Table of Contents
Index of Tables and Figures vi
Chapter Two: Literature Review 11
Greedy Institutions 11
Single-Parent Families in the United States 15
Education and Upward Mobility 22
History of Women in Higher Education 25
Affordability of Higher Education 27
Implications of Higher Education for Women and Children 29
Welfare Reform 32
Family Experiences of Non Traditional Students 33
Factors Affecting Persistence in Higher Education 38
Summary 42
Rationale for Qualitative Methodology 45
Primary Method of Investigation 49
Chapter Four: Case Histories 53
Amanda 55
Brenda 58
Debbie 61
Linda 63
Mindy 66
Sheila 67
Summary 69
Chapter Five: Results and Discussion 70
Central Phenomena – Relationships between Institutions 76
Institutional Competition 76
Priority-Setting 78
Priority-Shifting 79
Recession of a Greedy Institution 81
Navigational Strategies 83
Rule-Making 83
Competition Prevention 84
Institutional Blending 86
Reconciliation Techniques 87
Elimination of a Greedy Institution 87
Summary 88
Chapter Six: Relationship of Themes to the Institutions 91
Social Factors 91
Childcare 92
Welfare and Welfare Reform 94
Personal and Relational Factors 95
Family of Origin 95
Family of Procreation 96
Scheduling 96
Age of Child 97
Dyadic Relationships 98
Emotional and Concrete Support 99
University Factors 99
Classroom Policies and Procedures 99
School Choice 100
Chapter Seven: Implications
for Practice and
Suggestions for Future
Research 101
Implications for Practice 101
Suggestions for Future Research 105
References 107
Appendix
116
Tables
Table 2.1 Factors Morris Identified Relating to Successful
Single-Parent Families 21
Table 2.2 Kates’ Suggesstions for University Assistance
for Single Parents 41
Table 4.1 Demographic Characteristics of the Sample 54
Table 5.1 Definition of Concepts and Navigational Strategies 75
Table 5.2 Competition Prevention Techniques by Participant 85
Table 6.1 Initial Coding Themes That Emerged During Analysis
of the Data 91
Table 6.2 Scheduling Themes Related to the Greedy Institutions
97
Figure
Figure 5.1 A Paradigm Model for Greedy Institutions 90
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