Assignment 3: Research Manuscript Critique Part 1

JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR BUSINESS, 85: 359–368, 2010 Copyright C© Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0883-2323 DOI: 10.1080/08832320903449618

Learning: The Experiences of Adults Who Work Full-Time While Attending Graduate School

Part-Time

Bridget N. O’Connor New York University, New York, New York, USA

Robert Cordova Robert Cordova Consulting, LLC, New York, New York, USA

The experiences of students who are working full-time and going to graduate school part- time were the focus of this phenomenological investigation. Data analysis showed that these individuals, who reported high job involvement and strong career planning, were often stymied when they attempted to apply new ideas to the workplace. Those with strong social and family support reported feeling less stress than did those who did not, and preferred learning experiences in which they were active learners. Results from this exploratory study show that when individual characteristics, the academic environment, and the workplace environment are in alignment, individuals are most supported in becoming all they can be.

Keywords: adult learning, professional graduate education, student experiences, transfer of learning

Working adult students who return to the university part- time for advanced professional degrees come with the ex- pectations that what they learn enhances their knowledge of their field, the practices they see at their workplace, and their own self-understanding in relation to society and the work they have chosen to do. Sometimes, they return because they must have a credential or degree to retain their present job or obtain the job they want. However, even with this external motivation, they are also intrinsically motivated to learn.

The definition of learning is evolving as researchers come to better understand what learning is and what learn- ing means to individuals. Mackeracker’s (2004) definition was that learning is “a process of making sense of life’s experiences. . .. Making choices and decisions as a means of obtaining feedback to confirm or disconfirm meanings and choices” (p. 8). Illeris (2004) said learning is a result of the tension among cognitive, emotional, and societal processes. Jarvis (2006) suggested that learning is:

Correspondence should be addressed to Bridget N. O’Connor, New York University, Department of Administration, Leadership, and Technol- ogy, 239 Greene Street, Suite 300, New York, NY 10003, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

the combination of processes whereby the whole person—body (genetic, physical and biological) and mind (knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, emotions, beliefs and senses): experiences a social situation, the perceived con- tent of which is then transformed cognitively, emotively or practically (or through any combination) and integrated into the person’s individual biography resulting in a changed (or more experienced) person (p. 13).

What these definitions have in common is the focus on the individual and the understanding that adults’ choices and perceptions of the value of learning and their resultant trans- formation of experiences is the ultimate predictor of whether or not learning happens.

Our purpose was to describe the learning experiences of adult part-time master’s students, who are rarely the focus of research. It is anticipated that an understanding of their ex- periences could be a contribution to the literature, providing an example of a novel approach to not only describing what happened, but also the perceived value of a graduate degree. Findings could inform classroom practices and, at the same time, provide a richer understanding of the personal lives and work environments that impact learning and the transfer of learning to the workplace of these part-time adult students.

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Individual

Characteristics

The Academ ic Learning

Environm ent

Becom ing: Individual Change;

Organizational Change;

Effects on Curriculum

The Work Environm ent

Personal Relevance

Content Relevance

Job Involvement/

Engagem ent

FIGURE 1 The relationship of individual characteristics, the work environment, and the academic learning environment on the transfer of learning.

Individuals and their workplace managers, who often pay tuition for graduate school, may be interested in the results of this study as well as university program evaluators.

Related Literature

A literature review helped us identify variables related to adult and workplace learning. Not all experiences are learning experiences, yet those that are described as classroom-based do not always get their intended results. (O’Connor, Bronner, & Delaney, 2007). We organized vari- ables that help to understand learning as those that address the personal needs of the individual (helping the learner “be- come”) and the job demand needs (helping the organization “become”). These variables are directly related to the aca- demic learning environment, including but not limited to instructional design and the resultant feedback to curricu- lum that provides the academic impetus for becoming or changing.

These variables are modeled in Figure 1. This is not a model of how we learn; rather, this model shows the in- terrelationship among variables that are known to impact learning. Each circle in Figure 1 closely follows the cat- egories of what Baldwin and Ford (1988) called training input categories: individual characteristics, the work envi- ronment, and the learning environment. A premise here is that where there is synergy among these variables, learning

occurs, which results in the learner “becoming.” Learning is organic; it is not the result of any one input and whether or not learning is demonstrated is a product of the intersec- tion of multiple variables. Of special interest is where the variables overlap—personal relevance as a direct overlap be- tween individual and learning environment characteristics, job involvement as the direct overlap with individual char- acteristics and the work environment, and content relevance as the overlap between the learning and organizational en- vironments. In other words, when individual characteristics, the classroom learning environment, and the workplace are congruent, it is suggested that change is most apt to occur.

