1. What is the experience of stopout students returning to college? Samuel A. Mayhew Valdosta State University

2. Is it important? “X” million adults with some college Recruit students to come back to college Prior studies on stopout students (who?) Limited research on experience (any? – who?) Hear the lived experiences of stopout students Assist student success and completion Shift in funding of higher education

3. Conceptual Framework -Interest: Personal & Professional -“Traditional” student -Wife was stopout student -10 year in Higher Education -Assumptions & Biases -Personal conflicts vs. academic goals -Barriers to success -Success is possible

4. Conceptual Framework Concept Map

5. Conceptual Framework Related Theories – Spady’s Conceptual Model (1971) – Tinto’s Theory of Departure (1975, 1993) – Astin’s Theory of Involvement (1977, 1985) – Bean’s and Metzner’s student attrition model (1985)

6. Research Questions 1.What is the experience of stopout students returning to college? 2. What strategies do stopout students employ to be academically and socially successful?

7. Methods Research Design – Phenomenological approach (Giorgi, 2009; Vagel, 2014) Participants – Returning to college after 4 or more semesters – At least 25 years old

8. Methods Data Collection – Group meetings – Student interviews (Seidman, 2013) – Research Memos Data Analysis – Descriptive phenomenological approach (Giorgi, 2009) – Whole – part – whole – Written structure

9. Methods Validity – Memo writing – Recorded and transcribed interviews – Different explanations for data – Member review of findings Ethics – Student records and identity – Always chose ethics Final Presentation Format – Journal ready

10. References Astin, A.W. (1977). Four Critical Years. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Astin, A. W. (1985). Achieving Educational Excellence: A Critical Assessment of Priorities and Practices in Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Bean, J. P., & Metzner, B. S. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of Educational Research, 55(4), 485-540. doi:10.3102/00346543055004485 Giorgi, A. (2009). The Descriptive Phenomenological Method n Psychology: A Modified Husserlian Approach. Pittsburgh, PA. Duquesne University Press. Seidman, I. (2013). Interviewing as Qualitative Research. (4th ed.). New York: Teachers College Press. Spady, W. (1971). Dropouts from higher education: Toward an empirical model. Interchange 2, 38-62. Tinto, V. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89-125. doi:10.2307/1170024 Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition (2nd edition). Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. Vagle, M. D. (2014). Crafting Phenomenological Research. Walnet Creek, Calif.: Left Coast Press.