Dissertation

50% or (The Dreaded Statistic): A Transcendental-Phenomenological Study of Attrition in Student Affairs

Gill-Jacobson, Scott

2023

Overview

The student affairs profession has been aware of a high attrition rate for young professionals for over 40 years. Research into the phenomenon previously sought to identify the rate of attrition and factors leading to attrition. There is a gap in the literature regarding how these young professionals come to make the decision to change careers. The purpose of this transcendental-phenomenological study was to understand the experience of student affairs professionals who worked at small colleges and decided to leave the profession after working a period of 1 to 7 years. Maximum variation sampling yielded nine participants, which achieved saturation for the sample. Data were collected through personal interviews and analyzed through transcendental-phenomenological reduction. The findings of this study yielded 14 themes across three research questions. Implications of the data highlight the need for better work-life balance and more institutional support for new student affairs professionals. Recommendations for further research include the need for a better understanding of how student affairs professionals who are Black, indigenous, and people of color experience attrition from the profession, the need for case studies of well-balanced student affairs workplaces, an examination into how career expectations influence career experience and career planning, and further research into the prevalence and effects of secondary trauma on student affairs professionals.

• Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subject: Educational administration / Higher education / Higher Education Administration / Occupational psychology
• ISBN: 9798380829977