Building a Culture of Support: A Narrative Inquiry Study of the Lived Experiences of Employer Support of North Carolina Community College Employees Enrolled in Graduate Coursework

Autor/in	Shawley, Britney Le Anne
Titel	Building a Culture of Support: A Narrative Inquiry Study of the Lived Experiences of Employer Support of North Carolina Community College Employees Enrolled in Graduate Coursework
Quelle	(2023), (202 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit Ed.D. Dissertation, North Carolina State University
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
ISBN	979-8-3796-5025-4
Schlagwörter	Hochschulschrift; Dissertation; Community Colleges; Labor Turnover; Employees; Graduate Students; College Administration; Barriers; Employers; Role; Resources; Student Experience; North Carolina + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Thesis; Dissertations; Academic thesis; Community college; Community College; Employee; Arbeitnehmer; Beschäftigter; Graduate Study; Student; Students; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Studentin; College administrators; Hochschulverwaltung; Rollen; Betriebsmittel; Hilfsmittel; Studienerfahrung
Abstract	For the past 20 years, community colleges have struggled with employee retention and with finding qualified individuals for senior administrative roles. As the crisis continues, many community college employees are returning to the classroom to receive university-based education in order to move into those vacant roles. As they re-enter higher education as nontraditional graduate students, they experience many barriers to their success and look to their employers for support as student services at their university may be difficult to navigate logistically or may not meet their needs. This qualitative, narrative study explored the experiences of employer support of nine North Carolina community college employees who are enrolled in graduate degree coursework with the intent of advancing professionally. One overarching research question guided this study which utilized semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection method. Analysis of the data was conducted using Polkinghorne's (1995) two types of narrative inquiry: narrative mode of analysis (narrative analysis) and paradigmatic mode of analysis (analysis of narratives) and were aligned with the study's conceptual framework, which is situated in findings of Lenio's (2021) study of employer support as a predictor of student retention. Findings revealed that participants experienced all six types of employer support (tuition reimbursement/financial support, hours at work to spend on coursework, alternate schedule, regular motivation and encouragement, work projects to complete school assignments, and field experiences at place of employment) as outlined by Lenio, with alternate scheduling producing four subthemes related to flexible scheduling, use of annual leave, educational leave, and professional development leave practices. Further analysis also revealed support in the form of use of college/campus physical resources, mental health and wellness support, and help with projects/assignments and dissertations. Participant experiences were vast and measures of support inconsistent from institution to institution; therefore, recommendations/implications for practice are provided for both system-level governance and individual community college administration, such as presidents, boards of trustees, administrative cabinet members. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.] (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01