A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Shared Lived Experience of Married Male Doctoral Students

283 Pages·2017·1.97 MB·English

University of Arkansas, Fayeteville
A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Shared Lived Experience of Married Male Doctoral
Students in Counselor Education and Their Non-Student Spouses

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education

by

Anthony Suarez
Florida State University
Bachelor of Science in Sport Management, 2004
University of Central Florida
Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology, 2011

May 2018
University of Arkansas

This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council .

_______________________________
Kristi Perryman, Ph.D
Dissertation Director

_______________________________ _______________________________
Ed Bengtson, Ph.D Erin Kern-Popejoy, Ph.D
Committee Member Committee Member

_______________________________
David Christian, Ph.D
Committee Member
ABSTRACT

Research involving married doctoral students has suggested that they face a unique set of
circumstances that include benefits, challenges, and changes. Additional research has
highlighted the culture within Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) programs. While
there are some studies that explore the experiences of married graduate students in counseling-
related fields, very little literature exists that explores married students in CES programs. No
such studies focus on the experiences of married male students in CES.
The purpose of this study was to explore the shared lived experiences of married male
doctoral students in Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) programs and their non-student
spouses. Eight participants (four doctoral students and their non-student spouses) took part in
this study. Using a phenomenological research design, the findings of this study were grouped
by doctoral students, non-student spouses, and couples. Individual thematic labels for doctoral
students and their spouses included general impressions, personal and professional changes,
program-related benefits and challenges, and roles and responsibilities. Thematic labels for
couples were program-related changes to marriage, marital friendship, marital conflict, traditions
and rituals, and goals. The findings reveal implications for potential and current doctoral
students and their non-student spouses, as well as for counselor educators. Coping strategies for
students and recommendations for CES programs are also included.
©2018 by Anthony Suarez
All Rights Reserved
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to start by thanking my committee members. To Dr. Ed Bengtson, thank you for
the research guidance, especially early on when I had more questions than answers when it came
to qualitative research. (Maybe I still do!) To Dr. David Christian, thank you for your
professional guidance, the opportunities to teach and collaborate with you, and the comic relief.
I have enjoyed learning from you, and I will look back fondly at our time we spent across the
hall from each other – even that infamous day when I almost spilled a smoothie on you. To Dr.
Erin Kern-Popejoy, thank you for the opportunities to write, publish, and present with you, and
especially for the guidance as I begin the next phase of my career as a counselor educator. Your
insight and resources through the interview process have been invaluable to me. To my
dissertation chair, Dr. Kristi Perryman, thank you for caring about me both personally and
professionally, despite being the busiest person I know. This process has challenged me
mentally, emotionally, and physically, and your presence has made it all a little more comforting.
There is not one area of my professional development not impacted by you, and I appreciate
knowing I can lean on you moving forward. By the way, it seems like yesterday when we were
both adjusting to our new homes in Arkansas!
I also want to express my appreciation to the other faculty members in the University of
Arkansas counseling program. To Dr. Kristin Higgins, thank you for going to bat for me
professionally, and for your genuine concern over making sure I had access to what I needed to
succeed in the program. To Dr. Paul Blisard, the real “Most Interesting Man in the World,”
thank you for the opportunities to teach with you time and time again. I have learned so much
from observing your style and demeanor as an educator and clinician, and I will always consider
you to be a mentor. Also, a special thank you to Dr. Mary Ramey. Your infectious enthusiasm
and support early on gave me the confidence I needed to begin this journey.
To my participants, thank you for allowing me into your homes and into your worlds.
Obviously without your willingness and commitment, none of this would have been possible.
To my partners in crime in the graduate assistant office over the years, thank you for your
friendship and for making it fun to come to work. I know we have formed bonds that will last a
lifetime, and I look forward to seeing you at each and every conference, and several times in
between.
To my parents, Daniel and Ana Suarez, and to my stepmother, Maggie Suarez, thank you
for your love and support, and for the phone calls to check in on my progress. The dissertation
journey is a lonely one in that not many people care about how things are going, so I appreciate
you all for asking often. Enjoy your copies, and please do read every word. There will be a
quiz. To my in-laws, Dave and Terrie Tolliver, thank you for your support and for allowing me
take advantage of my time at the Tolliver Farm to get so much of my writing done, and of
course, thank you for raising a supportive, loving, and patient daughter who has stayed by my
side despite my crazy idea to go back to school.
Lastly, to my wife, Emily, my love and appreciation for you would require a second
dissertation to sufficiently express. Thank you for agreeing to go on this journey with me over
the past few years and into the future, whatever that may bring. I could not have done this
without you, and even in my grumpy moods, I need you by my side. I have seen you grow so
much in this time, professionally and personally, and I am incredibly proud of all your
accomplishments. Let it be known to one and all, that you are the greatest thing that has ever
happened to me. (The Cubs’ World Series win is a distant second.)
DEDICATION

