Graduation Year

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Adult, Career and Higher Education

Major Professor

Waynne B. James, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Edward C. Fletcher, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Tonisha B. Lane, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Dinorah Martinez-Tyson, Ph.D.

Keywords

Adult Development, Emerging Adulthood, Predominantly White Institution, Schlossberg

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the college-to-career transition of Black second-generation alumnae in the development phase of emerging adulthood using Schlossberg’s (2011) Transition Model. As the researcher, I collected data from Black second-generation alumnae of predominantly White public universities in Florida to examine how their intersecting identities (i.e., race, gender, and educational status) and use of metaphorical capital (i.e., social, cultural, and human capital) influence their transition. The conceptual framework for this study is based on the 4 S’s of Schlossberg’s Transition Model as well as emerging adulthood, forms of capital, and the intersecting identities of race, gender, and education status. Two research questions guided the study: how do Black second-generation alumnae describe the influence of their intersecting identities during their college-to-career transition in the developmental phase of emerging adulthood; and how do Black second-generation alumnae describe the influence of metaphorical capital during their college-to-career transition in the developmental phase of emerging adulthood?

Data collection methods consisted of demographic questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, participant journals, the researcher’s reflexive journal notes, and participant-selected artifacts (e.g., documents, pictures, and publications). The thematic analysis generated three major themes: expectations, epiphany, and experience. These three themes included discussions of the factors in decision making, common characteristics/attributes, life transitions, preparation beyond academics, networking and work experience. Implications for practitioners and policy makers are presented. This study contributes empirical research on transition theory and Black women in developmental phase of emerging adulthood. It also adds to the body of literature on Black college graduates who were not first-generation college students, a group rarely studied, and their college-to-career transition from a predominantly White institution in the State of Florida University System.

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