Is College Education In Line With The Job Market?

RESEARCHPAPERLivedExperiencesofcollegegraduatesintheJobMarket_APhenomenologicalStudy.docx

Home >Psychology homework help >Is College Education In Line With The Job Market?

Lived Experiences of college graduates in the Job Market: A Phenomenological Study

Ms. Thornton, you must use the format that I have specified for the cover page and remove the table of contents. Though I recognize your initiative, the APA style format of the publication manual is what an undergraduate thesis should follow. This is not a doctoral dissertation.

Kandra Thornton

Professor Kevin Favor

March 9, 2022

Lincoln University of PA

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………………7

Statement of the Problem…... …………………………………………………………………….8

Purpose Statement…………………………………………………………………………………9

Introduction to Theoretical Framework…………………………………………………………...9

Introduction to Research Methodology and Design……………………………………………..10

Research Questions………………………………………………………………………………10

Significance of the Study………………………………………………………………………...11

Definitions of Key Terms………………………………………………………………………...11

Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………12

Chapter 2: Literature Review…………………………………………………………………….13

Procedure………………………………………………………………………………………...14

Chapter 3: Methodology…………………………………………………………………………21

Research Methodology…………………………………………………………………………..21

Research Design…………………………………………………………………………………22

Population and Sample…………………………………………………………………………..23

Materials or Instrumentation……………………………………………………………………..24

Study Procedures………………………………………………………………………………...25

Assumptions……………………………………………………………………………………...25

Limitations……………………………………………………………………………………….26

Ethical Assurances……………………………………………………………………………….26

Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………27

Chapter 4: Results………………………………………………………………………………..28

List of Tables

List of Figures

Figure 1 Framework Diagram for the Theory of Planned Behavior 7

Chapter 1: Introduction Comment by Favor, Kevin: Not APA style!

The unemployment of college graduates is an issue of concern as it is associated with numerous including poverty, wastage of manpower resources, increase in economic overload, slow economic growth, anti-social activities, discrimination, and poor health (Herber et al., 2019; Krug et al., 2019; Fergusson, 2022). Recent standings indicate that the unemployment rate of college graduates stands at 5.9 percent (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). Comment by Favor, Kevin: …associated with numerous what? Comment by Favor, Kevin: Not the word to be used

In the job market, college graduates face a lot of challenges including lack of employable skills, the wrong field of study, incorrect perception about employment, poor performance in job interviews, misplaced expectations, poor priorities, and over-education (Hwang, 2017; Onoyase, 2019; Banerjee et al., 2019; Garibaldi et al., 2020; Agopsowicz et al., 2020; Choi & Hur, 2020; Rios‐Avila & Saavedra-Caballero, 2019). According to Krug et al. (2019), unemployed individuals tend to be disadvantaged in the labor market due to the stigma associated with a lack of a job. Unemployment has also been associated with poor health outcomes among college graduates (Omoniyi, 2016). The COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on the unemployment of college graduates. According to Wachter (2020), college graduates who entered the labor market between December 2019 and March 2020 found that their job prospects had shifted drastically.

This phenomenological study is significant because it helps address the literature gap on the match between college education and the job market. Many studies have explored the issue of unemployment among college graduates (Krug et al., 2019; Fergusson, 2022; Hwang, 2017; Meyer & Mncayi, 2021). However, the majority of these studies do not address the mismatch between college education and the job market. Thus, there is a need to explore the role of college education in unemployment, especially from the perspectives of college graduates. The college graduates’ perspectives are very important in this study because they are the victims of a mismatch between education and the job market.

Statement of the Problem

The problem to be addressed in this study is the alignment of college education to the job market (Hwang, 2017; Rios‐Avila & Saavedra-Caballero, 2019). Studies have shown that college graduates face employment challenges due to over-education, job mismatch, misplaced priorities, lack of employable skills, the imbalance between individual perspectives and reality, the gap in skills and practical Job requirements, and over-education, the wrong field of study, poor performance in job interviews, misplaced expectations, poor priorities, and over-education (Hwang, 2017; Onoyase, 2019; Somers et al., 2019; Banerjee et al., 2019; Garibaldi et al., 2020; Mok & Qian, 2018; Agopsowicz et al., 2020; Choi & Hur, 2020; Rios‐Avila & Saavedra-Caballero, 2019). In the job market, education level and area of specialization play a critical role in determining the employability of individuals as the skills and knowledge of individuals. The negative impacts of unemployment do not only affect college graduates, but also the economy, society, and the government. For unemployment of graduates affects society and the economy through increased through poverty, wastage of manpower resources, increase in economic overload, slow economic growth, anti-social activities, and discrimination (Nguyen, 2016; Sage, 2016; Ominiyi, 2016; Herber et al., 2019; Krug et al., 2019; Fergusson, 2022). Therefore, there is a need to understand the role of college education in the job market. Comment by Favor, Kevin: Previously stated. No need for redundancy. Comment by Favor, Kevin: This does not make sense. Comment by Favor, Kevin: Possible typo

