It's just Greek to you : a qualitative study of impression management among Greek alumni in academics

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on July 22, 2009)Thesis (Ph. D.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2008.In this study, the author explored how Greek organizational alumni who are training to enter or are in the Academy professionally manage their Greek affiliation as a facet of their individual identity. Research on the self was prevalent throughout the 20th century, starting with Cooley's Looking Glass Self, including Goffman's Presentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959), among many others. Impression management has also been a prominent construct in Social Psychological Research (Jones & Pittman, 1982). Using qualitative interviews, the study explored the lived experiences of Greek Organizational Alumni in the Academy. Overall, the results revealed that the participants do not disclose their Greek affiliation for a variety of reasons. Additionally participants revealed that they do not feel specifically privileged or stigmatized by their affiliation, but that their affiliation must be carefully communicatively managed. Implications for future research are also discussed.Includes bibliographical reference

Perceptions of Alternative High School Teenage Mothers Regarding Their College Success

Women who have children during high school are at-risk for poor educational and economic outcomes. Literature lacks information regarding college readiness among pregnant and mothering teens (PMTs) who graduated from alternative education (AE) programs. Teen mothers who receive college preparation in high school may go on to earn degrees, improving their chances at more stable and secure financial futures. A basic qualitative approach and purposive sampling was used to locate 10 former PMTs who graduated from AE programs and college and shared their stories via one-on-one semistructured in-depth interviews regarding their experiences in AE programs and how they prepared them for college. Schlossberg’s transition theory (TT) was used as the conceptual framework and provided the structural lens to interpret participants’ life transitions into motherhood, AE programs, and eventually college. Participants’ experiences involving AE programs and academic practices for college success were explored. Transcribed data underwent qualitative content analysis through a directed approach and via manual coding and thematic analysis, produced five emergent themes that aligned with the TT: parenting and childcare accommodations, academic practices for high school without college prep, increased levels of support in college, personal traits and habits, and self-navigation to locate college academic assistance and finances. Administrators and teachers in AE programs may benefit from results of this study by maximizing PMTs’ potential for college success

Students’ Perceptions and Misperceptions of the Communication Major: Opportunities and Challenges of Reputation

This study investigates undergraduate students\u27 perceptions of the content, difficulty, and value of the Communication major. Students in majors other than Communication from two universities indicated that the content of the Communication major was valuable and, in some cases, involved difficult tasks. However, the major was perceived as easier than any other compared discipline. The students surveyed demonstrated low to moderate belief in most popular “myths” regarding Communication as an academic field. A number of potential strategies to increase awareness of the value of a degree in communication are provided, which can be adapted for use with existing departmental marketing strategies