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
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34639 |
| Date | 08 March 1996 |
| Creators | Smith, Sharon L. |
| Contributors | Kenneke, Larry J. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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