Date of Graduation

1995

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to describe and better understand the transition experiences of first-year women (18 years old) attending a land grant university in a Mid-Atlantic state. Transition was defined as the period of time from the participant's first-semester arrival on campus to the end of that first-semester. The main research question was: What do women experience during their first year (transition period) of college? From this main research question stemmed three sub-questions: (1) What is the nature of the social transition? (2) What is the nature of the educational transition as related to student development? and (3) What meaning do women construct out of their first year experiences? The study involved four one-hour long interviews with each individual participant using an open-ended, semistructured format. The participants kept a daily journal of their experiences and were observed during mutually agreed upon times, locations, and situations during the semester. In my analysis of their experiences at college and their descriptions of their experiences in high school, eleven themes emerged. From their high school experiences, I categorized their activities into four themes; "The Meaning of Friends," "Going Out in High School," "Meeting People in High School," and "Academic Perspectives." Seven themes were generated in the analysis of their college experiences; "Going Out In College," "Meeting People In College," "Residence Hall as Community," "The Impact of College Friends," "On Your Own: The Responsibility of Being Mature," "Learning to be Independent," and "Academic Pressure of College." My findings show that the theories or models developed by Erikson, Chickering, Perry, Kohlberg, Astin, Gilligan, Belenky et al, and Eisenhart seem to be limited, in terms of not emphasizing the influence of social networks on development. The participants established a social network (relational network) when they engaged in social activities. A relational network is described as a "social" relationship established by the participant which tends to be supportive in nature. But, when the women engaged in academic activities, for example being in class, the women did not establish a strong and enmeshed relational network.

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