Abstract

Through the lens of co-cultural communication theory, this study explored what communication practices non-traditional graduate students employed as they navigated their graduate program. Using journal narratives gathered from current non-traditional graduate students pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a phenomenological thematic analysis uncovered themes that related to the experience of non-traditional graduate students. With those themes, this study found NTGS utilized the nonassertive practices most frequently to navigate through their graduate program. This study also found non-traditional graduate student communication practices vary as a co-cultural group. This study expands on non-traditional students’ experiences as a co-cultural group and offer new results for non-traditional graduate students’ experience communicating in their graduate program. Research uncovered from this study will be useful in making institutions of higher education aware of the communication methods non-traditional graduate students’ use in their co-cultural group(s) within academia.

Details

Title
Communication Practices Used by Non-Traditional Graduate Students to Navigate Their Graduate Program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Author
Bourque, Amy Francis
Publication year
2019
Publisher
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
ISBN
9798519148146
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2550258874
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.