Purpose statement

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of college graduates in the labor market from Alpine County, California. Understanding how college education affects the job market can help address the challenges that graduates face getting employment (Hwang, 2017). Education is expensive, and graduates and their families invest many resources and time to ensure the success of college courses (Currie & Goodman, 2020). Securing employment after graduates helps their families to reap the benefits of investing in education. However, the unemployment of college graduates complicates the ability to reap the benefits of investing in education. The current study being proposed will increase awareness of the issues faced by graduates and the perceived role of college education in the labor market. The study will target college graduates in Alpine County, California. The researcher believes that graduates can best explain their view of the role of college education in the job market. Random sampling will be used to recruit 14 college graduates from the area. Data from the study will be collected using interviews. The collected data will be analyzed using thematic analysis through the use of Nvivo software. Comment by Favor, Kevin: I don’t believe this is what you mean to express. Check Currie & Goodman again. Comment by Favor, Kevin: Graduation? Comment by Favor, Kevin: Random sampling cannot be done in the absence of a sampling frame.

Introduction to Theoretical Framework

The theoretical foundation of this qualitative phenomenological study will employ the theory of effective demand. The theory is attributed to the work of Keynes. According to Keynes, unemployment is an involuntary phenomenon that results from a deficiency in aggregate demand. In a capitalist society, workers are hired and invested to produce output when there are favorable expectations about profits and the improvement of the economy. When expectations about the future are favorable, capitalists invest more and employment raises until it reaches equilibrium. The equilibrium is reached when aggregate demand intersects with aggregate supply. In situations where expectations about the future are unfavorable, capitalists reduce their investment and employ fewer people: Leading to equilibrium being reached at the point of cyclical unemployment. This unemployment can be attributed to a deficiency in aggregate demand. Davidson (1996) points out that involuntary unemployment can be due to insufficiency of effective demand, insufficiency of effective demand, and instability of exchange rate. Comment by Favor, Kevin: Good but when you rewrite your work to conform to APA style, you will have to identify this theory within the two pages of the introduction. You can discuss the particulars of the theory within the literature review, as it appears that you are currently doing. The heading Literature Review should come after the introduction. Comment by Favor, Kevin: You still need to identify the source as an intext citation. If you read something other than the article by Keynes, then in parentheses you would write – (as cited by Whomever, 2022) Whomever were the authors of the source would also have to be added to your reference list.

Introduction to Research Methodology and Design

This study will use qualitative methodology to explore college graduates’ lived experiences in the labor market. A qualitative methodology is ideal for collecting and understanding college graduates’ perceptions, attitudes, and opinions (Rahman, 2017). However, the qualitative methodology can be disadvantageous because the results of a qualitative study cannot be generalized as they are subjective rather than objective.

This study used qualitative phenomenological design to examine college graduates’ lived experiences in the job market. The rationale for selecting a qualitative phenomenological design because it enables the exploration of participants' attitudes, behavior, and perceptions about the phenomenon (Moustakas, 1994). Comment by Favor, Kevin: What study? Is this still the literature review?

Research Questions

The researcher has formulated the following research questions to guide this study:

RQ1

What are the lived experiences of college graduates about securing jobs in the labor market?

RQ2

What are the college graduates’ perceptions about unemployment and participation in the labor market?

RQ3

What are college graduates’ perceptions regarding the major challenges of securing a job in the labor market?

Significance of the Study

This phenomenological study can have various empirical, practical, and theoretical implications by increasing the understanding of the job market based on college graduates’ perspectives. The empirical implications are from the improved awareness of college graduates’ perspectives of the job market (Donald et al., 2018). The practical implications can be attributed to the application of the results of the study to improve the performance of college graduates in the job market (Drydakis, 2016; Tudy, 2017). Policymakers could use the results of the study to formulate policies that reduce unemployment of college graduates (Ma’ dan et al., 2020). Also, this study can generate methods of improving college education to match the labor market. College graduates are more successful in the job market when they have a clear understanding of the requirements and demands of employers (Cheng et al., 2021; Pang et al., 20118). The current study enhances the understanding of the alignment of college education with the job market.

