Date
5-22-2024
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Chair
Heather Strafaccia
Keywords
preparedness, times of uncertainty, residential faculty, universities, colleges
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Soltis, Daniel, "Preparing for Times of Uncertainty: A Phenomenological Study Exploring the Lived Experiences of Residential Faculty in Colleges in Upstate New York" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5641.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5641
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the preparations for times of uncertainty for residential college faculty at higher education institutions in upstate New York. The theory that guided this study was Bandura’s social cognitive theory. Social cognitive theory defines learning through social contexts like residential faculty experiencing times of uncertainty. The study addressed the question: What are the lived experiences of residential college faculty in preparing for times of uncertainty? This qualitative study employed a transcendental phenomenological design to interact virtually with upstate New York residential faculty members of universities or colleges. To participate in the study, individuals must have taught at least one in-class course over the past five years on an upstate New York educational campus. The participants attended interviews, a focus group, and submitted individual reflective letters with recommendations for institutional leaders to review for future times of uncertainty. Data triangulation occurred through coding and discovering themes pertaining to the central research question and sub-research questions across all three data collection methods. Three themes emerged from the data collected, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the departments in times of uncertainty, and the safety concerns of the institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic included three sub-themes: the use of technology, the effects on curriculum, and the student hangover. The role of the departments also included three sub-themes: the re-design of programs, colleague interactions, and overall communication. The theme of the institution's safety concerns contained security and emergency plans as its sub-themes. The themes led to interpretations of administrative practices during times of uncertainty, university collaboration, and university preparedness.
