A Dream Deferred: College Logics in the "Life Course" of Nontraditional College Graduates (Poster 1)

• In Event: Promoting Student Success in Higher Education

Abstract

Although college graduates with an extended time-to-degree are increasingly common, we know far less about what motivates these students. Our study examines why college aspirations hold steady across the educational “life course” using a framework of dual logics that include instrumental (i.e., goal-oriented, pragmatic) and expressive (i.e., value-oriented, moral) motivations. Our analysis of 45 semi-structured interviews revealed that graduates discussed aspects of their long journey using expressive or entwined logics more than they do instrumental logics; however, instrumental perspectives was more present as participants reflected on the onset of their college career. Our participants share narratives of initially lacking the overall purpose of college and eventually coming to understand college as a mechanism for development of the whole person.

Authors

• George Spencer, New York University

• Janine de Novais, University of Delaware

• Emily Chen-Bendle, University of Georgia