Congratulations to Peter Vecchio who on Friday, December 1, 2023, successfully defended his dissertation. The title of Peter’s dissertation is SHIPPING OUT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF CADET AT-SEA EXPERIENCES AND STUDENTS’ CAREER DECISIONS AT U.S. MARITIME ACADEMIES.
Noting how a shortage of professional mariners to work onboard commercial vessels exists in the United States, the purpose of Peter’s study was to understand how experiential learning at sea informs career decisions.
Peter’s study examined the experience of recently graduated cadets from the five state maritime academies in the United States. By examining the graduate’s experience onboard the vessel and understanding the impact it might have on career choice, a goal of the research is to provide a better understanding in the maritime industry of influences that affect vessel staffing in the officer ranks, particularly in times of critical shortages.
Using Kolb’s experiential learning theory through its four-stage learning cycle, participants reflected and analyzed their at-sea experiences. For study participants, maintaining a work-life balance was emphasized in their decision to transition to shore-based positions.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Dr. Susan V. Iverson
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBER(S):
Dr. Yiping Wan
Dr. Richard Hyland