Personal Relevance

Guidelines for the transfer of training have been developed in relation to learner characteristics. Cheng and Ho (1998) sug- gested that locus of control and self-efficacy were vital to the transfer of learning from organizational training programs. They also found that individuals with high job involvement and strong career planning were more likely to use what the learned back on their jobs. In another study, it was a need to know that led to individuals’ quest for applying what was learned to the workplace, as well as a need to learn to per- suade others to change (Lim & Johnson, 2002).

Adults come to the academic classroom with a wide vari- ety of experiences that impact both their motivation to learn

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as well as how they prefer to learn. Typically, motivation to learn among adults in higher education is strong. They typically have strong preferences as to what they want to learn, how they want to learn, and appreciate those learning environments in which the instructor treats them as adults, al- lowing them opportunities to use and share their experiences in problem analysis or by offering options as to assignments and work-group composition (McKeachie & Svinicki, 2006). Many researchers have explained the role of experience by emphasizing the role of reflection in the learning process. When adults reflect on their experiences, they are making meaning of them. Experiences by themselves are not learn- ing opportunities, unless we think about them and evaluate them (Brookfield, 1987).

The academic learning environment has been defined as the actual classroom facilities and technology support (Chism, 2002; Mackeracher, 2004), but it is also includes the campus itself—for example, its library, cultural, and recre- ational facilities. Moreover, faculty as well as classmates (McKeachie & Svinicki, 2006) and university support staff contribute to the overall learning experience.

Content Relevance

Content relevance means that what is being learned in the classroom has relevancy back at the workplace. The curricu- lum for the development of professionals must be relevant to those who are learning, and there is a mutual dependency (Lindell & Stenstrom, 2005). Moreover, the effectiveness of a particular instructional technique is related to the content being taught (Alvarez, Salas, & Garofano, 2004; Mathieu, Martineau, & Tannenbaum, 1993). Information technology practitioners who rated their organization as a learning or- ganization were motivated to transfer their learning (Egan, Yang, & Bartlett 2004). The most common reason for low transfer has been no direct relationship of learning to jobs and a lack of understanding of the content (Lim & Johnson, 2002).

Job Involvement

In one study, individuals with high job involvement and strong career planning were more likely to use what they learned back on their jobs (Cheng & Ho, 1998); in another study of managers, however, the social system at work played a central role in whether learning was transferred (Tracey, Tannenbaum, & Kavanagh, 1995). Etienne Wenger (2003) suggested that learning is a result of personal ability as well as being able to position yourself within a community. In- dividuals learn with and from members of their community. Communities, he said, become stale when all they do is bump up against each other (Wenger). Accepting this premise, the question is how to apply what is being learned. Sometimes dissonance occurs when what is being learned in the class- room is not connected with organizational work practices or individual values.

Overall Research Questions

From the initial question of how these part-time students described their lives while they were working full-time and going to school part-time, we asked questions including the following: How did these working adults manage their day- to-day lives when they are studying? Were they able to adapt and adopt what they are learning? What impact did they see their education having on their own personal growth as well as their organization’s growth? What academic experiences either aided or detracted from their learning? Did their aca- demic experiences help them adapt to new circumstances and result as catalysts for organizational learning? In other words, what did it mean to be an adult learner—with a personal life and a professional life—studying part-time for an advanced degree?

METHOD

Because we wanted to understand the lives of these part-time students from their own perspectives, we used a modified phenomenological research approach. Used more frequently in nursing than education, phenomenology helps researchers explore experiences that cannot be captured quantitatively and helps to make sense of a phenomenon (Creswell, 1998). The phenomenon here was the overall experience of work- ing full-time and studying part-time. We opted not to report individual cases because we wanted to capture the overall essence of the experience. Because participants were grad- uates of a program in which one of us had taught and an- other had graduated, we worked hard to ensure that we did not impose our own ideas into the interviewees or into data analysis.

As their major advisor and classroom instructor, I (Re- searcher 1) have for decades seen how my adult students typically flourished in the graduate-level classroom despite heavy workloads and (often) heavy family responsibilities. As a graduate student, I had worked part-time and gone to school full-time (the reverse situation of this group) and was fortunate to have been teaching and studying in the same institution at the same time. I have watched my extremely busy students master an ability to excel in all areas of their lives and have always wondered how they managed, and if this management was as easy as they made it appear. I went into this investigation truly wanting to know not only how they did what they did, but also how they experienced their academic lives and the impact that their studies had on their work and personal lives.