I dedicate this dissertation to all those students, married or not, in their pursuit of a
doctorate. Continue to persevere and stay disciplined, even when the task seems daunting.
Mostly, I dedicate this to my wife, Emily, who inspired this topic while I was away at my
very first conference as a doctoral student, while on a phone call with her from a Birmingham
hotel room.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter I: Introduction .....................................................................................................................1
Background and Context......................................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem .....................................................................................................3
Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................5
Research Questions ..............................................................................................................6
Rationale and Significance ..................................................................................................6
Researcher’s Relationship to the Problem ...........................................................................7
Personal Experience .................................................................................................7
Professional Experience ...........................................................................................8
Definition of Terms..............................................................................................................9
Chapter II: Review of the Literature ..............................................................................................10
Introduction ........................................................................................................................11
The Impact of Doctoral Study on the Individual ...............................................................12
The Impact of Doctoral Student on the Non-Student Spouse ............................................14
The Impact of Doctoral Study on Marriages .....................................................................16
Positive Effects of Doctoral Study on Marriages ..................................................16
Emotional/psychological support...............................................................17
Financial support ........................................................................................17
Academic support ......................................................................................18
Basic needs/task-oriented support..............................................................18
Negative Effects of Doctoral Study on Marriages .................................................19
Financial problems .....................................................................................20
Time pressures ...........................................................................................20
Children......................................................................................................21
Sexual concerns .........................................................................................21
Role conflict ...............................................................................................22
Physical and emotional separation .............................................................23
Communication ..........................................................................................23
Other factors...............................................................................................24
The Married Male Doctoral Student ..................................................................................26
Doctoral Students in CES Programs ..................................................................................28
Male Doctoral Students in CES Programs ...........................................................29
Married Doctoral Students in CES Programs .......................................................29
Coping Strategies for Married Doctoral Students ..............................................................31
Support Services for Doctoral Students and Their Non-Student Spouses .........................33
Summary and Need for Further Research ..........................................................................35
Chapter III: Research Methods ......................................................................................................36
Rationale for Qualitative Research Design ........................................................................36
Rationale for Phenomenology................................................................................37
Conceptual Framework ......................................................................................................37
The Sound Marital House ......................................................................................40
Foundation (Floors 1-3) .............................................................................40
Positive Sentiment Override (Floor 4) .......................................................41
Managing conflict (Floor 5) .......................................................................41
Making dreams and aspirations come true (Floor 6) .................................41
Creating shared meaning (Floor 7) ............................................................42
Theoretical Sensitivity and its Role in the Conceptual Framework ......................43
Assumptions within the Conceptual Framework ...................................................44
Participants .........................................................................................................................47
Selection Procedures and Recruitment ..................................................................47
Recruitment Strategies ...........................................................................................48
Demographics and Eligibility ................................................................................48
Site Selection .........................................................................................................48
Research Design.................................................................................................................49
Literature Review...................................................................................................50
IRB Approval .........................................................................................................50
Data Collection ......................................................................................................51
Phase I: Demographic information ............................................................51
Phase II: Interviews....................................................................................52
Phase III: Critical incident reporting ..........................................................53
Phase IV: Focus groups .............................................................................54
Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................56
Issues of Trustworthiness ...................................................................................................59
Credibility ..............................................................................................................60
Prolonged engagement ...............................................................................60
Persistent observation ................................................................................61
Triangulation ..............................................................................................61
Peer debriefing ...........................................................................................61