Definitions of Key Terms

Unemployment

Refers to a situation in which individuals are unable to secure a job despite being qualified and actively looking for jobs. College graduates who are unemployed have the necessary qualifications but are unable to secure jobs. Unemployment is normally represented as a rate.

College education

Courses offered by colleges and other tertiary institutions. Employees provide the supply of labor while employers provide the demand.

College graduates

Individuals who successfully underwent a college education.

Labor market

Demand and supply of labor.

Summary Comment by Favor, Kevin: I expect this to be removed in your next revision!

Chapter 2 presents a comprehensive literature review on the alignment of college education and the job market. Chapter 3 offers the methodological processes that the researcher will use in this phenomenological qualitative study, while Chapter 4 will provide the findings of the study based on the analysis of the data.

Chapter 2: Literature Review Comment by Favor, Kevin: Your literature review must begin much earlier than here. Also, remove the redundancies.

This qualitative phenomenological study aims to explore the lived experiences of college graduates in the labor market from Alpine County, California. The problem to be addressed in this study involves the challenges encountered by college graduates, including lack of employable skills, the wrong field of study, incorrect perception about employment, poor performance in job interviews, misplaced expectations, poor priorities, and over-education (Hwang, 2017; Onoyase, 2019; Somers et al., 2019; Banerjee et al., 2019; Garibaldi et al., 2020; Mok & Qian, 2018; Agopsowicz et al., 2020; Choi & Hur, 2020; Rios‐Avila & Saavedra-Caballero, 2019). Graduate unemployment has been an issue of concern for a long time in the United States (Hwang, 2017). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021), the unemployment rate of college graduates in April 2020 was 15.0 percent. In March 2021, the unemployment rate of college graduates dropped to 5.9 percent. Despite this drop, the rate remains higher than it was in January 2020, when the percentage of unemployed graduates was 2.7. Unemployment of graduates is associated with various negative outcomes including poverty, wastage of manpower resources, increase in economic overload, slow economic growth, anti-social activities, discrimination, and poor health (Nguyen, 2016; Sage, 2016; Ominiyi, 2016; Herber et al., 2019; Krug et al., 2019; Fergusson, 2022). According to Krug et al. (2019), unemployed individuals tend to be disadvantaged in the labor market due to the stigma associated with a lack of a job. Unemployment has also been associated with poor health outcomes among college graduates (Omoniyi, 2016).

The proposed qualitative phenomenological study aims at exploring college graduates’ lived experiences in the labor market. The target population will include college graduates who have been in the job market. The college graduates were selected for this study because they are affected by challenges in securing jobs. Findings from the phenomenological study can help address the literature gap on the match between college education and the job market. Many studies have explored the issue of unemployment among college graduates (Krug et al., 2019; Fergusson, 2022; Hwang, 2017; Meyer & Mncayi, 2021). However, the majority of these studies do not address the mismatch between college education and the job market. Thus, there is a need to explore the role of college education in unemployment, especially from the perspectives of college graduates. The college graduates’ perspectives are very important in this study because they are the victims of a mismatch between education and the job market.

This section provides a comprehensive review of literature on college education and the job market. The chapter begins with an introduction section that addresses the purpose of the study and the major sections. The introduction is followed by the theoretical framework section that provides an in-depth discussion of the theory that formed the foundation for this phenomenological study.

Procedure

The literature search used five reliable online databases, including Google Scholar, EBSCOHOST, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and ProQuest. Additionally, the investigator used other databases including SAGE Journals, Springer, Research Gate, and Wiley Online Library to supplement the findings from the five selected databases. Studies to be included in the study have to meet specific inclusion/exclusion criteria. For inclusion, the researcher selected studies that (a) were published after 2016, (b) are available in the full-text format, (c) are published in English, (d) are peer-reviewed, and (e) is relevant to the issue of college education and the job market. Conversely, the researcher eliminated articles that were (a) published before 2016, (b) published in a non-English language, (c) non-peer-reviewed, (d) not available in full text, and (e) not relevant to the research problem. Comment by Favor, Kevin: All of what follows up to Market Conditions subheading must be eliminated. What you have written is the description of a procedure for conducting a meta-analysis of prior investigations which I know you have not done. Also, a meta-analysis is a method for answering a different question that you are proposing and would not be done in conjunction with a qualitative study!