As I (Researcher 2) interviewed the study participants, I found my own experiences as a part-time student in the program and working full-time coming to the surface, so I worked to use our common knowledge and experiences as a tool to assist me in hearing the interviewees as opposed to coaching or leading them. I went into this investigation

362 B. N. O’CONNOR AND R. CORDOVA

realizing that each of us has an independent and unique grad- uate experience and I was eager to hear about the intervie- wees’ personal perspective and personal journey toward their degree.

The interview protocol was based on the literature cited previously. We did not go into this investigation knowing nothing of how adults transferred learning outcomes from organizational learning initiatives to the workplace, as quan- titative literature existed. This literature was used to identify questions that we could use to help participants reflect on their experiences.

I (Researcher 1) e-mailed an invitation to participate to individuals who met these criteria and who had graduated within the past three years. Those interested in participating were asked to return a short questionnaire, and I selected six participants on the basis of obtaining a diverse group (di- verse in terms of gender, age, race, and socioeconomic status, marital status, and job levels). I gave each volunteer a $50 gift certificate from the University Bookstore. I (Researcher 2) conducted most interviews face to face; two were con- ducted via telephone. These interviews lasted approximately 90 min. I recorded and stored data on a digital recorder, then downloaded data to a memory device. Later, with the help of a graduate assistant, the recordings were transcribed and subsequently reviewed by the participants for clarity and completeness. Additionally, I (Researcher 2) wrote a detailed reflective log after each interview.

Treatment of the data followed a modified approach de- veloped by Colaizzi (1978). Individually, we carefully read all transcripts several times, to ensure that we had a good sense of each participant. Then, we each identified signifi- cant statements and worked together to develop codes that could be used to group the significant statements. A quali- tative software analysis tool, Atlas.ti, was used to sort and network the coded statements. The next step was to trans- late coded statements into meanings and then organize them into themes. We complied with the strict requirements of the University’s Committee on Human Subjects.

Limitations

We realize this study does not meet the strict guidelines of phenomenological research in that a considerable number of prior studies in a related field (Learning and Develop- ment) were available to help us frame the research ques- tions. Moreover, we were concerned that these interviewees would be reluctant to express any negative experiences be- cause they knew one of us quite well. That said, in reviewing the transcripts, neither of us had any inkling of hesitancy to report dissatisfaction on the part of the interviewees. In fact, I (Researcher 2), found that they saw me as a confed- erate. In preinterview discussions, I set expectations for a clear and detailed account of their experiences. All candi- dates acknowledged and respected the value of this research

as professionals, which allowed them to be frank and candid in their responses.

Participants

Six graduates who had studied part-time for either an MA in Business Education or an Advanced Certificate in Work- place Learning while working in full-time jobs were the focus of this study. Situated in a school of education, this MA is a 36-credit degree, and the Postbaccalaureate Ad- vanced Certificate consists of 18 credits that could also be applied toward an MA. The curriculum is aimed at under- standing and supporting adult learning in both academic and organizational settings. Students take course coursework in research techniques, instructional design, curriculum devel- opment, instructional strategies, and evaluation of learning. Supplementing these specialization courses are courses in ed- ucational foundations and advanced content areas. Advanced content courses are typically taken in the school of business (O’Connor, 2004).

Four women and two men between the ages of 29 and 51 (at graduation, M age = 36) agreed to be interviewed. Of the six, three had been working directly in positions related to their major—as an educational specialist, a technical trainer, and as a college instructor; the other three were in market- ing related positions—marketing (general), product manager, and as a vice president of sales. Of note, each participant had either changed jobs—or added a job (the vice president of sales became an adjunct professor)—while studying. Two married while studying; two were single, two were in com- mitted relationships; and none had children. One was Asian American; others were White, with one participant an inter- national student from South Africa.

RESULTS

We have organized the findings around nine central themes, relating these individuals’ experiences to taking a journey. These themes and their context are discussed in this section.

Theme 1: Why I Embarked on the Journey: A Graduate Degree = Career Development Several participants suggested that they began studying to obtain the position they wanted, and two commented they believed they were hired in their present positions because of their pursuit of the degree. The general consensus was that they, as individuals, wanted this particular degree as a means for career development.

Knowing that I didn’t have a master’s degree, she [the hiring Program Director] suggested that if I wanted to continue this [adjuncting], that I probably should get a master’s degree.

I was having a really hard time getting a job at the level I wanted so I looked into going back to school, which is when I decided to do my master’s part-time.

