Taylor University Pillars at Taylor University Master of Arts in Higher Education Theses 2013 Minding the Gap: Impact of Pre-College Gap Year on Transition to College Julie M. Cline Follow this and additional works at: https://pillars.edu/mahe Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Cline, Julie M., "Minding the Gap: Impact of Pre-College Gap Year on Transition to College" (2013). Master of Arts in Higher Education Theses.edu/mahe/109 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Pillars at Taylor University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master of Arts in Higher Education Theses by an authorized administrator of Pillars at Taylor University.
For more information, please contact pillars@taylor. MINDING THE GAP: IMPACT OF PRE-COLLEGE GAP YEAR ON TRANSITION TO COLLEGE _______________________ A thesis Presented to The School of Graduate Studies Department of Higher Education and Student Development Taylor University Upland, Indiana ______________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Development _______________________ by Julie Marie Cline May 2013 Julie Cline 2013 Higher Education and Student Development Taylor University Upland, Indiana CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL _________________________ MASTER’S THESIS _________________________ This is to certify that the Thesis of Julie Marie Cline entitled Minding the Gap: Impact of Pre-College Gap Year on Transition to College has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement for the Master of Arts degree in Higher Education and Student Development May 2013 ___________________________ _____________________________ Scott Moeschberger, Ph. Skip Trudeau, Ed. Date Thesis Supervisor Member, Thesis Hearing Committee _____________________________ Scott Gaier, Ph.
Date Member, Thesis Hearing Committee ______________________________ Tim Herrmann, Ph. in Higher Education and Student Development iii Abstract This study was focused on the gap year taken between the completion of high school and entry to college, also known as a pre-college gap year. The goal of the research was to understand the growth that comes from the experience of a gap year as well as the transition process upon entering the university setting. The question used to guide the research is as follows: What is the impact of a pre-college gap year devoted to service on the student’s transition into the first year experience as well as the overall impact on a student’s college experience? Understanding student transition, particularly the gap year experience transition process, will help higher education professionals to better meet the needs of a growing population of students.
A qualitative method was used to measure the development and progression of the students’ transition to college following a pre-college gap year. There were a total of seven participants who were all female and in their freshman or sophomore year. Employing a grounded theory methodology, this research allowed for participants to speak freely in an interview format. The use of this method allowed the results to speak for themselves as themes emerged from the interview content (Glaser, 1992).
The three main themes which emerged from the study were divided into subthemes and categories. Cultural awareness, identity development, and faith formation were themes that emerged as significant aspects of the gap year experience. Consequently the themes of expectation, college readiness, challenges and connection were themes important to the transition process itself. There are a number of key experiences that iv develop positive characteristics in these students.
The better higher education professionals can reach this growing population, the more equipped they will be to help students build on the growth that has already taken place during the gap year. v Acknowledgements There are countless people I could acknowledge and thank for their help and support in this journey. This section only acknowledges a fraction of those who helped me along the way. I could not have gotten through this process without the help of my thesis supervisor Scott Moeschberger.
Thank you Scott, for your endless mentorship, guidance, and support along the way, I will forever be grateful for your help throughout this process. I would not be where I am today without the supervision of Sara Hightower and Lisa Barber. Thank you both for being patient with me, for asking thoughtful questions, for always listening to me, for continually believing in me, and for leading in such individualized ways that have helped me grow immensely. This paper could not have been written without the help of Hayley Meredith.
Thank you for your transcribing, editing, and endless encouragement. I am thankful for the surprise our friendship has been to me throughout the past two years. Maria Lehr, thank you for editing my paper, encouraging, loving, and always advocating for me in this process. I cannot imagine what my Taylor experience would have been like without our friendship.
You have taught me how to be a better friend, family member, and Christ follower. This thesis and masters experience would not have been the same without Cohort Five, the professors of the MAHE program, and my friends. Thank you for inspiring me vi to learn and teaching me in countless ways. To each of you, I will forever be grateful for your encouragement, support, and friendship.
Thank you to my family for supporting me, advocating for me, and always believing in me. Lastly, thank you to God for blessing me beyond what I could ever imagine or deserve. Without His unlimited grace and love I would have never achieved as much, nor had such incredible people alongside me throughout the journey. vii Table of Contents Abstract .v List of Tables.
ix Chapter 1 Introduction .1 Gap Year Growing Trend .3 Importance of Research .4 Statement of Problem .4 Chapter 2 Literature Review .6 History of the Gap Year .6 Benefits of the Gap Year.15 viii Chapter 4 Results .32 Implications for Practice .38 Implications for Future Research .42 Appendix A: Initial E-Mail to Participants .55 Appendix B: Interview Questions .57 Appendix C: Informed Consent Form .58 ix List of Tables Table 1. Summary of Themes .23 1 Chapter 1 Introduction Now more than ever, students are “minding the gap” and spending a year abroad prior to going to college. While the study abroad experience during college is increasing in popularity, the gap year experience is a relatively unexamined process. Given this obscurity, there is a lack of understanding as to what constitutes a gap year and the potential benefits of spending a year abroad prior to entering college.
