{"id":{"repo_id":"baylor","oai_identifier":"oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13958"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/baylor/oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13958","repository":{"repo_id":"baylor","name":"Baylor University","base_url":"https://baylor-ir.tdl.org/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Exploring the experiences and postsecondary plans of participants in a rural Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program : a qualitative single-case study.","abstract":"Rural communities have long faced challenges in retaining young talent, fostering economic growth, and providing equitable access to postsecondary opportunities. Geographic isolation, limited educational resources, and economic disparities have contributed to a pattern of out-migration among rural youth, often leaving communities with a shrinking workforce and fewer emerging leaders. However, growing interest in place-based education, entrepreneurship, and community engagement has created new opportunities to reimagine how students from rural communities prepare for life after high school. The Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program—a yearlong, experiential entrepreneurship course offered to high school students in rural Illinois—embodies this shift. This study examined how CEO participants perceived postsecondary opportunities and how those perceptions shaped their aspirations. This qualitative single-case study explored the experiences of eight CEO program participants from eight rural high schools in west central Illinois. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and focus groups to better understand how participants made sense of their educational experiences and future goals. The study was grounded in the concept of place identity (Bernsen et al., 2022) and explored how participants’ perceptions of community, belonging, and local opportunity helped shape their postsecondary decisions. I developed three key findings from the study. First, participants’ desire to stay in their rural communities was guided by a strong sense of community attachment. Second, participants recognized the limitations of their rural schools and emphasized the importance of extracurricular opportunities in enhancing their educational experiences. Third, participants acknowledged the role of family and the support of community in their postsecondary choices. Findings from this study have implications for school administrators, community leaders, and emerging entrepreneurs. The study emphasized the importance of promoting community attachment, integrating entrepreneurial education, and expanding access to mentorship and experiential learning. The findings also suggested that when students are connected to their communities and see local pathways as viable, they often choose to envision a future rooted in their rural hometowns. Ultimately, this study contributes to the growing conversation about rural education and workforce development by offering insights into how community-based programs can help students build both aspiration and attachment.","abstract_html":"Rural communities have long faced challenges in retaining young talent, fostering economic growth, and providing equitable access to postsecondary opportunities. Geographic isolation, limited educational resources, and economic disparities have contributed to a pattern of out-migration among rural youth, often leaving communities with a shrinking workforce and fewer emerging leaders. However, growing interest in place-based education, entrepreneurship, and community engagement has created new opportunities to reimagine how students from rural communities prepare for life after high school. The Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program—a yearlong, experiential entrepreneurship course offered to high school students in rural Illinois—embodies this shift. This study examined how CEO participants perceived postsecondary opportunities and how those perceptions shaped their aspirations. This qualitative single-case study explored the experiences of eight CEO program participants from eight rural high schools in west central Illinois. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and focus groups to better understand how participants made sense of their educational experiences and future goals. The study was grounded in the concept of place identity (Bernsen et al., 2022) and explored how participants’ perceptions of community, belonging, and local opportunity helped shape their postsecondary decisions. I developed three key findings from the study. First, participants’ desire to stay in their rural communities was guided by a strong sense of community attachment. Second, participants recognized the limitations of their rural schools and emphasized the importance of extracurricular opportunities in enhancing their educational experiences. Third, participants acknowledged the role of family and the support of community in their postsecondary choices. Findings from this study have implications for school administrators, community leaders, and emerging entrepreneurs. The study emphasized the importance of promoting community attachment, integrating entrepreneurial education, and expanding access to mentorship and experiential learning. The findings also suggested that when students are connected to their communities and see local pathways as viable, they often choose to envision a future rooted in their rural hometowns. Ultimately, this study contributes to the growing conversation about rural education and workforce development by offering insights into how community-based programs can help students build both aspiration and attachment.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Sellars, Jennifer Cherry, 1969-"],"institution":"Baylor University.","degree_name":"Ed.D.","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Meyer, Melanie S."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-08","date_published":"2025-08","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:08:10Z","subjects":["Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program.","Place identity.","Qualitative study.","Rural economic development.","Single case study."],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. 