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For these individuals, going back to school had meaning—they wanted to expand their knowledge of their field so as to have a useful credential and at the same time were excited about doing so. As the following section shows, these individuals were quite confident of their abilities.

Theme 2: I’m the Driver: I Can Do It!

No participant doubted his or her ability to succeed in grad- uate school. Although several expressed math, writing, or test-taking phobias, all were confident from the start that they would succeed. This confidence was a result of past aca- demic experiences and feedback they had received through their workplace.

I do well in a work setting. If you give me something to do, if you give me deadline, give me timeframe I do it you know no matter what.

A lot of it [going back to school] had to do with my confidence in my ability really to know that I could go back to school do really well.

From these quotations, it is clear that any obstacle to complet- ing their degree was not a result of their own ability to excel in an academic environment. However, they all reported they needed support from friends and family, as reported below.

Theme 3: Roadside Support: I Had Help!

Participants who were in committed relationships had an easier time balancing work, life, and school issues than the two single (and not engaged) women in the study. Here’s how two of those in committed relationships described the support they received:

My family and my husband was a tremendous support, and so were my friends and family, you know, extremely patient. My husband values education highly. All those weekends when I was working seeing him very little. He always encouraged me, and so did my family.

I know my partner, you know, was working full-time while I was in school. So even though I was paying for tuition with loans. . .. There were a lot of [sic] other expenses, food, just general expenses that were, fell more to him during those periods.

The single participants were more challenged, although not for the same reasons:

And my parents are traditional, you know. They really don’t see a woman, you know, going so far, you know going out with schooling, you know, for years. Their goal for me is to get married and settle down, that’s it. So I didn’t really get more support from my family.

I remember my friend commenting, because I was stressed out about something. . .. “How do you manage a full-time job, go to graduate school, have this new boyfriend, host parties,

and something else. . . oh work out. . . .” So yeah, I realized I did have a lot going on. Yeah, I was a deacon at church as well. So I was really involved in my church community, so there was a lot. There was a lot.

It is important to point out here that despite time demand issues, all participants coped. Following is how they de- scribed problems related to balancing their personal, work, and school lives.

Theme 3: Detours: A Search for Balance

World events, demanding jobs, and demanding schoolwork all competed for their time and energies. One of the inter- viewees had begun her MA the semester of 9/11. She sub- sequently took a semester off to cope with her overwhelm- ing sadness, but did return. When she did return, she and one other interviewee typically enrolled in only one class a semester. Here’s what she said:

I lost a bunch of people (during 9/11). People coming up to you and reminding you of it all the time. . . . I had just moved; there were lots of changes in my life at that time. I thought about quitting like, almost every semester. I thought like, Why am I doing this? It was really hard. It was really hard for me. It was hard to go to school, go to work, to have relationships, and deal with 9/11 and all this stuff going on.

I took a semester off after that first semester. I had taken an extension. That first semester back at [company] was really difficult for me—how difficult it would be to be back at [company] with 9/11 in your face.

Others simply described challenges in finding enough time in the day to do what needed to be done:

I think that it was demanding. Because at the end of the day, the last thing I wanted to do was come home and do reading or whatever or spending my weekends doing homework. But that was at a time in my life when it was rewarding and satisfying, and I liked it.

I don’t know how I did but managed to go through all the paper writing, all the reading I had to do for school. I am amazed how I did it.

Theme 4: Potholes: Limited Workplace Support

These part-time students faced unexpected challenges in the workplace. Sometimes they reported their peers simply dis- missed the value of their graduate work and other times their supervisors downplayed the value of their studying. That said, four had financial support from their employers, including half tuition, a set dollar amount, and complete reimbursement. Only two were responsible for their own tu- ition, often taking out student loans or tapping their 401Ks to pay tuition. One respondent, interestingly enough, found

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emotional support outside of her immediate group, but not within it.

I think the work that I did was valued if I kept it to. . . yeah, I’d say it was more outside of my group; it was valued by the business, by the people outside of my group who were directly affected by my work. I’ve always gotten great kudos from project managers.

It [a graduate degree] wasn’t a priority to my supervisor. Because, again, I was working in those positions where a degree wasn’t required. This latest position, I think, it was one of the reasons why they were interested in hiring me. So that, so they were more supportive.

I’m not going to thrive in this place. Because they really don’t appreciate higher education. I kinda thought that I would be asked to, “[name], we know you’re taking this class. . . let’s maybe do a lunch and learn—we’d love to hear more about evaluation, how we can incorporate that into [company]. We’d love to. . . However, when I brought up Kirkpatrick, I was told to stuff it down. I was not supposed to use that verbiage. Adult learning and education and that everyone should know. I wasn’t trying to boast; I was trying to share and those are things we don’t know we don’t want to hear it.