The keywords that the researcher used to search the studies included unemployment, college graduates, job market, courses, job mismatch, skill mismatch, lack of employment, and skill gap. First, the researcher carried out a general search using the right keywords to identify the studies that are relevant to the study problem and research questions. Secondly, the researcher used different combinations of keywords to limit the literature search and narrow it to a few relevant studies on the topic. The following combinations of keywords were used to find specific studies to address the research question: unemployment AND college graduate; skills mismatch AND job market; Job mismatch AND college education; Job mismatch AND unemployment; courses AND Job mismatch; lack of employment AND education; Skill gap AND job market. In total 935 studies were collected from the four databases. 164 studies were excluded from the review because they never met one criterion: they were published before 2016. Another 624 studies were excluded because they used other populations rather than college graduates. In addition, 34 studies were excluded from the review as they were not peer-reviewed. 67 studies were excluded because they used languages other than English. This brought the number of articles excluded to 889. The remaining 46 studies were used in the literature review to support the research problem and questions.

After identifying and assembling the selected studies from the databases, the researcher started the process of critically reviewing them. First, the researcher examined the abstracts of all the studies to confirm their relevance to the research topic. After reviewing the abstracts, the researcher proceeded to review the full research articles. The researcher carried out the critical review of the articles by assessing the purpose, sample size, methodology and design, findings, discussions, limitations, conclusion, and direction for future research. The reviewing of the studies helped in the formation of themes and subthemes.

Market condition

Wachter (2020) explored the impacts of market conditions on the employment of college graduates. According to the author, college graduates are vulnerable to adverse labor conditions as new entrants into the job market. The adverse initial entry was found to have persistent impacts on college graduates as it affects various social outcomes including marriage and divorce, timing, and completing fertility and attitudes.

Hwang (2017) also explored the role of market conditions on the employment of college graduates. From the study, Hwang (2017) identified changes in market conditions as one of the contributors to unemployment. Market conditions contribute to the unemployment of college graduates by affecting the demand and supply of labor. During the recession, the unemployment rate increases due to a drop in demand for labor drops due to the deterioration of market conditions. The recession also contributes to the unemployment of college graduates due to layoffs.

Fernández-Kranz and Rodríguez-Planas (2017) explored the impacts of graduating during a recession. The finding of their study indicates that the employment probability of college graduates reduces during a recession. Additionally, the study found that recession reduces the likelihood of having a permanent contract. Graduating during a recession was also associated with lower wages among college graduates.

The gap in skills and practical Job requirements

Most employers consider the hard and soft skills when employing college graduates (Steward et al., 2016). However, evidence indicates the presence of a gap between employers’ expectations and abilities of college graduates (Steward et al., 2016; Hwang, 2016; Abel & Diaz, 2016; Patacsil & Tablatin, 2017). Steward et al. (2016) found that college graduates lack the soft skills required by employers in the job market. Therefore, most college graduates find it difficult to secure employment due to a lack of soft skills.

In a similar study, Patacsil and Tablatin (2017) found that employers and college graduates consider soft skills as important for employment. In particular, the researcher identified communication and teamwork as the most important soft skills that college graduates must possess to be employed. However, the researcher found that employers and college graduates have different views on the importance of hard skills. The college graduates were found to perceive hard skills to be more important than soft skills. Employers, on the other hand, considered soft skills to be as important as hard skills.

A study by Hossain et al. (2018) found that lack of employability skills is the greatest contributor to unemployment among college graduates in Malaysia. Employable skills such as job application, resume writing, communication, and interviews, enable college graduates to secure job placement. Lack of these skills makes it difficult for college graduates to secure job placement.

Hwang (2017) identified a gap in skills and practical job requirements as a key reason for college graduate unemployment. The employability of a college graduate depends on the skills and experiences gained from the college curriculum and in life. At times, the college curriculum is limited to the general level, which is insufficient to provide the skills required in the market. This lack of skills and experience makes it hard for college graduates to be employed as the market requires a sufficiently trained labor force.

Abel and Deitz (2016) found that college graduates tend to experience underemployment due to their skill and knowledge orientation. College graduates that have taken quantitatively oriented and occupation-specific majors experience relatively lower underemployment. Therefore, the employability of college graduates was due to their courses.

The Imbalance Between Individual Perspectives And Reality

Hwang (2017) identified the imbalance between the college graduates’ perspectives and reality as one of the reasons for unemployment. Decisions made by college students about their future careers are influenced by their expectations. However, these expectations are at times misplaced as they might not reflect on reality. Therefore, a lack of balance between college students’ perspectives and the job market affects their employability.

