of Community College Students with Chronic Physical Health Impairments Director of dissertation: Peter C. Mather One population of students who are commonly overlooked in research but are a significant population attending community colleges is students living with chronic physical impairments (CPIs) such as irritable bowel syndrome, migraine headaches, and diabetes. To address the gap in scholarly research, I utilized an asset-based approach to understand the lived experiences of students who are persisting at one rural community college in Appalachia. My investigation utilized a phenomenological methodology to form descriptive themes. Through purposeful random sampling and snowball sampling, 14 participants living with CPIs who had a minimum GPA of a 2.0 and had completed two or more semesters of college were interviewed. Through in-depth face-to-face interviews lasting 60 to 90 minutes, participants provided rich data. My findings revealed six themes describing the experiences of students with CPIs who are persisting at a rural community college. The six themes included: recognizing the peaks, valleys, and plateaus, finding the bright side and accepting the dark side, keeping their “eyes on the prize,” engaging in a fellowship, coaching one’s self, and connecting with environments. 4 Dedication To all my friends and family who have supported me, especially my mother, Marie, and husband, Nick. And to those who participated in this study. May all who have chronic physical impairments be resilient and thrive for eternity. 5 Acknowledgments From family to friends to colleagues and professors, this has been an incredible journey of everlasting fulfillment. I thank my mother, Marie, for all the proofreading, brainstorming, and support, and my husband, Nick, for doing whatever it took to get through each day. Also, a warm thank you to all of those at the Patton College of Education and my professors in the cohort program. And most importantly thank you to my Chair, Dr. Pete Mather, and members of my committee Dr. Laura Harrison, Dr. Jenny Nelson, and Dr. Dianne Gut. Each of you played a vital role in this process. 6 Table of Contents Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... 5 List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... 9 List of Figures ................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................................... 11 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 11 Research Question ...................................................................................................... 13 Framing the Study ....................................................................................................... 14 Positive psychology and the capabilities approach. .............................................. 15 Resilience and thriving. ........................................................................................ 17 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................ 20 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................ 21 Operational Definitions ............................................................................................... 25 Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................ 28 Rural Community College Students ........................................................................... 28 Students with Impairments ......................................................................................... 29 Environmental factors of students with impairments. .......................................... 30 Personal characteristics of students with impairments. ........................................ 35 Resilience .................................................................................................................... 38 Early resilience research. ...................................................................................... 38 Internal protective factors. .................................................................................... 40 External protective factors. ................................................................................... 43 Thriving ....................................................................................................................... 56 Resilience Research and College Students with Impairments .................................... 57 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 58 Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................................... 60 Overview of Phenomenological Framework .............................................................. 60 The Researcher ............................................................................................................ 65 Participants .................................................................................................................. 66 7 Demographic description of the participants. ....................................................... 68 Procedures ................................................................................................................... 72 Informed consent. ................................................................................................. 75 Confidentiality. ..................................................................................................... 75 Interviews. ............................................................................................................. 75 Data analysis. ........................................................................................................ 77 Credibility Techniques ................................................................................................ 87 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 89 Chapter 4: Results ............................................................................................................. 90 Overview of the Bodily Experience ............................................................................ 90 Theme 1: Recognizing the Peaks, Valleys, and Plateaus ............................................ 93 Theme 2: Finding the Bright Side and Accepting the Dark Side ............................... 98 Acceptance. ........................................................................................................... 98 Positivity. ............................................................................................................ 102 Healthy perception of the self. ............................................................................ 107 Theme 3: Keeping Their “Eyes on the Prize” ........................................................... 110 Focusing on a goal. ............................................................................................. 111 Having a plan. ..................................................................................................... 113 Pushing through. ................................................................................................. 117 Theme 4: Engaging in a Fellowship ......................................................................... 118 Relating to others. ............................................................................................... 119 Relying on others. ............................................................................................... 121 Gaining motivation from others. ......................................................................... 126 Theme 5: Coaching One’s Self ................................................................................. 128 Theme 6: Connecting with Environments ................................................................ 133 Adapting to environments.