Life and jobs have a way of changing, and those who reported an ability to apply what they were learning on the job reported the highest job satisfaction. As noted previously, everyone interviewed either changed jobs or added a job while they were studying—usually they wanted more opportunities to apply what they were learning, and when they found positions that provided that, they switched jobs; when transferred to areas in their organizations that were more unrelated, they were not happy. Overall, these individuals were incredibly agile, adept, and confident that they knew what they wanted.

I think the reason why I like my work so much is that it mat- ters. It matters to the individuals who want to do something better in their in their jobs. I knew it [a career in learning] was in my career trajectory. Absolutely. I liked my work when I was going to school. When I could do it.

At the beginning, I was very happy. It was really two different experiences. One, when I was happy at work and with the [company’s] Certification Project. As time went on, I didn’t want to be working where I was; I was trying to get into the [Learning and Development] organization I am [now] in. So for the first half, very happy, and second half very unhappy.

They were frustrated when they were unable to use what they were learning right away.

I got a little bit frustrated with the business education pro- gram. I was really looking for something more applicable to my work and I found that a lot of the discussion was very theoretical.

There was a lot of value actually for me, some of it from the professional standpoint—just to personal situations as well,

the group dynamics [course] resonated from that point of view because it was very real.

Theme 5: Behind the Wheel: Active Learning

Participants reported that they learned best when they were treated as adults—when instructional methods matched the way they preferred to learn.

Well, I think that [Professor Y’s] [classes stood out] because of her teaching style. I had never seen anybody teach her classes that way. Different activities. Her classes stood out for that reason. Her ability to listen and hear what people had to say and facilitate a discussion. She was a great role model as far as facilitating. She was one of the best facilitators that I’ve ever seen in an academic environment. I’ve seen that kind of skill in a corporate environments since then, but that was my first experience in an academic environment.

Yeah, one thing that I remember with [Professor Y’s] class was the videotaping exercise. That was nerve wrecking but as well as so helpful. You really, really see what you did wrong. That was really helpful. It was fun, too. I got to watch everyone else’s video.

However, when they encountered individuals who they acknowledged knew what they were talking about but who did not engage them in the learning, reported:

They [graduate students who were giving guest lectures] were very concentrated on the subject matter and the research they were doing and trying to get deep into the research and didn’t relate to us as students. So I didn’t find that as interesting.

The professor was so awful. She was an adjunct professor. Treated us like children. She read her dittos. She treated us with utterly no respect, so we had none for her.

This one class I took, the professor was very, just kind of like, you know, standing there and didn’t do much. And even though the class was huge, we had like 60 students. And after the first day of the class, half of the class didn’t bother to come to lectures. Yeah, it was that bad. The professor, yeah, she wasn’t engaging. All the notes that she had in the PowerPoint were directly taken from the book.

Despite problems related to finding time for group work outside of class, group projects were definitely appreciated:

[I liked] group projects. I always met great people. You know, I had good experience with that and it was encouraging. Yeah, it wouldn’t be a program if it was just me sitting in a room.

Because of [Professor X and Professor Y’s] teaching style, you couldn’t have any learning without your peers, it was all about peer learning. And it was pretty cool for people to share their experiences. I think because I was one of the few people who were actually in the job they were appreciative of my experiences, too.

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And when asked about challenging subjects, they were pos- itive when they encountered professors who knew not only what they were talking about, but also how to teach:

I remember taking a statistics course, saying like “oh my gosh, I am going to fail this,” you know. But [Professor X] really presented it that way—like that’s the teacher you always wanted for stats. Because they really understood how to teach, again that you can be a subject matter expert but really know nothing about how to deliver. You can be a SME [subject matter expert], but not really know how to teach. That was fantastic.

They preferred class sessions and assignments that pre- sented challenges or caused them to think about learning in new ways.

I remember. . . the learning journal. That’s a good way for me to learn, like I really like to journal anyway. So I re- ally enjoyed that process. It was a catharsis of like, wow, we’re learning this, but this is how we’re doing this at [my company]. That was a good outlet for me.

And I remember another thing I liked in that class, she would hand out little strips of paper like with questions, and it was very self taught. I remember, “Like, who’s teaching this class? Are we teaching each other? Aren’t you here for a reason, like ‘teach me’!” Like even though that didn’t work for me, I thought “that was the way to do it!”

