Reflections on the College Experience: Similarities and Differences Across Generations
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Authors
Ladika, Valentina
Issue Date
2006
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
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Abstract
The college years are an important time of identity formation for many individuals.
Research and theories about life-span development indicate that the college years are a
transitional period from adolescence to early adulthood and that the historical and social
nature of a time period also contributes to identity formation. To examine the role of
generational and cohort factors in one's college experience, 14 college graduates from
two cohorts (6 individuals ages 22 to 30 and 8 individuals ages 50 to 60) were
individually interviewed about their college years. Through an analysis of the interviews,
six themes were identified: cultural models of decades, the individuation process, marital
expectations, academic expectations, career exploration, and political activism. These
themes provide insight to the similarities and differences between the cohorts and show
the effect of generational factors in the individuals' identity formation during college.
Description
v, 71 p.
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License
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