Hossain et al. (2018) found that the attributes of college graduates play a critical role in determining their employability. In the study, most of the participants attributed their challenges in securing employment to being selective. The researchers attributed the selectiveness of college graduates in the labor market to their desire to live comfortably. Therefore, most graduates are unable to secure jobs due to negative attitudes towards certain positions.

Mansour and Dean (2016) examined the employability skills of college graduates as perceived by university faculty of human resource development (HRD), and employers. The study found that HRD faculty are providing the skills that employers require. This finding is unexpected as available evidence indicates that the skills obtained from colleges do not match the skills required in the market (Hwang, 2017; Hossain et al., 2018).

Over-education

Hwang (2017) found over-education as one factor that contributes to unemployment among college graduates. According to the author, over-education occurs when college graduates exceed the socially optimal education level. This implies that over-education results in more candidates available for a given job than the required amount.

Job Mismatch

Another factor that studies have identified as responsible for the unemployment of college graduates is job mismatch. Hossain et al. (2018) found a positive correlation between job mismatch and unemployment. College graduates who have the greatest skills and knowledge get hired first in the market.

Pang et al. (2018) examined the competencies that fresh college graduates need to possess to succeed in the job market. According to the researchers, employers require college graduates to have the ability and willingness to learn, be hardworking, have teamwork and collaboration, analytical thinking, and self-control (Patacsil & Tablatin, 2017; Steward et al., 2016). Additionally, employers were found to value both soft and hard skills in the labor market (Patacsil & Tablatin, 2017; Steward et al., 2016; Pang et al., 2018). However, most graduates do not have these skills, especially soft skills: Making it hard for them to be employed (Steward et al., 2016). Therefore, college graduates do not meet the demands of the market, which contributes to their unemployment.

Negative Impacts of Unemployment of Graduates

The unemployment of college graduates is associated with various negative outcomes including impacts at the individual level, family, societal level, and economic level. At the individual level, graduates have been shown to experience discrimination, poor mental, and low standards of living (Rafi et al, 2019). Families suffer from unemployment of college graduates through increased dependence, financial difficulties, high poverty rate, wastage of manpower resources, increase in economic overload, slow economic growth, engagement in anti-social activities, discrimination, and poor health (Sage, 2016; Nguyen, 2016; Ominiyi, 2016; Krug et al., 2019; Fergusson, 2022; Herber et al., 2019; Rafi et al., 2019).

Chapter 3: Methodology

This chapter provides an in-depth discussion of the methodology used to address the research question. In addition to describing the methodology, the chapter provides an overview of the specific research design to be used and the rationale. The chapter will also provide a description of the participants, materials, procedures, and role of the researcher. The chapter will also address issues relating to data analysis, trustworthiness, and ethics. The issues of trustworthiness that will be covered in this chapter include credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability.

Research Methodology

This study will use qualitative methodology to explore college graduates’ lived experiences in the labor market. The rationale for choosing qualitative methodology is it is ideal for collecting and understanding college graduates’ perceptions, attitudes, and opinions (Rahman, 2017). The advantage of selecting a qualitative methodology is that it provides researchers with in-depth information about a given phenomenon (Vasileious et al., 2018; Rahman, 2017). However, the qualitative methodology has numerous limitations. For example, the results of a qualitative study cannot be generalized as they are subjective rather than objective. Additionally, qualitative methodology is susceptible to bias as researchers have control over sampling, collection, and analysis of data.

In this study, the researcher considered quantitative and mixed methodologies. However, the two methodologies were not chosen due to their limitations and the purpose of this study. For example, the quantitative methodology was not selected because it focuses on relationships between variables rather than the themes from the participants’ responses (Rahman, 2017). Despite being overlooked, the quantitative methodology could have improved the outcome of the study because of its objective in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data (Pietilä et al., 2020).

The mixed methodology was overlooked because the process of collecting and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data is complex, and requires experienced researchers to effectively collect, analyze and interpret data (Pietilä et al., 2020). The mixed methodology was not suitable for this study because it was time-consuming and confusing due to the difficulty of compiling qualitative and quantitative data to provide a common conclusion (Pietilä et al., 2020). Despite being overlooked, the mixed methodology was an attractive option since it combines the advantages of quantitative and qualitative methodology.

Research Design

This study used qualitative phenomenological design to examine college graduates' lived experiences in the job market. The researcher selected a qualitative phenomenological design because it enables the exploration of participants' attitudes, behavior, and perceptions about the phenomenon (Moustakas, 1994). In the present study, the phenomenological study design facilitates the understanding of the college graduates’ perception of the job market.