While research shows clear benefits to taking a gap year, these benefits are not completely known to the average American college student or administrator (Stehlik, 2010). The present study focused on the gap year taken between the completion of high school, but prior to college, also known as a pre-college gap year. Gap Year as a Growing Trend Despite the relatively new idea of a gap year to American students, traces of similar experiences date as far back as the late 17th century and the “Grand Tour.” For men of affluence in Britain, the Grand Tour was an extended time of learning and travel. Like today’s gap year, it was a year off before young men attended college in hopes of becoming more sophisticated and cultured (O’Shea, 2010).
Over the past fifty years, the trend of taking a gap year in the UK and Australia has grown (Stehlik, 2010). Participation in study abroad programs has certainly increased in recent years and allowed room for students to consider a gap year experience. Dwyer’s (2004) discussion 2 in More Is Better: The Impact of Study Abroad Program Duration proves that the longer a person participates in study abroad, the more impactful the experience. While the gap year has been a growing movement overseas, in the United States the gap year has only recently emerged as an option for students after high school but prior to college.
The first university to establish a gap year program in the United States was Princeton in 2009, allowing participants to take time before the start of formal studies and academic stresses to gain real world experience abroad (Arenson, 2008). Definition For the purpose of the present study, O’Shea’s (2010) definition of a gap year provides a framework: The gap year is a time out of formal education that a student takes before matriculation in a university, often to explore the world and her place within it. Many students choose to spend a considerable period—frequently 12 months engaging in international service such as teaching or community work. Because the pre-university gap year takes place at a significant transitional point in young people’s lives and often in alien environments away from family, it provides fertile ground for exploring identity and character formation in young adults.
3) It is important to the current study that the focus remain on the amount of time spent away and volunteering as a major component of the experiences abroad. By recognizing these pivotal experiences prior to college in a student’s life, higher education practitioners can learn better methods to help students transition into an institution. 3 Importance of Research Due to the limited research available which compares the transition to college for a student who has taken a gap year to a student who has not, this study sought to provide more clarity to the overall transition process for students that have taken a pre-college gap year. The transition experience as a whole is a vital component for consideration when studying college students.
Tinto’s (1993) research even suggested that student transition plays a dynamic role in retention. College brings about many significant transitions for students throughout their four years (Evans, 2010), with one of the most prominent being the time students initially enter their university experience. Although extensive research has been done in the area of transition, there is limited awareness of adjustment for students returning from a gap year (About, 2012; Nicholls & Gardner, 2002; Tinto, 1993). The National Resource Center (About, 2012) focuses on first year in transition, providing free resources with information that both discuss and argue the importance of the transition experience.
The present study explored student transition with particular focus on the gap year. With regard to a gap year experience focused on volunteering, service, or ministry, there is an overall awareness of self that makes these experiences distinct from a simple travel opportunity. O’Shea (2011) found that “[v]olunteers also described becoming more aware of the larger world and international affairs, often feeling a greater sense of connection with humanity and global affairs” (p. His research established the overall benefits of a volunteer experience.
However, there is a lack of research exploring faith formation in students devoting a gap year to service. While faith 4 formation is not the sole focus of the research, it is an element that plays a role in the overall student transition into university (Arnett, 2006). Statement of Problem The gap year is a growing trend in the United States and throughout the world, impacting higher education; “The gap year’s growing popularity coincides with the rapid expansion of higher education. Thus far, most of the research focuses on European countries and Australia.
Therefore, the current research aimed at understanding the gap year from a United States perspective. With the increasing number of students choosing to observe a gap year, further research is needed in order to better understand the implications for university students. Such studies would allow for those who work in higher education to learn better strategies for engaging students who are coming away from a gap year experience and for facilitating the transition into more traditional forms of study. Higher education professionals should learn how to assist students in their transition from a gap year and foster growth throughout the four year college experience.
Providing a better understanding of the gap year for college administration, faculty, students, and parents may allow each group to consider more thoughtfully such experiences as meaningful options. If given the opportunity, more students might readily opt to take a year away from formal education in order to gain insight into the world around them.