It was this class—the session where my group presented the book Good to Great. . . . I was so nervous about presenting it, but at the end I felt so good about that. Because I know everyone in the class said just like, “wow, I want to go out now and read this book.”

Although these graduates remembered only a few specific class sessions that they had with their major professors, they did remember specific teaching strategies, such as the ones listed previously. However, half of the group identified two specific guest lecturers as highlights of their time in the class- room; one was a renowned neuroscientist, and the other a well-known consultant and book author.

I remember that session [the neuroscientist’s]. Something was wrong with the computer, and his charts, so he had to draw them on the blackboard. He was fascinating, very interesting, and left a very strong impression on me.

Another guest lecturer I remember vividly. He talked to us about getting published. A professor who was well published in The New York Times and he explained to us about how to go about getting published. I remember that session. And I remember the reading circles.

The individuals in this study were also quick to point out instances where they were given special, individual attention by a professor:

I really had to come to terms with my writing in graduate school.

[Professor Y] let me do a paper on mindfulness. This woman. . . it was on her book list—not just educational mind- fulness, but general mindfulness—and so I really got into that, and because of it, I wrote a better paper, and I got a great grade on it. Because I was really interested in it. They allowed me to flourish.

[Professors X & Y] were really encouraging around projects, papers, ideas. I can’t remember either one of them saying, “eh. . . maybe not.”

Perhaps the set of the most telling remarks around their ex- periences as part-time students were those around how they felt while in the academic classroom. Interviewees seemed to become quite animated when discussing how they felt when they were studying:

I just wanted to do it for my personal reason, to feel more, I guess to feel more alive. You know when I work, everyday is the same. You go to the office. You do what you got to do. Then you leave work. That’s it. That’s the end of the day. Going back to school just makes me feel more alive. Yeah, I miss school now though.

I loved school so much. Back to me now. School allowed me to, like, be me. Like [Professors X and Y] didn’t mind me asking questions, challenging, throwing crazy ideas, you know, being a leader, all that stuff. And I loved that! I loved being around people who liked that, and who wanted to learn. And I liked being supported in that.

He [an adjunct professor]. . . had seen me in class and knew me—everything that he said he liked about me, was what in my performance review was what [my company] didn’t like about me. Oh, yeah, like don’t talk up at meetings, you know, that my new ideas stunk, like I really feel, even though I didn’t take that job, it felt that professor was a life reason, he gave me a counterbalance to my review at [my company]; it really crushed me and it gave me a reality check. You know, here are my talents—like I had the same talents in both areas, at school and at job, but at work they were considered a negative. And I really got to see that they were the same skills, but they were assets, assets in different settings.

Theme 6: Others on the Road: A Quest for Community

Interviewees reported that they wished they had had more time to interact with their classmates and be a bigger part of the overall university community and were sometime a bit envious of those who were full-time students. All but one were members of Delta Pi Epsilon (DPE), the Business Edu- cation Honorary Society, and for many, participation in that organization’s events was their only university-related social networking outlet. Sometimes, because of time constraints or because they were not lock-stepped in their curriculum

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with the same set of students, they felt a distinct lack of community.

It [classmate comradeship] was very high. Especially among people who had deep work experiences. People who really wanted to be there were professionally mature; there was a lot of comradery. It was probably that kind of experience. . . younger or less experienced students were a little over- whelmed by that. I didn’t feel as tight a connection with them, necessarily.

I liked being back on campus. It made me feel young again, being around all those young people. Those kids! They don’t know how good they have it.

I wasn’t socializing with a lot of them [classmates]. I met two wonderful, wonderful friends throughout the program. And we still keep in touch. But I wasn’t that involved in social thing of the graduate school. I wish, I wish with this program we have more of kind of happy hour, or like we meet, you know, more often, more social events.

The campus environment was not an important part of their lives. None used the school’s athletic or recreational facilities, and many reported they did not use the physical library, instead relying on its digital holdings. However, two students did find the library a useful location for doing schoolwork:

Yeah, I did spend a lot of time on campus. The library was just my place for doing work. I really enjoyed the environment. I really used the library facility to do my research and write papers. I will bring my laptop there. The sports center I wish I used more. During my graduate years, I didn’t use sports center at all. I didn’t take advantage of it. I should have. But I didn’t.

I definitely was in the library just because I used that as a way to get out of the house, get away from distractions. So I would use library, computer labs and such. But it was directly related to like academic work.