The ethnography study design was overlooked because it focuses on specific aspects of peoples' lives (Moustakas, 1994). Additionally, the qualitative phenomenological design was in the present study over grounded theory design because the focus is on describing the college graduate’s lived experiences in the job market rather than developing a theory (Pietilä et al., 2020; Rahman, 2017). The phenomenon in this study is unemployment among college graduates in the job market. College graduates are known to have various challenges securing jobs in the labor market due to job mismatch, over-education, misplaced priorities, the imbalance perspectives and reality, lack of employable skills, and wrong field of study (Hwang, 2017; Onoyase, 2019; Somers et al., 2019; Banerjee et al., 2019; Garibaldi et al., 2020). In this phenomenological study, the college graduates’ descriptions of challenges in the job market is presented. The rationale for using a phenomenological design is to improve the understanding of college graduates’ perspectives regarding the job market.

Population and Sample

In this phenomenological study, the target population is college graduates from Alpine County, California. College graduates are the most suitable for the present study because they have a better understanding of challenges in the labor market. One benefit of qualitative study is its flexibility in selecting sample size (Kim et al., 2017). Alase (2017) suggests a range of two to 25 as the most suitable sample sizes in qualitative studies. However, studies have shown that saturations occur when the sample size is between 12 and 15 (Alase, 2017).

A sample of 14 was selected through random sampling, which involves giving individuals in the target population equal chances of participating in the study. The rationale for choosing random sampling is because it reduces bias in the recruitment of the participants (Taherdoost, 2016). However, random sampling can be costly and time-consuming considering that the research has to give everyone a chance to participate in the study.

Establishing Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness is one way in which researchers can convince themselves and others that their studies are worthy of attention (Nowell et al., 2017). The criteria of establishing trustworthiness in this study will follow the four criteria highlighted by Nowell et al. (2017): transferability, dependability, credibility, and confirmability. Credibility in this study will be achieved through persistent observation and prolonged engagement. The utilization of peer-reviews will help establish credibility as they provide an external check of the research process.

Transferability improves the trustworthiness of the study by improving the generalizability of the study. The researcher aims at ensuring that the finding of the study is transferable by providing a clear description of the study setting. A clear description of the study setting will improve the transferability of the study as the study can be carried out in another setting (Nowell et al., 2017).

Dependability will also improve the trustworthiness of the study. the researcher aims at improving the dependability of the study by ensuring that the research process is logical and traceable. Additionally, the researcher will ensure that the research process is clearly documented to improve dependability (Nowell et al., 2017).

The researcher will also promote the trustworthiness of the study through confirmability. Confirmability involves ensuring that the interpretations and findings of the study are derived from the collected data. Confirmability will also be achieved by ensuring that credibility, transferability, and dependability have been achieved (Nowell et al., 2017).

Materials or Instrumentation

The researcher utilized an interview (see Appendix A) protocol to collect data from the participants. Three experts were involved in the development of the interview protocol. The interview protocol was developed based on the contents of previous literature on the topic. The interview protocol was for semi-structured interviews and contained open-ended questions that address the three research questions. The researcher performed a field test to evaluate the suitability of the interview protocol. Additionally, the field test was aimed at ensuring that the research questions and purpose of the study were consistent.

Study Procedures

Prior to starting the phenomenological study, the researcher sought approval from the university’s review board. After getting approval from the board, the researcher visited the area of the study and interacted with some of the potential studies while familiarizing themselves with the setting. The college graduates were contacted through social media and recruited to participate in the study. In total, the researcher conducted 35 college graduates from Alpine County, California. The participants were identified through referrals and college groups. 28 students responded to the request to participate in the study. consent forms were sent to the 28 respondents. Out of the 28 consent forms, 22 were returned while six were not returned. Further filtering resulted in 14 participants being recruited for the study, with most of the removed individuals lacking a computer or were willing to participate only after being paid.

The researcher observed the ethical considerations involving human participants in the study. The participants were given unique identification codes to make them anonymous. Confidentiality was achieved through storing interview transcripts in a secure and password-protected computer. The researcher intends to destroy the data in a safe manner after they have been used.

The interviews were administered through the use of the Zoom application. Each interview took between 20 minutes and 35 minutes. The questions were read directly from the interview protocol.

