No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 4, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Duquesne University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 118-124) and index.

No description available.

No description available.

The phenomenon addressed in this dissertation is the experience of completing a midlife career change. This experience is reported by many as they reach the ages between thirty-five and fifty-five. All research was conducted in response to the question: What is the meaning of the experience of completing a midlife career change? The data collection process followed the model of Barritt, Beekman, Blecker, and Mulderij (1983). It is known as the descriptive phenomenological approach which uses in-depth personal interviews and includes participants as co-researchers. Ten men and women referred by family, friends, and colleagues who had completed a midlife career change participated in the study. The phenomenological analysis of the protocols proceeded by first determining the elements and then establishing the themes into a structural whole--the individual description. These individual descriptions were reviewed and validated by the co-researchers. Following confirmation, the individual descriptions were integrated into a comprehensive Fundamental Description of the experience, again reviewed and validated by the co-researchers. The Fundamental Description identified six major themes which were common to each co-researcher's experience. The themes were: Preliminary Conditions for Change, Active Changing Process, Decision Making and Risk Taking, Outside-the-Self Assistance, Commitment to the Self, and Assessment of the Change. The analysis suggests that midlife career change is part of the continuum of normal adult development. The pejorative nature of the term "midlife crisis" is seen as inaccurate in the context of the present study, and needs to be reframed to reflect the "opportunity plus danger" that the Chinese definition of crisis suggests. That midlife career change reflects a personal instability is not supported by this study. Rather, the midlife career change is found to be a time of becoming free of enmeshed values in order to complete a successful career change. The implications of the disconfirmation of an instability model and the finding of an enmeshment-to-individuation process in the midlife career changer is discussed as it affects adult educators, counselors, and program planners. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to describe dean's perspectives on the life/career relationships and experiences which were significant in their pathways to their first nursing deanship. A developmental model guided this inquiry and was used to explain the development of these women's personal and professional identity. The study design was naturalistic. Data were collected by survey, life history interviews, and through document search of curriculum vitae. Field notes were recorded throughout the data collection period. Data were analyzed using Spradley's (1979) ethnographic analysis techniques consisting of domains, taxonomies, components, and themes. The study yielded the following themes: (1) a strong valuing by the participants of (a) education and (b) achievement; (2) a pattern of female-female relationships which provided the deans with role modeling of important leadership behaviors, support, encouragement, and information for making educational and career choices; (3) a pattern of early leadership behavior which included an enjoyment of/or a desire to be in charge. Conclusions of the study were: (1) the Erikson-Levinson model was generally descriptive of the women studied; (2) people and relationships were extremely important in the lives and the careers of the women studied; (3) the early socialization experiences and relationships of these women contributed to the development of leadership behaviors and positive ego development; (4) through the supportive relationships of their husbands and their own organizational abilities, the married deans were able to accomplish their career goals; (5) through early family and educational experiences and relationships, in this study developed strong values related to the importance of achievement and education. / Ed. D. / incomplete_metadata

Over the last three decades, the sports research community has demonstrated a growing interest in the process of sport retirement. The majority of the sport retirement research has focused on male professional athletes, traditionally those in the popular spectator sports. Yet, the process of leaving sport applies to thousands of individuals, both male and female, who engage in competitive sport. To date very little consideration has been given to the retirement experiences of female athletes. Three separate studies have been undertaken to address this identified gap in the literature. Studies One and Two aimed to explore the experiences of sport retirement for elite female athletes in Scotland, using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. In Study One questionnaire data was collected from 92 former Scottish elite female athletes. Questionnaire sections were designed to examine what were felt to be the major elements of the Taylor and Ogilvie (1994; 2001) conceptual model of adaptation to retirement from sport, in order to explore the applicability of this model to female athletes in Scotland. The results of the study provide support for the use of this model to assist in our understanding of the retirement transition. The findings highlighted the importance of athletic identity, reason for retirement, and perceptions of control in predicting the level of difficulty and adjustment that an athlete may experience upon their retirement. The most significant finding was the effect that athletic identity had on the retirement process, with those identifying strongly with the athletic role reporting significantly higher levels of difficulty, emotional adjustment, and social adjustment. 29 of these athletes participated in an in-depth interview within Study Two, enabling a more in-depth analysis of their retirement experiences. In this study particular attention was paid to the effect of athletic identity on this transition. In support of the findings of Study One, athletes with a strong and exclusive athletic identity were found to be more likely to experience difficulties when they retire. In comparison, athletes with lower levels of athletic identity generally experience some mild negative emotions after initially retiring, followed by a relatively smooth transition into their life after sport. The second part of this thesis examines formal programmes available to support female athletic retirement in Scotland. Study Three provides an evaluation of the Performance Lifestyle programme offered by the Scottish Institute of Sport, focusing in particular on the services related to preparation for life after sport. The perspectives of a number of different groups with an interest or involvement in the programme were examined and comparisons made with the delivery of Performance Lifestyle to other athlete groups in Great Britain. The results show that Performance Lifestyle is a very valuable source of support for athletes who are part of the Institute Network. The programme does deal with the issue of the end of the career, but it is definitely a weaker aspect, largely due to lack of resources. Performance Lifestyle in Scotland compares favourably with programmes offered by the Institute Network in England and by Welsh Rugby. However other professional sports are currently offering superior programmes due to higher levels of investment and resources.

In this phenomenological study I investigated the experiences of early second-career, tenure-track faculty members who entered academe after working in a position outside of higher education for at least five years. The purpose of this study was to learn about experiences and factors that contributed or impeded to the success of second-career faculty members. Eight early second-career faculty members, from a four-year university located in the Dallas Metroplex area, were interviewed. Participants demographics were ages 34 to 68 with the average age being 45; 50% male and 50% female; and one African American, six Caucasian, and one Hispanic and/or Latino. Participants’ previous professional experience was a benefit in teaching and relating to students, in understanding the complex university bureaucracy, and in setting goals. The participants reported that mentoring, whether formally assigned by the institution or through informal means such as departmental colleagues or professional organizations, was a benefit to all of the participants. A primary area of concern for the participants was collaboration and collegiality with other faculty members. Participants stated that traditional faculty members lack the skills and training to collaborate effectively in researching and in joint teaching endeavors. Participants reported that they had to monitor and restrain their opinions during interactions with departmental colleagues during the probationary period leading up to tenure decisions because the participants fear retaliation by co-faculty members who will vote on whether to grant them tenure. These participants bring a wealth of industry experience and knowledge to the university. Administrators, departmental chairs, and future early second-career faculty members will find that this research provides recommendations that, if heeded, will ensure a long and productive mutually beneficial affiliation.