Entry of new members into one student affairs professional association serving student affairs professionals

<p>The primary purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of seven new members of one professional association serving student affairs professionals. The study was a qualitative case study and examined the experiences of seven association members. The researcher collected data through face-to-face interviews, document analysis, and participant observation. The study began with face-to-face interviews of all seven participants. Following the interviews, participants were asked to complete a Critical Incident Form. The researcher spent time in the studied association, acting as a participant observer. Finally, the researcher analyzed a number of documents from the association. The data identified six themes as common to the experiences of participants. These themes included the importance of support, the significance of finding a good fit, perceptions, feelings and reality, connections through networking, focusing on professional growth, and personalization builds commitment.</p> <p>The findings of this study will advance the body of knowledge in the area of professional association socialization and retention, specifically for new members within a professional association. This study provided a greater understanding of the needs of the new member to one professional association and how a professional association can enhance an individual’s membership through attentive listening to new members.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Leadership and Counseling

Year

2007

Author dc:creator

• Lewis, Christopher

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ronald Williamson, Ed.D, Chair
• David Anderson, Ph.D
• Elizabeth Broughton, Ed.D

• Interpersonal relations
• Social networks
• Professional employees
• Professional associations United States Membership
• Educational Leadership

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/95

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-1094