Assumptions

The major assumption in this study is that the college graduates provided honest responses about their experiences in the job market. However, the risk of social desirability bias was apparent as participants tend to provide responses that are socially acceptable. Another assumption is that college graduates have adequate experiences in the job market to provide reliable responses.

Limitations

The primary limitation of this study is the use of the qualitative methodology. the qualitative study method tends to be subjective rather than objective. This lack of objectivity increases the risk of researcher bias. Although the recruitment of participants used random sampling, there is a risk of bias as the researcher controls data collection and analysis. The current study addressed the limitations of a qualitative study by using interview protocol to collect data and member checking. Another limitation is that the responses of participants cannot be proven to be honest. However, the participants explained to the participants the need to be honest in providing responses. Member checking also helped confirm the responses as honest.

Ethical Assurances

Abiding by the ethical norms of research promotes knowledge, accountability, collaboration and avoidance of error (Resnick, 2020). In this study, the researcher observed the ethical standards by seeking approvals from ethical committees. The seeking of consent from the participants helped ensure that ethical standards and norms are made. The following ethical principles ensured that the researcher observed ethical standards.

· Autonomy : the researcher explained to the participants that participation in the study is voluntary. The researcher avoided inducing or coercing the participants to participate in the study. Moreover, the researcher assured the participants that their rights, dignity, and autonomy will be respected in the study.

· Beneficence and nonmaleficence : The researcher aims at maximizing the benefits of the study while reducing the risk of harm on the participants.

· Justice : the research assured the participants that he will not discriminate against any of them.

· Confidentiality and data protection : The researcher ensured participants of confidentiality in handling of their data. Confidentiality in the study was achieved by the maintenance of anonymity of the participants.

· Integrity : The researcher ensured that the integrity of the study ensuring that correct or factual data are collected and used, seeking continuous review by professionals, and avoiding misrepresentation of data

Summary

This study used a qualitative methodology and phenomenological design. The rationale for selecting a qualitative methodology is that it provides a deeper insight into the issue of education alignment to the job market. The researcher used phenomenological design because it provides insight into the opinions, experiences, and attitudes of the participants towards a given phenomenon. The study used 14 participants, who were recruited through the use of random sampling. The participants were contacted through social media. Data collection was done through interviews with the participants. The interviews were done through the Zoom application. The interview took between 20 and 35 minutes. The interviews were recorded automatically, transcribed, and downloaded. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the collected data. Nvivo software helped in thematic analysis. The thematic analysis process involved several steps: familiarization with data, generation of initial codes, searching themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and presenting and discussing the results. The primary limitation of this phenomenological study is the lack of objectivity in the qualitative methodology. Chapter 4 will provide the results of the study.

Chapter 4: Results

This study examined college graduates’ lived experiences in the job market in Alpine County, California. The problem that the study wanted to solve was the alignment of college education to the job market. This chapter provides an insight into the methods of analyzing data that the researcher intends to use in the present study. Additionally, the researcher will provide the rationale for using a given data analysis method.

Data Analysis: Thematic Analysis

Thematic analysis is a common method for evaluating qualitative data in various fields including sports, healthcare, and psychology (Xu & Zammit, 2020; Khokhar et al., 2020). Some scholars have argued that thematic analysis is a foundational method of qualitative analysis (Nowell et al., 2017). According to Xu and Zammit (2020), thematic analysis involves focusing on repeated meaning across the collected data set. After the repeated meaning has been identified, they are identified and organized into relevant themes and subthemes (Labra et al., 2020). The themes and subthemes are then used for thematic analysis, which occurs in a systematic manner (Labra et al., 2020; Khokhar et al., 2020). A rigorous thematic analysis can provide trustworthy and insightful results in qualitative studies (Nowell et al., 2017). The rationale for using the thematic analysis method is that it provides a highly flexible approach to the evaluation of qualitative data (Nowell et al., 2017). Additionally, thematic analysis is attractive in the current study because it offers accessible means of analyzing qualitative data (Nowell et al., 2017). However, the limitation of thematic analysis is that it can lead to inconsistency and lack of coherence when developing themes from the research data.

Thematic analysis will be carried out through six phases proposed by Labrat et al. (2020). in the current research: familiarization, generating initial codes, searching themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and presenting and discussing the results. Familiarization with collected data involves examining the data to understand themselves. In qualitative studies, data come from numerous forms including recorded observations, texts, multimedia, public domain sources, photographs, videos and policy manuals (Nowell et al., 2017). Familiarizing with the collected data also enables researchers to understand the depth and breadth of the collected data.