Theme 7: The Road Ahead: I Have Options for the Future

Just as these interviewees were confident of their ability to succeed in graduate school, they were equally confident that they would do well, and that they were on a career trajectory.

I am so very grateful for so many things in my life. A big part of it is my education. . . all the opportunities that I’ve had. I really feel I can do anything.

I don’t think [I will] dramatically [change careers]. I can see it yeah, some sort of soft skills capacity, maybe, or train- the-trainer, training other people to be trainers, but I don’t see it dramatically changing. I really enjoy education. . . . There’s no train the trainer, and this is my dream, this is one of the reasons I’ve stayed, my former boss. . . if that group ever comes back, you should be at the head of that group of regional trainers. [This is] my pipe dream.

That said, a number were frustrated by having too many options, suggesting that having succeeded in a graduate pro- gram made them even more marketable that they ever be- lieved they could be. And several interviewees were looking into the possibility of continuing their education.

That’s part of my frustration in not knowing where to go next is knowing that I can do anything. I could go to India for 6 months; I could go back to Detroit. I could move to the West Coast where I always wanted to live. I could go back to school. I could take an internship here. So many options. I am really grateful for that, but that [but I want to be in] a position that was using all my talents.

I am looking for a top management position in learning. I would like to get my doctorate in education, and I have no idea if that could ever happen.

I would love to stay in Learning and Development. Perhaps doing something on my own at some point as a consultant or coaching. At some point I may do a coaching certification.

Theme 8: Yes! The Journey Was Worth It: Impact

We were careful in examining statements in which the inter- viewees described any impact having a professional degree had on their lives; after all, as adults they brought a significant set of experiences with them to academia, and much of their success can be attributed to their individual characteristics. However, nearly everyone did make what we considered to be explicit statements that credited what they learned with ei- ther job opportunities or skills and understandings that made their work life richer; for example:

Yeah, I am doing what I want to do. Enjoy working for [com- pany as vice president for marketing]. I enjoy the freedom that allows me to be able to teach, do what I like to do in the classroom. I certainly learned a lot about research at [my university]. . . . I have achieved the degree I wanted to. And I am using, I am using it every day.

I’ve been in Learning [the Learning Department] for two years; it’s going extremely well. My managers have put me in top talent and they are trying to get me into what they call leader readiness training program. . . . I was able to take problems and analyze them in a very disciplined way. That has made me a better learner in the workplace. I’ve taken some of that discipline of the classroom and put it in the workplace. And being able to reflect upon what was going on at work in that “safe” environment.

Participants overwhelmingly saw themselves as having a new self, demonstrated by new jobs and the importance of friends and family:

I have the best friends. I have the best hobbies. And the best. . . best opportunities outside of work. I love to dance. I love to knit. I love to be with friends. I love to travel. And

WORKING FULL-TIME AND ATTENDING GRADUATE SCHOOL PART-TIME 367

my job affords me the ability to do things. Both time and monetarily. And I have a great family. Healthy.

I got my family, I got my great friends. I have got a life which other people would die for. You look at all the unfortunate, poor, hungry people out there in other countries. I feel very lucky and very blessed, yeah.

I am pretty happy with my personal and professional life. I do work in a non-profit, I am little bit under compensated. But that was a choice, so. . ..

While acknowledging overall life satisfaction, the two single women reported they were continuing to struggle. One ex- plicitly credited part of her angst to not having a soul mate, but the other reported being quite satisfied with her personal life of friends and family. Their unhappiness at their present jobs, too, was for different reasons. One was concerned that she was in the wrong industry, and the other that she was working in the wrong company. Both expressed a need to be more content:

So you know the financial industry I don’t think it’s a fit for me. As much as you know what’s keeping me here obviously is the money. I am comfortable with the money I am making and it gives me a life style I am comfortable with. But I just I am not passionate about it. This is just a job. . . not a career I want to be in.

No, sadly, I’ve lost my mojo there [my company]. You do the little that you can. In their defense, it’s turning a huge ship. If [the company] were a tiny person, I’d be able to do everything I learned. But [company] is the world’s largest insurance brokerage, it so gigantic. It’s old school. To get them to make any change, I’d have to lower my expectations about how fast that could happen. Change is difficult, you know, you’re learning that!. . . I’m sure there are many factors that go into my decision to stay at [company]. At the end of the day, I’m still there.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Our goal in doing this research was to explore how these individuals experienced their lives as part-time graduate stu- dents studying in a professional field. It has been established that the experiences of these part-time students were char- acterized by strong internal motivation and self assurance, appreciation for those in their lives who helped them both in and outside the classroom, and a preference for learn- ing experiences in which they were active learners and had some control. All were regretful that they hadn’t had more of a traditional college experience, able to take advantage of professional and social networking options. And nearly all suggested that through all of this, they felt they were truly themselves the most while they were involved in their academic work.

