Date of Award
11-10-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
Timberly Baker
Committee Members
Debra Smith; Russ Hannah
Call Number
LD 251 .A566d 2023 W36
Abstract
Generation Z will be the traditional-aged college student for the next 12 years (Chatzoglou et al., 2020). It is imperative that colleges and universities understand who these students are, what they are expecting from college, and what influences their expectations of the collegiate experience. Understanding Generation Z and their wants and needs is important for student retention, especially now as the college-age population declines (Copley & Douthett, 2020; Kline, 2019). One of the hallmarks of Generation Z is their reliance on technology which has been a part of their lives since birth (McKain & Grise, 2019; Selingo, 2021; Villa et al., 2018, 2020a). Understanding how technology and social networking sites (SNSS) have influenced these students is important if colleges and universities wish to understand how to retain these students as they persist toward their degree completion (McKain & Grise, 2019; Schwieger & Ladwig, 2018). This study examined the phenomenon of the integration of SNSS into the lives of Generation Z and its influence on their expectations regarding academic and social collegiate life. To understand the role SNSS plays in assisting Generation Z in navigating college, it was necessary to recognize the lived expectations and experiences of Generation Z in regard to how they use SNSS to understand collegiate life. Accomplishing this goal meant that first-hand information was needed; thus, this study was conducted qualitatively utilizing one-on-one interviews. The study findings reveal that participants gained information about collegiate life from SNSS and applied that information to their expectations and experiences during their freshman year. When these expectations were not met, participants re-evaluated what they previously learned and reformed their expectations. The implications of this study would assist enrollment management offices (i.e., Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid, retention, and advising offices) with the creation of practices that assist in understanding who our Generation Z students are and what it is they are expecting. Understanding how students gain information about collegiate life could assist enrollment managers in providing accurate information to students prior to the first day of freshman year. This could assist students with gaining correct information and forming realistic expectations academically and socially.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Washington, Kellen A., "A Phenomenological Study of Social Networking Sites and Their Influence on the Collegiate Expectations and Experiences of Generation Z" (2023). Student Theses and Dissertations. 148.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/148
