Research Paper on "Analyzing Knowledge Integration and Synthesis of Theory and Research"

Research Paper 10 pages (7951 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Nevertheless, it leaves the support given to each individual, and the effect of time unaccounted for. It also ignores the whole process of transition and the effect it would have on one's capability for adjusting.

Impact of Transitional Theories on School Advisory Program Practice

School advisors benefit from transitional theories in several ways. For example, Myrick (1990) observed three guidance approaches, (a) Prevention approach, whose basis is providing high-risk groups of students with special services; (b) Developmental approach, whose basis is individual needs as a response to cognitive development and stages of growth; and (c) crisis approach, in which advisors deal with problems as they surface. The developmental strategy must be adopted to formulate advisory programs. Using this approach, teachers meet needs that emerge as students grow and progress (cited in Ornum, 2014, p. 2).

Among numerous relevant transitional theories, the Role Acquisition Model is most applicable to the area of higher education. College accords students several opportunities to acquire strategies for successfully navigating the dynamic role acquisition process. Nardi and Thornton's model, which comprises four steps: anticipatory socialization, informal role expectation acquisition, formal role expectation acquisition, and personal role expectation development, can ease transition as well. But, Magolda's self-authorship theory is applicable as well, in comprehending role acquisition. The author studied developmental tasks of the 20s age-group, concentrating on ascertaining one's way across life and value exploration. She delineated four phases when defining self between the external and internal: formula adherence, crossroads, authoring one's own life, and one's internal foundation. Self-authorship and role acquisition theories may be applied to transition and career counseling in colleges/universities (Kraus, 2012, pp. 15-17).

Similarly, socialization theory presented by Twale, Stein, and Weidman builds on Nardi and Thornton's model. It proposes a 4-step professional and graduate student socialization theory: anticipatory, personal, formal, and informal. At each step, students integrate further into college culture, assuming increasing responsibility with faculty involvement, research and mentoring other graduate pupils. The theorists address key socialization aspects linked to each phase. Beatrice Neugarten's work also helps in informing transition-related assistance. The author scrutinizes the significance of age as well as how age constitutes a key societal organizational dimension. People whose actions and behaviors do not conform to societal expectations and norms are regarded as "off-time" whereas conformists are "on-time" (Kraus, 2012, pp. 17-21).

Each of the aforementioned examples portrays practical models and theories applicable to student transition experiences, even very crucial and sensitive transitions to the after-education phase, overlooked by highest education advisors. These works indicate that student transition represents a process, and everybody must prepare for transitions in future (Kraus, 2012, p. 25).

Issues in Application of these Transitional Theories

While the aforementioned models are relevant to student transition, they do not completely apply to our subject of interest. Nardi and Thornton's theory also eases transition to the 'career phase' of life. Students can profit from ruminating on their new roles and realize that though preparation is essential, it won't necessarily further transition or role acquisition. Likewise, self-authorship theory explains young adult (20-40 years) experiences and hence, is suitable in understanding students about to move out of university/college, or even, perhaps, non-conventional students who choose to switch career/educational paths (Kraus, 2012, pp. 15-17).

However, in socialization model's application, Twale, Stein and Weidman's dynamics, namely, diversity's effect, technology access, foreign students' experiences, and cultural impacts on professionalization, ethics, and professionalism, as must be considered in the course of critical thinking regarding socialization, may differ and lead to conflict between student groups, thus obstructing transition. Likewise, Neugarten's model applies aptly to non-conventional pupils, since where most higher education students traverse similar paths to graduation, the theory put forward by Neugarten unique implications for student parents, adult college-goers, and individuals with a disrupted high school-college path (e.g., students who might have suffered a traumatic life event or student veterans) (Kraus, 2012, pp. 17-21).

On the other hand, Schlossberg's model devoted to fathoming transition has garnered considerable regard and is employed in fields such as higher education, counseling, and rehabilitation. The theorist describes transition as an event/non-event leading to changes in relationships, roles, practices and assumptions (Kraus, 2012, p. 20).

