A phenomenological study of perceptions of self efficacy and belo

University of South Alabama JagWorks@USA Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 12-2021 A Phenomenological Study of Perceptions of Self-Efficacy and Belongingness in Transfer Students with Disabilities after an Individualized Orientation at a Public University Laventrice S. Ridgeway University of South Alabama, lsridgeway@southalabama.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://jagworks.edu/theses_diss Part of the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Ridgeway, Laventrice S., "A Phenomenological Study of Perceptions of Self-Efficacy and Belongingness in Transfer Students with Disabilities after an Individualized Orientation at a Public University" (2021). Theses and Dissertations.edu/theses_diss/13 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at JagWorks@USA. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of JagWorks@USA.

For more information, please contact jherrmann@southalabama. A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF PERCEPTIONS OF SELF-EFFICACY AND BELONGINGNESS IN TRANSFER STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AFTER AN INDIVIDUALIZED ORIENTATION AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of South Alabama in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership by Laventrice S., University of South Alabama, 2011 M., University of South Alabama, 2013 December 2021 To my Grandmother Ida Johnson Pritchett who Raised and developed the man I have become and Encouraged me to always pursue my dreams no matter how impossible things may seem, keeping God first. To my Mother Francilla D. Ridgeway Thank you for always supporting me and being the person I can run to.

To my Niece and Nephew Napriece F. Dees and Tonnell Harris, III You both are so full of life and love I hope that I continue making you proud. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Reflecting on this undertaking, I must acknowledge that it has been quite a journey and in doing so, I must give honor to those that have supported me and pushed me across the finish line. Thank you to my family that kept me lifted in prayer, believing in my ability to make it to the end and carry the family to a better place.

I truly could not have made this effort without you. A heartfelt thanks to my cohort, cohort Zeta or cohort VI, who journeyed through this endeavor with me, wondering if we would make it through multiple assignment due dates and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for sharing the angst, excitement, and all experiences of this program with me, as we completed this together. To my Dissertation Chair Dr.

Delmas, I express my sincerest appreciation and gratitude for your guidance, advice, and dedication to seeing me through. Even throughout your personal hardships you thought of my needs as a budding scholar and made provisions for me to have continued guidance within the dissertation process. I can only hope to ever be half of the person, researcher, and academic that you are. I especially want to thank Dr.

Wanda Maulding Green for stepping in to make sure that I remained on track and did not lose focus of the end goal. Thank you for being iii there when I needed you and being willing and giving of your time to guide me through completing this journey. Michael Mitchell, Dr. Gurupreet Khalsa, and Dr.

Paul Frazier, I have learned so much from each of you. Thank you for your genuine concern and inspiration and being only a call, text message, or email away when I had even the smallest of questions. Thank you to all those who supported me during this journey. You are appreciated.

iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. v LIST OF TABLES. viii LIST OF FIGURES.

3 Purpose of the Study. 5 Primary Research Questions. 5 Overview of Methodology. 6 Study Rationale and Significance.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 12 Tinto’s View on Classroom Success and Persistence. 16 Tinto’s Reflections on Student Persistence. 19 Critical Disability Theory.

20 Postsecondary Access Legislation. 22 Disabled Student Issues in Postsecondary Education. 26 Sense of Belonging. 26 Academic Success and Persistence.

29 v Faculty Attitudes and Perceptions Toward Students with Disabilities. 31 Self-Efficacy and Self-Advocacy. 37 Influence of COVID-19. 40 Best Practices for Increasing Student Academic Success and Persistence.

52 Primary Research Questions. 58 Research Setting and Ethical Considerations. 62 Invitation to Participate. 63 Reliability and Validity.

64 Role of the Researcher. PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS. 70 Primary Research Questions. 71 RQ1: How were perceptions of self-efficacy influenced by transfer SWDs’ experience with an individualized orientation?.

73 Support of Accommodations. 74 RQ2: How were perceptions of belongingness influenced by transfer SWDs’ experience with an individualized orientation?. 75 Virtual Meeting Options. 75 vi Tailored Approaches.

76 Knowledgeable and Engaging Disability Service Provider. 76 Additional Emerging Themes. 77 Stigma in Requesting Accommodations. 77 Staff and Faculty Interaction.

81 Discussion of Findings. 82 RQ1: How were perceptions of self-efficacy influenced by transfer SWDs’ experience with an individualized orientation?. 83 RQ2: How were perceptions of belongingness influenced by transfer SWDs’ experience with an individualized orientation?. 84 Recommendations for Policy and Practice.

86 Recommendations for Future Research. 109 Appendix A: Interview Protocol. 110 Appendix B: Invitation to Participate Phone Script. 112 Appendix C: Participation and Interview Email Confirmation.

113 Appendix D: Informed Consent Form. 114 Appendix E: Institutional Review Board Approval. 118 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Emerging Themes of Participant Perceptions.

721 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. A Conceptual Schema for Dropout from College. Areas of Access Difficulty for Students With Disabilities in the Transition to Remote Education. 41 ix ABSTRACT Ridgeway, Laventrice, S., University of South Alabama, December 2021.

A Phenomenological Study of Perceptions of Self-Efficacy and Belongingness in Transfer Students with Disabilities After an Individualized Orientation at a Public University. Chair of Committee: Peggy M. This research explored the self-efficacy and sense of belonging in transfer students with disabilities after an individualized, one-on-one orientation with the Port City University’s Office of Student Disability Services. This study employed a qualitative approach, specifically phenomenology, to collect data.

