Abstract

The purpose of the research study was to examine the influences of roles and support systems on the baccalaureate attainment of nontraditional learners. A qualitative bounded case study was conducted that include ten face-to-face interviews with nontraditional learners attending the same University during the same time period. The study provided a brief overview on the challenges, support systems, and motivations of these nontraditional learners. Theories used to frame the study's conceptual framework and address its research questions included Biddle's (1979) Role Theory, McClusky's Theory of Margin, Load and Power (1971) and Tinto's (1975, 1993, 2012) and Bean and Metzner's (1985) Theory of Persistence. The results of the study indicated: 1) The role management that adult learners employed while being a full-time or part-time student. 2) The challenges that adult learners had to address as it relates to their multiple roles and degree attainment. 3) The support systems that adult learners used to assist them in their efforts to role manage and persist towards graduation. 4) The motivations behind an adult learner's pursuit of an undergraduate degree.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2017

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Cox, Thomas

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Education and Human Performance

Department

Child, Family, and Community Sciences

Degree Program

Educational Leadership; Higher Education

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0006648

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0006648

Language

English

Release Date

May 2018

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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