Date of Graduation

Spring 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education Policy, Planning, and Administration

Committee Chairperson

Orkideh Mohajeri, PhD

Committee Member

Jocelyn Manigo, EdD

Committee Member

John Craig, EdD

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of college students and/or alumni who were on academic probation at some point during their undergraduate studies. All participants in this study are or were enrolled at a small, private, faith-based institution, where they experienced academic probation. This study was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 2007) Ecological Systems Theory and Macia Baxter-Magolda’s (1992, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2012) Self-Authorship Theory, to learn how participants’ lived experiences can inform the design and improvement of institutional support programming that promotes student growth, development and retention. Twelve current or former students who experienced academic probation at some point in college participated in this study. All participants engaged in a semi-structured interview, sharing personal and educational experiences before and during their college transition that shaped their assimilation into college environments and contributed to their academic probation. Three themes emerged from participants’ sharing of their experiences: Chaos, grief, and trauma as destabilizing experiences, the duality of family support, and the academic probation experience as paradox. Four themes emerged regarding how these lived experiences can inform design and improvement of institutional support programs: Centering the transformative nature of academic probation, centering relationships, fostering beneficial use of technology, and supporting the journey from powerlessness to empowerment. This study contributes to an understanding how small-private institutions can design and implement support programming that elevates academic probation from a punitive measure to a transformative experience that fosters student growth, development, and retention.

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