The purpose of this research study is to gather information from students like you who were dismissed from a selective major while remaining in good standing at the university. I am particularly interested in the resources you relied upon during this change, including what help you had from others, your inner strength, how you viewed the transition, and the actions you took to deal with this change. Please answer each question as it relates to your transition, starting with being dismissed from the selective major and enrolling in a new academic degree program.
BACKGROUND QUESTIONS (7 questions)
I’d like to start by asking you some background questions about you and your interest in the selective major.
How long have you been a student here? Did you come to the University as a first-year student or did you transfer in from another institution?
How old are you? Are you considered an in-state or an out-of-state student?
Why did you choose to attend this university? Was it your first choice?
When did you declare your major as [specific program name]? How many semesters were you in the major?
How did you decide to major in [specific program name]? What people or experiences, if any, influenced your decision to choose [selective major]?
What assistance from the university, if any, did you seek to help you with difficulties you were having in courses required for the selective major? (meetings with academic advisers and/or instructors, peer leaders, etc.)
Did you expect to get dismissed from the major? Why or why not?
INITIAL REACTIONS TOBEING DISMISSED FROM THE MAJOR (6 questions)
We’re going to shift gears now, focusing on when you found out you had to leave the selective major.
What else was going on in your life when you were dismissed from the selective major?
When did you get the news that you were dismissed?
How did you find out you were dismissed from the major? (letter, phone call, e-mail, etc)
What was your initial reaction to having to leave the selective major?
Who was the first person(s) you told after you found out you were dismissed? How did you tell them?
Which resources would you say were most valuable during the time you were first dealing with being dismissed from the selective major? Resources might include the help you had from others, your inner strength, how you viewed the situation, and the actions you initially took to deal with the forced change.
DEALING WITH IMMEDIATE DECISIONS (6 questions)
These next few questions are about your decision to remain at this university and change your major, rather than transfer elsewhere.
When you were notified that you had to leave [specific program name], did you consider transferring to another university? Why or why not?
If you did consider transferring elsewhere, did you plan to continue pursuing the same selective major there?
What resources, if any, did you use in making the decision to remain here rather than transfer elsewhere? (family, friends, university staff/faculty, information from the bulletin, departmental websites, etc.)
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Once you decided to stay, what university office, if any, did you contact first? Who did you meet with first? Were there other offices you went to after that first office?
How did you identify the choices you had for a new major? What people or information did you use, if any, in selecting your new major?
Which resources would you say were most valuable during the time you were dealing with immediate decisions you had to make after being dismissed from a selective major? Again, resources might include the help you had from others, your inner strength, how you viewed the situation, and the actions you initially took to deal with the forced change.
MOVING THROUGH THE TRANSITION (4 questions)
I’d like to have you talk about the different resources you may have used during the transition of being dismissed and selecting and enrolling in a new major.
Did you run into barriers or obstacles during the transition of leaving [specific program name] and choosing a new major? How did you navigate those barriers or obstacles?
What resources did the university offer you during the transition of being dismissed from [specific program name] and selecting and enrolling in a new major? What university resources did you use?
Who did you lean on for support during the transition process of being dismissed from [specific program name] to enrolling in your new major? How have they supported you during this time?
Have you had to deal with a disappointing experience, in the past? If so, how did that previous experience help you deal with being dismissed from [specific program name] and having to enroll in a new major?
WRAP UP QUESTIONS (4 questions)
1. What, if anything, could the university have done differently to support you in the transition? What, if anything, could your previous college have done differently to support you in the transition?
What advice would you give to students who are dismissed from a selective major and are facing the same transition that you experienced?
OVERALL, which resources would you say are most valuable during the transition of being dismissed from a selective major and enrolling in a new major? Just to remind you, resources might include the help you had from others, your inner strength, how you viewed the situation, and the actions you initially took to deal with the forced change.
Is there anything else that you would like to tell me about your transition experience that I didn’t ask?
Thank you again for making time today to talk with me about your transition experience. As a small token of appreciation for your time, I have a gift card to give to you. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about my dissertation study or the information you provided.
(Interview protocol developed with respect to research questions and adapted from Kay & Schlossberg, 2010; Powers, 2010; Rumann, 2010)
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Appendix H: Sample List of Codes for Support Variable
(Note: The codes listed below are intended to provide a representative sample of codes used in data analysis and do not include all the codes created and used to assess support or the other variables examined in the research study.)
support- 1st person told re major change support- 1st person told_how
support- academic support center support- career center
support- campus advising center
support- former first-year seminar instructor support- lack of_from university office support- lack of_ from selective major support- new department
support- scholarship program advisor support- self
support- tutoring/SI
support- what university could do differently support- who leaned on
support-academic advisor support_campus organization support_faculty member support_family support_peers support_previous department