Department of Educational Administration

 

Date of this Version

Spring 5-2014

Citation

Stone, A. M. (2014). NASPA’s new professionals institute: Exploring the personal and professional impact of a two-day, intensive professional development experience (Master's thesis). University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.

Comments

A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts, Major: Educational Administration, Under the Supervision of Professor Stephanie L. Bondi. Lincoln, Nebraska: May, 2014

Copyright (c) 2014 Ashley M. Stone

Abstract

Professional development experiences, like professional development literature, are vast. While existing professional development literature discussed the needs for and barriers toward professional development as well as the benefits and types of professional development experiences, no research existed about NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education’s (NASPA) New Professionals Institute (NPI), an intensive, two-day leading professional development experience for student affairs professionals who have been in the field for less than five years. Therefore, I conducted a phenomenological qualitative study, which explored the meanings NASPA’s Region IV-West NPI participants made of their two-day professional development experience as well as the personal and professional impact the experience had on participants.

Through conducting one-on-one interviews with six NPI Region IV-West participants, three male and three female, three themes emerged: people, continued learning, and intrinsic and intangible benefits. The three themes supported professional development literature and added to it, expanding upon professional development barriers as well as intrinsic and intangible benefits. A number of implications and recommendations are listed for both NPI and professional development experience coordinators.

Adviser: Stephanie L. Bondi

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