The Employability Narratives of Liberal Arts Undergraduates: A Grounded Theory Study
Open Access
- Author:
- Nicholas, Jennifer Mary
- Graduate Program:
- Workforce Education and Development
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- February 09, 2017
- Committee Members:
- David Passmore, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Cynthia Pellock, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Mark Threeton, Committee Member
Glen Kreiner, Committee Member
Glen Kreiner, Outside Member - Keywords:
- empoyability
liberal arts
narrative - Abstract:
- This dissertation explores the career-related stories of juniors and seniors in the College of Liberal Arts, proposing a theoretical construct of the liberal arts employability narrative. Liberal arts students were chosen because their diverse, foundational majors are less geared toward singular occupational paths. A grounded theory approach was taken to document the student perspective, allowing theory to generate naturally from a close analysis of spoken words. This research was primarily qualitative because nascent literature in the field on graduate employability, especially employability narratives, warranted an exploratory approach. Two short surveys concluded interviews to gauge student employability readiness. Findings suggest that students construct employability narratives with an emphasis on dispositional attributes in holistic development. In nonlinear phases, students experience varying degrees of exploring self and future possibilities, packaging self-characteristics, and distinguishing candidate appeal. Several adopt strategies to layer diverse interests in a compelling presentation of the multi-faceted self for optimal self-marketing. Persistent concerns include the perceived stigmatization of the liberal arts degree in society at large. The findings in this study inform the literature on student perceptions of employability in the liberal arts context, an area practically significant for university staff, faculty, students, and families.