The researcher obtained data through semi-structured interviews using a purposeful sample of transfer students with disabilities registered with the Office of Student Disability Services. Seven participants submitted responses concerning their experience with the individualized orientation as related to their perception of self-efficacy and belongingness. Moreover, data underwent an interpretative phenomenological analysis. The study investigator reduced interview transcripts into themes, highlighting the individualized orientation essence.

The findings from the research show that the factors related to the individualized orientation with the most influence on participants’ self-efficacy and belongingness were preparation for success, support of accommodations, virtual meeting options, tailored approaches, and knowledgeable and engaging disability services providers. The findings, considerations for future research, and limitations were discussed. x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Earning a college degree in the United States has become almost essential to achieving middle-class socioeconomic status (Baber, 2012). Nearly half of all newly created job opportunities between 2008 and 2018 required a degree (Koch et al.

Like other job-seekers, students with disabilities (SWDs) must also obtain a college degree if they are to receive entry into the middle class. Students at postsecondary institutions with disabilities considered invisible (or nonapparent) are more vulnerable than their visible counterparts due to the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic stressors related to their disability (Button et al. Although SWDs enrollment in postsecondary institutions is on the rise, approximately 84% of SWDs withdraw from higher education before earning their degree (Koch et al., 2014; Kranke et al. Since the 1970s, there have been several policies developed to support SWDs in their postsecondary education pursuits, including the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 (ADA), the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), and regulations in a 2012 mandated implementation of services (e., academic adjustments) to support the needs of SWDs (Button et al.

SWDs often struggle with the motivation, concentration, and social interaction fundamental to higher education and employment success (Boutin & Accordino, 2011; Button et al., 2018; Koch et al., 2014; Kranke et al. Expanded advocacy initiatives and legislation providing for antidiscrimination coverage, disability diagnosis and treatment, and rehabilitative services have allowed more SWDs to seek higher education (Koch et al. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Titles I through III of the ADA require postsecondary institutions to create offices that specifically support disabled student advocacy (e., Disabled Student Services), equitable course access, and antidiscrimination. The site of this study (identified with the pseudonym Port City University; PCU) has approximately 515 SWDs registered with its Office of Student Disability Services, 20.4% (n = 105) of them transfer students.

Steady student enrollment decreases pose challenges for institutions to meet enrollment goals, making transfer students an essential source of students (Handel, 2013; Hussar & Bailey, 2013; Jacobson et al. Disabled students often begin their college education at the 2-year level, subsequently transferring to 4-year institutions for degree completion (Heyer, 2017). Students transfer for several reasons, including convenience, affordability, and best fit. Approximately 60% of college students have attended more than one institution (Tobolowsky & Cox, 2012).

Additionally, 25% of students who transfer will do so more than once, which gives rise to a unique set of academic and social difficulties for disabled transfer students (Marling, 2013). Fearing stigma, many students with invisible disabilities do not disclose their disability or request academic adjustments to support their educational success, putting them more at risk of dropping out. 2 Problem Statement Upon completing secondary education, approximately 25% of SWDs pursue higher education (Heyer, 2017; Vaccaro et al. SWD enrollment at the postsecondary level has steadily increased over the past decade (Heyer, 2017; Koch et al., 2014; Kranke et al.

SWDs’ desire to succeed in postsecondary education has garnered the attention of scholars. Because SWDs often begin their collegiate tenure at 2- year institutions (Heyer, 2017), they are frequent transfers. One of the common myths concerning transfer SWDs is that transfer student supports are not necessary due to students having prior collegiate experience (Harrick & Fullington, 2019; Jacobson et al., 2017; Marling, 2013; Tobolowsky & Cox, 2012). Transfer orientation is effective in easing the transition from 2-year to 4- year programs (Grites, 2013; Harrick & Fullington, 2019; Jacobson et al., 2017; Marling, 2013) and decreasing the impact of ‘transfer shock,’ defined as severely poor performance within the new institutional program upon transfer (Hills, 1965).

Researchers have since expanded the definition of transfer shock to reflect the influence of transition periods from one campus to the next and the student’s social adjustment to new campus culture and norms (Ivins et al., 2016; Lakin & Elliott, 2016; Mobley et al. Despite significant discourse surrounding the influence of support for SWDs and transfer students, there is little research exploring the effect of an individualized, one-on-one orientation session on transfer SWDs. Research is needed to obtain transfer SWDs’ voices and perspectives, as higher education institutions have not addressed this group’s challenges (Harrick & 3 Fullington, 2019; Jacobson et al. Therefore, this study of transfer SWDs was necessary.

Purpose of the Study The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceived influence of an individualized university orientation on the self-efficacy and sense of belonging in transfer SWDs at a public 4-year institution in the U. Specifically, this study was an investigation of the effects of individualized, one-on-one orientation sessions on disabled college transfer students. PCU’s website (2021c) notes that approximately 650 transfer students make up its annual enrollment. Moreover, PCU’s office of New Student Orientation hosts six transfer orientation sessions over the spring and fall semesters.

Transfer orientation sessions are highly condensed, being completed in three hours on one day. They are fast-paced, with brief overviews of institutional policies and services, an advisor meeting, course scheduling, textbook ordering, and a campus tour.