Several findings stand out. To begin, it was surprising to learn that despite so many of these individuals having finan-

cial support from the company they worked for, they had very limited opportunity to apply what they were learning on the job. In some instances, when students learned what might be considered an ideal way to, for example, evaluate learn- ing programs, but were unable to apply these approaches in the workplace, immediate supervisors and peers were either indifferent or outright unsupportive. One explanation could be that a more educated coworker was considered a threat to “the way we work here.” Another could be the limited degree to which individuals at the entry- or midlevel po- sitions had the power to influence work procedures in the workplace.

Thus, as in other studies (Egan et al., 2004; Tracy et al., 1995), these individuals usually did not find the organiza- tional environment conducive to transferring their learning. However, in a study done in a corporate training environment in which what was learned was expected to be transferred to the job, locus of control and self-efficacy were the mitigating variables (Cheng & Ho, 1998); the individuals interviewed in the present study, however, demonstrated inner locus of control and high self-efficacy. At times, a perceived lack of course relevance seemed to add to feelings of dissonance. Academic coaching prior to and after completing a course may have allowed students to discuss personal and content relevance, whereas career or workplace coaching may have aided in defining content relevance that may have been over- looked or misunderstood.

Additionally, on first blush, the odds of this entire group making job changes while studying stood out, but, on re- flection, their self confidence and need for relevancy of their degree may have contributed to their search for “something else.” In the one case in which the student was moved laterally in her company to an area unrelated to the Learning Depart- ment, she experienced job dissatisfaction. Just as Lindell and Stenstrom (2005) found, job engagement was highest when there was a match between what was being studied was useful on the job.

As to the academic environment, I (Researcher 1) antic- ipated that interviewees would report preferring classes in which they were expected to share their life and work ex- periences and their preference for active learning and for instructors who listened to them, challenged them, and gave them opportunities to take control of their learning either through assignment choices or group work. I was surprised, however, that many felt they did not have the peer network that they expected or wanted. They reported that they yearned for community within the academic community and felt pow- erless to make it happen. The program offered opportunities to have formal mentors and several times a semester, DPE offered professional and social networking events. However, their perceptions were that opportunities where others would introduce them to university life or career networking were limited or nonexistent.

Although several were able to develop strong ties with their classmates, all regretted not being more involved

368 B. N. O’CONNOR AND R. CORDOVA

socially, and several regretted not having had a close circle of classmates who were also friends. That said, these same individuals reported that they simply had no time to attend extracurricular events, take advantage of campus facilities, or establish friendships. Thus, an implication for program development is to develop or explore and better advertise interesting extracurricular options that are either more con- venient or more frequent for this population.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Perhaps the most meaningful finding was the commentary around how much these individuals loved being students. Their self-confidence and need to achieve was a direct match for a challenging graduate program. When interviewees re- ported that they felt more alive, more “me” when studying, it was evident we had hit on something interesting. Consistent with Wenger’s (2003) research, it was when those personal characteristics that made them ideal students bumped into work environments that didn’t take advantage of not only what they were capable of contributing to the organization but, more importantly, their personal being, that the largest disconnect was found.

We found the variables and their interaction, as depicted in Figure 1 to be valuable in helping frame their learning, or “becoming” experiences. All expressed a need for job engagement, course content relevance, and personal rele- vance. And when that concurred, these individuals reported they had changed—become—the person they wanted to be. These self-assured individuals had little tolerance for ex- periences in which they felt they weren’t treated as adults, when what they were learning was not directly applicable to their lives or jobs, and when they were stymied in their attempt to implement what they were learning in their jobs. Thus, the center of Figure 1, “becoming” best happens when there’s congruence among job engagement, academic con- tent relevance, and personal relevance. This takes us back to the definitions of learning from Mackeracher (2004), Illeris (2004), and Jarvis (2006), whereby experiences transform the whole person, who integrates him/her into his/her own life story. Thus, “becoming” is an apt synonym for learning.

Although this study was exploratory and extremely lim- ited in scope, findings provide a clear distinction between the role of corporate education and its (usually) focused ratio- nale for planned learning experiences that are focused on the needs of the organization and the role of academia in pro- viding an outlet that provides learners more opportunities to explore what it means to be themselves—in an environment

where risk is limited and opportunities to become their true selves flourish.

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