After familiarization with the collected data, the researcher will generate the initial codes. Generation of initial codes involves the researcher revisiting the data. Coding allows the researcher to simplify and focus on specific features of the data. During the generation of codes, the researcher will identify the important sections of the text and attach a label index to them as they relate to an issue or theme from the data. Searching for themes is the third step in the thematic analysis process and involves examining and categorizing codes. The results of searching for themes will result in main themes and subthemes. The fourth step would be reviewing the generated themes. The review process involves examining the code of individual themes. The process of reviewing themes is aimed at establishing whether they appear in a coherent pattern or not. Additionally, reviewing themes helps establish whether the generated themes reflect the intended meaning in the data. The fifth step involves defining and naming themes, which involves determining the aspect of data captured by the theme.

References

Abel, J., & Deitz, R. (2016). Underemployment in the early careers of college graduates following the Great Recession. NBER Working Paper. https://doi.org/10.3386/w22654

Banerjee, R., Verma, A., & Zhang, T. (2019). Brain gain or brain waste? Horizontal, vertical, and full job-education mismatch and wage progression among skilled immigrant men in Canada. International Migration Review, 53(3), 646-670. https://doi.org/10.1177/0197918318774501

Cheng, M., Adekola, O., Albia, J., & Cai, S. (2021). Employability in higher education: A review of key stakeholders' perspectives. Higher Education Evaluation and Development. https://doi.org/10.1108/heed-03-2021-0025

Donald, W. E., Ashleigh, M. J., & Baruch, Y. (2018). Students’ perceptions of education and employability. Career Development International, 23(5), 513-540. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-09-2017-0171

Fernandez-Kranz, D., & Rodriguez-Planas, N. (2017). The perfect storm: Graduating in a recession in a segmented labor market. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2931334

Garibaldi, P., Gomes, P. M., & Sopraseuth, T. (2020). Output costs of education and skill mismatch. SSRN Electronic Journal, 1-36. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3542643

Hodgman, M. R. (2018). Employers’ perspectives on the performance of higher education institutions in preparing graduates for the workplace: A review of the literature. Business and Economic Research, 8(3), 92. https://doi.org/10.5296/ber.v8i3.13370

Hossain, M. I., Yagamaran, K. S., Afrin, T., Limon, N., Nasiruzzaman, M., & Karim, A. M. (2018). Factors influencing unemployment among fresh graduates: A case study in Klang Valley, Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(9), 1494 – 1507. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v8-i9/4859

Hwang, Y. (2017). What is the cause of graduates’ unemployment? Focus on individual concerns and perspectives. Journal of Educational Issues, 3(2), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.5296/jei.v3i2.11378

Mansour, B. E., & Dean, J. C. (2016). Employability skills as perceived by employers and University faculty in the fields of human resource development (HRD) for entry level graduate jobs. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies, 04(01), 39-49. https://doi.org/10.4236/jhrss.2016.41005

Nosratabadi, S., Bahrami, P., Palouzian, K., & Mosavi, A. (2020). Leader cultural intelligence and organizational performance. Cogent Business & Management, 7(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2020.1809310

Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847

Onoyase, A. (2019). Causal factors and effects of unemployment on graduates of tertiary institutions in Ogun state south west Nigeria: Implications for counseling. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 9(4), 119-127. https://doi.org/10.2478/jesr-2019-0061

Pang, E., Wong, M., Leung, C. H., & Coombes, J. (2018). Competencies for fresh graduates’ success at work: Perspectives of employers. Industry and Higher Education, 33(1), 55-65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950422218792333

Patacsil, F., & Tablatin, C. L. (2017). Exploring the importance of soft and hard skills as perceived by IT internship students and industry: A gap analysis. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 7(3), 347. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.271

Resnik, D. B. (2020). What is ethics in research & why is it important? National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/index.cfm

Rios‐Avila, F., & Saavedra-Caballero, F. (2019). It pays to study for the right job: Exploring the causes and consequences of education-occupation job mismatch. SSRN Electronic Journal, 1-39. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3329523

Somers, M. A., Cabus, S. J., Groot, W., & Van den Brink, H. M. (2019). Horizontal mismatch between employment and field of education: Evidence from a systematic literature review. Journal of Economic Surveys, 33(2), 567-603. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12271

Taherdoost, H. (2016). Sampling methods in research methodology; How to choose a sampling technique for research. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3205035

Wachter, T. V. (2020). The persistent effects of initial labor market conditions for young adults and their sources. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 34(4), 168-194. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.34.4.168