Recent trends in higher education have led to the development of alternatives to traditional on-campus graduate degree programs. There is a concomitant need to understand student experience in field-based programs which support continuing education and career development for employed adults. The central purpose of this research was to explore the representation of student experience in academic journals written by thirty-five graduate students during their first term of study in a field-based Ed.D. program. Journals from two cohorts of students provided the empirical data for a grounded theory approach to qualitative analysis of cognitive and social dimensions of a new learning environment. The research questions were expository and non-directional due to the exploratory nature of this study. The analysis focused on: (1) the elaboration of descriptive categories for types of writing in student journals (2) development of emergent conceptual categories related to social processes within the learning environment, and (3) identification of narrative features of journal writing. Qualitative data analysis software was used to support grounded theory methods of coding, structuring, and analyzing the textual data. A descriptive model of student experience was developed through graphic and textual representation of multiple perspectives drawn from student journals. Findings indicate that students used the journal writing assignment to reflect on their experience and communicate with the program director about both positive and negative aspects of that experience. Patterns, themes and differences in specific dimensions of student writing were identified. Systematic analysis of the journals afforded a unique perspective on the development of mutual connectedness and peer support within the cohorts. These findings underscore the significance of academic journals as social texts which express students' views of the learning environment and academic community. Implications for program design and teaching practices in field-based degree programs based on a cohort model were discussed. / Graduation date: 1996