For making sense of student transition, Schlossberg recommends understanding its context, type, and impact. Transition may be non-anticipated (e.g., a parent's demise) or anticipated (e.g., college graduation), and may involve non-events as well. Both examples mentioned above initiate transition. However, the preparation and expectations for both events differ drastically. Non-events may be anticipated events that fail to take place (e.g., a student applies for a job but doesn't bag it). Events like graduating, college application, getting hired, relocating when switching jobs, etc. are really what define and shape the complex after-college transition process (Kraus, 2012, p. 20). It has been noted by Schlossberg and coworkers (2006) that transition extends over some time period, when a person moves from the preoccupation phase to the phase of integration with transition. Terms like "moving through," "moving out" and "moving in" benchmark the abovementioned advancement (Patton & Davis, 2014, p. 8).

Analysis of Schlossberg's Transitional Theory Using Peer-Reviewed Articles

This theory, at first, was meant to act as a theory for counseling of retiring adults. In spite of this, the theory has been taken up by many people and used on other populations. I used it as the theoretical background for my research. This theory was first meant for retiring adults, but has been used by many researchers in higher education (Lazarowicz, 2015).

Davis and Patton's research "Expanding Transition Theory: African-American Students' Multiple Transitions Following Hurricane Katrina" considers transition theory's reflection of how individuals making sense out of extraordinarily complex transitions, especially effects of the manifold transitions Afro-Americans experienced at the time of Hurricane Katrina. As mentioned previously, Schlossberg and colleagues (1995) identified three kinds of transitions: unanticipated, non-event, and anticipated. The foremost stage in transition deals with recognizing how it appears in a person's life. Transitions like childbirth and marriage that are anticipated encompass normative losses and gains or significant role alterations that take place predictably as one's life unfolds. Unanticipated transitions represent unscheduled and unpredictable events, normally of a negative nature and considered painful, crisis-like or unsettling (e.g., job loss, divorce, premature death in the family, etc.) Hurricane Katrina embodies an unanticipated kind of transition as well. Non-events constitute the third kind of transition; these denote anticipated changes that didn't occur (for instance, a cancelled wedding) (Patton & Davis, 2014, p. 8-9)

Study findings arose from a greater data set examining Afro-American's experiences with Hurricane Katrina. Selection of novel institutions (i.e., "moving in" assistance) constituted the foremost transition. Affected students claimed this phase encompasses leaving home institutions and seeking another. For instance, one student talked about his decision to enroll in a college near home and family (Patton & Davis, 2014). The most significant aspect of this transition was the convenience level. Another important aspect was cost, since many students just chose the least expensive institution, which was either equal to or lower than the expenses at home. The merging of degree options with convenience is clearly seen in Leslie's thinking, and there were other students who had a number of aspects similarly merged. In the end, withstanding the chaos resulting from Katrina forced the students to use convenient, grounded logics during the first transition (Patton & Davis, 2014).

Moving-through or adjustment to the new educational institution constitutes the next phase of transition. Three themes emerged as vital to interviewees' adjustment experiences in the new colleges they transferred to: 1) The feeling of being "dropped in" 2) Racial support/tensions and 3) below-par living conditions. As soon as they arrived at their new college/university, transfer students were "thrown into" institutional culture and systems with no assistance or orientation. Lastly, adjustment back to original institutions (moving out) constitutes the third transitional phase. As interviewees started moving out of these transitions post-Hurricane Katrina, they simultaneously "moved into" adjustments of return to familiar territory. They mostly have positive memories about their experiences upon return to their original institutions. One student claims he decided to return to his original college rather than remain at the transfer college mainly because he was tired of feeling lonely (Patton & Davis, 2014, p. 10-12). Key themes are developed in sequential order of participant experiences with the three transitional phases post-Hurricane Katrina. The impact and context of transitions, together with student dependence on the 4S (situation, support, strategies, and self) system have been interwoven into the whole debate (Patton & Davis, 2014, p. 9-10).

But, Gilbert and Griffin's work "Better Transition for Troops: An Application of Schlossberg's Transition Framework to Analyses of Barriers and Institutional Support Structures for Student Veterans" reviews Schlossberg's theory of transition for evaluating institutions' influence on transition of veterans to college/university. The work discusses that, in Goodman and Schlossberg's view, various forces impact a person's ability to cope with transition. Besides transition type, the transition process's nature, context, assets and certain resources impact it as… READ MORE

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