The Reflective Discourse of Pell Grant Students About Their Study Abroad Experience

359 Pages·2017·1.78 MB·English

by  Thomas J. Hospod

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Open Access Dissertations
2016
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Thomas J. Hospod
University of Rhode Island, [email protected]
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Hospod, Thomas J., "World Class(ed) Talk: The Reflective Discourse of Pell Grant Students About Their
Study Abroad Experience" (2016). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 425.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/425
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WORLD CLASS(ED) TALK: THE REFLECTIVE
DISCOURSE OF PELL GRANT STUDENTS ABOUT
THEIR STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCE
BY
THOMAS J. HOSPOD

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN
EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
AND
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE
2016
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION

OF

THOMAS J. HOSPOD

APPROVED:

Dissertation Committee

Major Professor Carolyn Panofsky

Katherine Branch

David Brell

Minsuk Shim

RIC: Donald Halquist
Dean, Feinstein School of Education – RIC

URI: Nasser H. Zawia
Dean, The Graduate School - URI

UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

AND

RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE

2016
ABSTRACT
As American higher education proceeds with the internationalization process
of the undergraduate curriculum, college and university campuses continue to
advocate for higher levels of study abroad participation among the student population.
Originating from a tradition that perceived involvement as a luxury for a select few,
these experiences are now commonly viewed as a means for the general student body
to develop the knowledge and the 21st century skills required to fully engage the
global context in which we live. Despite the continued expansion in the number of
students participating, the general profile of participants has remained stubbornly
similar, with individuals of “lower” socioeconomic standing and social class origins
consistently identified as being underrepresented in these programs.
This investigation aims to better understand this low-income segment of the
student population by researching the experience of Pell Grant recipients who did
study abroad to determine what factors supported their decision to proceed with
participation. The study also seeks to better understand these students’ experience
while abroad and upon reentry into their domestic social networks. Employing
Seidman’s (2006) structure for in-depth, phenomenological interviewing as a guide, a
three-interview series was used to explore the experience of 17 students at a public
flagship university in the northeast region of the U.S. Theoretical concepts of social
and cultural capital developed by Pierre Bourdieu are utilized to frame the study and
to analyze the constructed discourse, as well as to foreground issues of social class and
status.
The analysis revealed two groups of low-income participants roughly
distinguished by parents’ educational levels and associated social and cultural capital
of their families. By examining the discourse of these study abroad alumni, the
objective is to produce knowledge that can be used to gain a more robust
understanding of these participants to better inform international educators how to
encourage and support participation, to expand these opportunities to this population,
and to gain deeper insight into how to effectively support them throughout the study
abroad process. Recommendations for international educators and further research are
suggested.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am truly grateful to the many friends, family members, and colleagues who
provided support and encouragement throughout my graduate studies and the
dissertation process. First, I would like to thank my Major Professor, Carolyn
Panofsky, for her unlimited patience, guidance, kindness, and insightful commentary.
I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Katie Branch, David Brell,
and Minsuk Shim, for their support and feedback, and Leslie Schuster, for chairing my
defense. I also have to thank Dania Brandford-Calvo for encouraging me to start this
journey and for trying to keep me grounded as I progressed. I am also deeply grateful
to my family. Words cannot express how much they mean to me. Finally, I am
thankful to the 17 students who served as informants for this study. I am honored and
humbled by their willingness to share their stories with me. From their voices we
have much to learn.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………...ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………..iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... v
LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... xii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................. 1
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1
Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................ 1
The Study Abroad Student Profile ........................................................................... 2
Beyond Economic Capital........................................................................................ 3
Pell Grant Status as an Indicator of Social Class ..................................................... 4
The Researcher’s Stance on Social Class................................................................ 5
Definitions and Concepts ......................................................................................... 6
Personal Connection to the Study ............................................................................ 8
Purpose of the Study and Research Question ........................................................ 13
Significance of the Study ....................................................................................... 14
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ..................................................... 16
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 16
Framing the Study with the Theoretical Lens of Bourdieu .......................................... 18
Cultural Capital ...................................................................................................... 20
Social Capital ......................................................................................................... 21
Habitus ................................................................................................................... 22
v
Utilizing Bourdieu's Concepts to Explore the Study Abroad Experience ............. 23
Study Abroad and Internationalization on the American Campus......................... 24
The Pell Grant and Access to American Higher Education ................................... 27
Historical Roots of the Pell Grant Program ........................................................... 28
Profile of Pell Grant Recipients ............................................................................ 30
