Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
Publication Date
2014
Granting Institution
Claremont Graduate University
Abstract
Over two decades of research demonstrate that students who have the agency to achieve their goals and know how to achieve them are more successful in their academic endeavors. Less is known about how these skills develop or how mentoring might impact the way that young people learn to have hope about their goals. This dissertation 1) investigates the relationship between folk definitions of hope and Snyder’s (1991) conceptualization of hope as “wills” and “ways” and 2) aims to understand the role of supportive adults in building hope among students.
Results from a longitudinal survey of 190 community college students over the course of one college semester suggest that “being hopeful” involves more than agentic and pathways thinking. Other factors including spirituality and excitement about the future accounted for some of what students considered hope. Folk hope was a better predictor of some student outcomes, including connection to a campus community and expected educational attainment, than was the combination of pathways and agency.
Longitudinal analyses demonstrate that the support students felt at the beginning of the academic term was predictive of how hopeful they felt at the end of the term. Nominated mentors were primarily parents and other relatives who provided support in four domains: emotional, academic/problem solving, goal setting/career planning, and role modeling. Among these, emotional support was the best predictor of students’ folk hope and agency. Academic/problem solving support was related to students' pathways thinking. Implications of these findings for future research and practice are discussed.
Rights
© Copyright Veronica M. Fruiht, 2014 All rights reserved.