dc.contributor.author	Singletary, Kristy
dc.coverage.spatial	United States	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2022-11-29T19:02:47Z
dc.date.available	2022-11-29T19:02:47Z
dc.date.issued	2022-12
dc.identifier.other	6448E1B7-13D4-5B97-4FF4-C936FE259089	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10428/6292
dc.description.abstract	This study was conducted to construct an understanding of barriers to education that threatened nontraditional students’ continuation at a two-year community college. My investigation into this phenomenon was grounded in Knowles et al.’s (2020) theory of Andragogy, Cross’ (1974; 1981) concept of barriers and Characteristics of Adults as Learners (CAL) Model, and Horn and Carroll’s (1996) characterization of nontraditional students. My data collection and analysis processes for this study were anchored by a basic interpretative approach and the theory of constructivism. I collected data during two rounds of semi-structured interviews with participants. After interviews were transcribed verbatim, I conducted a two-cycle approach to data analysis. I began data analysis by Theming the Data: Phenomenologically. I constructed a central thematic statement from participants’ stories: for participants, persisting despite barriers to education meant access to a better future. During the second cycle of data analysis, I used Pattern Coding to condense themes into three overarching subthemes: “Going Back to School,” “Keeping Up,” and “Having the Right Tools.” My findings on these subthemes illuminated the types of barriers to education participants described. My findings suggest that situational barriers were the most substantial and consistent barrier to education that participants described and the most difficult barrier for participants to overcome. Finally, my study’s findings also suggest that intrinsic motivation play an important role in nontraditional students’ ability to persist when they encounter barriers that threaten their continuation in college. Keywords: adult learner, nontraditional student, community college, barriers, andragogy, persistence	en_US
dc.description.tableofcontents	Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1 -- Statement of Problem 6 -- Purpose of the Study 7 -- Research Question 7 -- Significance of the Study 7 -- Theoretical Perspective 8 -- Assumptions 9 -- Limitations 10 -- Delimitations 11 -- Definitions 12 -- Dissertation Overview 14 -- Chapter II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 16 -- The Rise of Community Colleges 17 -- Adult Learners as Nontraditional Students 18 -- Barriers to Education 21 -- Andragogy 23 -- Andragogy and Online Learning 24 -- Andragogy and Motivation 27 -- Intrinsic Motivation, Persistence, and Nontraditional Students 28 -- Intersections between Andragogy, Barriers, and CAL Model 29 -- Summary 30 -- Chapter III: METHODOLOGY 32 -- Conceptual Framework 32 -- Interpretivism 35 -- Constructivism 36 -- Ontological and Epistemological Orientation 38 -- Researcher Positionality 38 -- Method 40 -- Research Site 40 -- Overview of Participants 43 -- Nontraditional Student Characteristics 43 -- Sampling 47 -- Data Collection 48 -- Follow-up Interviews 50 -- Rapport Building 51 -- Analytic Memos 52 -- Data Analysis 53 -- Coding 54 -- First Cycle of Data Analysis 54 -- Second Cycle of Data Analysis 55 -- Member Checks 55 -- Summary 56 -- Chapter IV: RESEARCH FINDINGS 59 -- Participant Descriptions and Profiles 59 -- Monica 59 -- Joshua 62 -- Veronica 65 -- Michael 67 -- Tiffany 70 -- Alan 72 -- Sandra 74 -- Amber 76 -- Contextual Ground of Participants’ Experiences 78 -- Findings 80 -- Central Thematic Statement 80 -- Subthemes 81 -- Subtheme 1: Going Back to School 82 -- Subtheme 2: Keeping Up 86 -- Subtheme 3: Having the Right Tools 89 -- Summary 90 -- Chapter V: CONCLUSION 92 -- Summary of Study 93 -- Major Findings 93 -- Central Thematic Statement 93 -- Subthemes 94 -- Discussion 95 -- Barriers to Education 96 -- Situational Barriers 97 -- Dispositional Barriers 98 -- Institutional Barriers 99 -- Impacts on Motivation 100 -- Implications 101 -- Recommendations for Future Research 102 -- Conclusion 103 -- REFERENCES 105 -- APPENDIX A: Informed Consent Documents 114	en_US
dc.format.extent	1 electronic document and derivatives, 150 pages. 2250629 bytes.	en_US
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en_US
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.rights	This dissertation is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, revised in 1976). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgement. Use of the materials for financial gain with the author's expressed written permissions is not allowed.	en_US
dc.subject	Adjustment (Psychology)	en_US
dc.subject	Adult education	en_US
dc.subject	Adult learning	en_US
dc.subject	Adult students	en_US
dc.subject	Community colleges	en_US
dc.subject	Dissertations, Academic--United States	en_US
dc.subject	Nontraditional college students	en_US
dc.subject	Persistence	en_US
dc.subject	School enrollment	en_US
dc.title	A Winding Path: Understanding Barriers to Education for Nontraditional Students at a Southeastern U.S. Community College	en_US
dc.type	Dissertation	en_US
dc.contributor.department	Department of Leadership, Technology, and Workforce Development of the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education & Human Services	en_US
dc.description.advisor	Ruttencutter, Gwen Scott
dc.description.committee	Roberts, Diane
dc.description.committee	Peguesse, Chere
dc.description.committee	Chafin, Vesta
dc.description.degree	Ed.D.	en_US
dc.description.major	Education in Adult and Career Education	en_US