Case Study and New Model for Supporting At-Risk-for-Completion Candidates to Dissertation Completion

• In Event: 75.032 - Resources in Graduate Education: Human and Monetary Sources

Abstract

This study identified emergent themes from the interview data of at-risk-for-completion doctoral candidates (n=13; 59%), from a diverse demographic, who participated in a Dissertation Completion Grant Program. The findings identify the major contributors to candidate dissertation completion viewed through a new parsimonious framework of Leadership within Open Vital Systems (LOVS). The findings can be used to inform doctoral program redesign, to support candidates to completion, and to highlight the need for conscious processes used by vital leaders to develop equity in educational opportunity for all students. The four themes included vital leadership, task and socio-emotional integration, personal development leading to personal agency, and life circumstances. Implications to improve graduate student retention and completion rates for diverse student populations are provided.

Authors

• Janet Lee Hanson, Azusa Pacific University

• Ursula Estrada-Reveles, Riverside County of Education

• William Loose, Azusa Pacific University