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They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13958"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Rural communities have long faced challenges in retaining young talent, fostering economic growth, and providing equitable access to postsecondary opportunities. Geographic isolation, limited educational resources, and economic disparities have contributed to a pattern of out-migration among rural youth, often leaving communities with a shrinking workforce and fewer emerging leaders. However, growing interest in place-based education, entrepreneurship, and community engagement has created new opportunities to reimagine how students from rural communities prepare for life after high school. The Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program—a yearlong, experiential entrepreneurship course offered to high school students in rural Illinois—embodies this shift. This study examined how CEO participants perceived postsecondary opportunities and how those perceptions shaped their aspirations. This qualitative single-case study explored the experiences of eight CEO program participants from eight rural high schools in west central Illinois. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and focus groups to better understand how participants made sense of their educational experiences and future goals. The study was grounded in the concept of place identity (Bernsen et al., 2022) and explored how participants’ perceptions of community, belonging, and local opportunity helped shape their postsecondary decisions. I developed three key findings from the study. First, participants’ desire to stay in their rural communities was guided by a strong sense of community attachment. Second, participants recognized the limitations of their rural schools and emphasized the importance of extracurricular opportunities in enhancing their educational experiences. Third, participants acknowledged the role of family and the support of community in their postsecondary choices. Findings from this study have implications for school administrators, community leaders, and emerging entrepreneurs. The study emphasized the importance of promoting community attachment, integrating entrepreneurial education, and expanding access to mentorship and experiential learning. The findings also suggested that when students are connected to their communities and see local pathways as viable, they often choose to envision a future rooted in their rural hometowns. Ultimately, this study contributes to the growing conversation about rural education and workforce development by offering insights into how community-based programs can help students build both aspiration and attachment."]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Exploring the experiences and postsecondary plans of participants in a rural Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program : a qualitative single-case study."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Meyer, Melanie S."],"dc:creator":["Sellars, Jennifer Cherry, 1969-"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-09-19T15:42:53Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-08"],"dc:description.abstract":["Rural communities have long faced challenges in retaining young talent, fostering economic growth, and providing equitable access to postsecondary opportunities. Geographic isolation, limited educational resources, and economic disparities have contributed to a pattern of out-migration among rural youth, often leaving communities with a shrinking workforce and fewer emerging leaders. However, growing interest in place-based education, entrepreneurship, and community engagement has created new opportunities to reimagine how students from rural communities prepare for life after high school. The Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program—a yearlong, experiential entrepreneurship course offered to high school students in rural Illinois—embodies this shift. This study examined how CEO participants perceived postsecondary opportunities and how those perceptions shaped their aspirations. This qualitative single-case study explored the experiences of eight CEO program participants from eight rural high schools in west central Illinois. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and focus groups to better understand how participants made sense of their educational experiences and future goals. The study was grounded in the concept of place identity (Bernsen et al., 2022) and explored how participants’ perceptions of community, belonging, and local opportunity helped shape their postsecondary decisions. I developed three key findings from the study. First, participants’ desire to stay in their rural communities was guided by a strong sense of community attachment. Second, participants recognized the limitations of their rural schools and emphasized the importance of extracurricular opportunities in enhancing their educational experiences. Third, participants acknowledged the role of family and the support of community in their postsecondary choices. Findings from this study have implications for school administrators, community leaders, and emerging entrepreneurs. The study emphasized the importance of promoting community attachment, integrating entrepreneurial education, and expanding access to mentorship and experiential learning. The findings also suggested that when students are connected to their communities and see local pathways as viable, they often choose to envision a future rooted in their rural hometowns. Ultimately, this study contributes to the growing conversation about rural education and workforce development by offering insights into how community-based programs can help students build both aspiration and attachment."],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13958"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:rights":["Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission."],"dc:subject":["Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program.","Place identity.","Qualitative study.","Rural economic development.","Single case study."],"dc:title":["Exploring the experiences and postsecondary plans of participants in a rural Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program : a qualitative single-case study."],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["Baylor University."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:08:10Z"}