Congratulations to Nicole Pelosi who on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, successfully defended her dissertation proposal.
The title of Nicole’s dissertation is, "QUALITATIVE INQUIRY OF AN ALTERNATIVE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAM AND GRADUATES’ PERCEPTIONS OF SELF-DETERMINATION IN ADULTHOOD."
Overview of Problem: Despite decades of reform, secondary students in the United States continue to experience academic disengagement, uneven achievement, and disconnection from school. Alternative school settings serve to address various needs such as these (Raywid, 1994; 2003).
Research Purpose: Grounded in self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), this interpretive qualitative inquiry aims to describe how AELP graduates from The Silverstream School (pseudonym) make meaning of their participation in an AELP and relate it to their self-determination in adulthood.
Research Design: This interpretive qualitative study, grounded in a constructivist paradigm, explores how Silverstream graduates within a bounded geographic and temporal context make meaning of their alternative education experiences and their relationship to self-determination in adulthood.
Sample: A minimum of Silverstream graduates from 1978-2015 will be invited to participate in semi-structured interviews to assess their perspectives. Recruitment will be conducted through alumni networks.
Data Collection: Semi-structured interviews will be used as the primary means of data collection to elicit reflective accounts of participants’ experiences and their perceived post-secondary self-determination. A document analysis of available curricular material will be conducted to generate a rich, contextualized understanding of the program.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Dr. Kenneth Mitchell
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Dr. Joanne Marien
Dr. Lynn Allen
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