Impact of the Pell Grant Program .......................................................................... 32
Study Abroad's History of Privilege ...................................................................... 34
The 1980s to Present .............................................................................................. 37
Research on Study Abroad and the Influence of Social Class ............................... 39
Class, Classism, and the Working Class in America ............................................. 45
America's Struggle with Class ............................................................................... 45
"Working Class" and Commonalities to the Pell Grant Profile ............................. 46
Foregrounding Class .............................................................................................. 48
Classism ................................................................................................................. 49
Examination of Class in U.S. Society .................................................................... 50
Impact of Social Class in Education ...................................................................... 54
Working Class Academics in Higher Education .................................................... 57
Straddling Multiple Worlds ................................................................................... 59
Social Class and Undergraduate Education ........................................................... 60
Summary ................................................................................................................ 66
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .............................................................................. 68
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 68
Researcher as Instrument ....................................................................................... 69
vi
Setting .................................................................................................................... 71
Description of the Study Population ...................................................................... 71
Participants ............................................................................................................. 72
Sampling Design and Procedures........................................................................... 73
The Interview ......................................................................................................... 73
Data Collection Process ......................................................................................... 80
Initial Interview - Student Background and Life History ...................................... 82
Interview Two - Details of the Study Abroad Experience ..................................... 83
Interview Three - Reflection on the Meaning of the Study Abroad Experience ... 84
Interview Process Summary ................................................................................... 84
Instruments and Tools for Collecting and Storing Data ........................................ 87
Transcription of Data ............................................................................................. 87
Transcribing and Transcription Accuracy ............................................................. 87
Generative Data Analysis ....................................................................................... 88
Pre-Coding, Preliminary Analysis, and Analytical Memos ................................... 89
Open Coding and Recoding ................................................................................... 90
Recoding, Axial Coding and Participant Profiles .................................................. 91
Selective Coding, Categories and Themes ............................................................. 91
Major Themes and the Emergence of Two Pell Student Profiles .......................... 92
Trustworthiness ...................................................................................................... 93
Prolonged Engagement in the Field and Clarification of Researcher Bias ............ 93
Debriefing Sessions ................................................................................................ 95
Member Checking .................................................................................................. 95
vii
Limitations ............................................................................................................. 95
Generalizability ...................................................................................................... 96
Convenience Sampling........................................................................................... 96
Role and Ability of the Interviewer ....................................................................... 98
Confidentiality and Protecting the Identity of Participants .................................... 99
CHAPTER 4: PARTICIPANT PROFILES .............................................................. 100
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 100
Pell Group 1 – Working Class Study Abroad Alumni (Low Capital) ................. 107
Mariana ................................................................................................................ 107
Alyssa ................................................................................................................... 112
Sherise .................................................................................................................. 116
Rob ....................................................................................................................... 120
Asia ...................................................................................................................... 123
Josh ....................................................................................................................... 126
Jade ....................................................................................................................... 130
Mallory ................................................................................................................. 134
Mario .................................................................................................................... 138
Pell Group 2 - Capital Accoutered Study Abroad Alumni (High Capital) ......... 142
Julia ...................................................................................................................... 143
Emma ................................................................................................................... 145
Nikki ..................................................................................................................... 148
Eva........................................................................................................................ 152
Miriam .................................................................................................................. 156
viii