Date

4-18-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Jonathan Green

Keywords

Homelessness, identity, pathway, relationship, religiosity, transformational experience

Disciplines

Counseling | Education

Abstract

This phenomenological case study aims to understand the homeless individuals' relational Transformational Experience (TE) and their choice to complete the transitional pathway journey from homelessness at a faith-based shelter. Developed in 1938 by John Dewy, TE has become a comprehensive and complex framework that describes how learners interpret, confirm, and give meaning to their experiences. As a result, this study's framework uses a hermeneutic and relational approach to explore and highlight relational barriers the homeless faced following their transition out of a Midwest homeless shelter. However, research has not adequately recognized how a restored relationship contributes to cognitive and behavioral change in the homeless individual, providing a pathway out of homelessness. Likewise, the literature revealed a gap in the connection between homelessness and the many issues associated with a relational pathway out of homelessness. Data collection will consist of one-on-one interviews, a focus group, and journaling to capture the details of shared experiences of the phenomena. The interviews will consist of open-ended, semi-structured, or unstructured questions that allow the participants flexibility to express their transformational experience. The journals include an operational and informational log that supports this study methodology design. Lastly, the potential impact of this research is significant, offering hope and optimism for the future of an individual's relational pathway out of homelessness.

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