A Qualitative Investigation of Undergraduate Students' Experiences of Helicopter Parenting

dc.contributor.authorHatfield, Lauren Michelleen
dc.contributor.committeechairHein, Serge F.en
dc.contributor.committeememberAmelink, Catherine T.en
dc.contributor.committeememberKniola, David J.en
dc.contributor.committeememberRobbins, Claire K.en
dc.contributor.departmentCounselor Educationen
dc.date.accessioned2020-04-29T08:00:26Zen
dc.date.available2020-04-29T08:00:26Zen
dc.date.issued2020-04-28en
dc.description.abstractThe study involves a qualitative investigation of undergraduate students' experiences of helicopter parenting. Quantitative research has provided a variety of important insights into this phenomenon as far as the characteristics of helicopter parents, the nature of the helicopter parent-child relationship, and multiple outcomes of helicopter parenting for children. Little qualitative research, however, has been conducted on the general phenomenon helicopter parenting of college-aged children. Much of the phenomenon therefore remains to be investigated qualitatively for other demographic groups of undergraduate students. Purposeful sampling was used to select undergraduate students from a mid-sized, public, four-year M1 university in the mid-Atlantic region of the country. Participants were recruited via email, using a listserv that includes all undergraduate students who attend the institution. Data collection involved the use of in-depth, open-ended qualitative interviews to explore the participants' experiences of the phenomenon. A standardized, open-ended interview format was used, which involved developing all interview questions in advance and asking them in the same way and in the same order for all of the participants. A form of whole text analysis was then used to code the data and develop categories and subcategories from the resulting codes. To establish the credibility of the findings from the current study, the traditional trustworthiness criteria was used but without their commitment to a foundationalist epistemology. Several prominent alternative criteria in contemporary qualitative inquiry were used. The current study has a number of limitations, as well as a variety of potential implications for further research on the helicopter parenting of college-aged children, higher education, and qualitative methodology. The analysis yielded seven major findings: (a) helicopter parenting prior to college can take a variety of forms, (b) helicopter parenting during college can take a variety of forms, (c) other parental characteristics associated with helicopter parenting, (d) personal consequences of helicopter parenting, (e) consequences of helicopter parenting for others and relationships with others, (f) efforts to deal with helicopter parenting, and (g) goals associated with education, career, and helicopter parenting. The implications of the findings for higher education and further research and implications of the study for qualitative methodology are discussed.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralThe study involves a qualitative, interview-based investigation of undergraduate students' experiences of helicopter parenting. Little qualitative research, however, has been conducted on the helicopter parenting of college-aged children, and these studies have dealt with only one facet of the phenomenon or have focused on a specific ethnic group. Purposeful sampling was used to select undergraduate students from a mid-sized, public, four-year M1 university in the mid-Atlantic region of the country. Participants were recruited via email, using a listserv that includes all undergraduate students who attend the institution. Data collection involved the use of in-depth, open-ended qualitative interviews to explore the participants' experiences of the phenomenon. A form of whole text analysis was then used to code the data and develop categories and subcategories from the resulting codes. The limitations and implications for further research on the helicopter parenting of college-aged children, higher education, and qualitative methodology are discussed. The analysis yielded seven major findings in the areas of (a) helicopter parenting prior to college can take a variety of forms, (b) helicopter parenting during college can take a variety of forms, (c) other parental characteristics associated with helicopter parenting, (d) personal consequences of helicopter parenting, (e) consequences of helicopter parenting for others and relationships with others, (f) efforts to deal with helicopter parenting, and (g) goals associated with education, career, and helicopter parenting.en
dc.description.degreeDoctor of Philosophyen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:24969en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/97933en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjecthelicopter parentingen
dc.subjectundergraduate studentsen
dc.titleA Qualitative Investigation of Undergraduate Students' Experiences of Helicopter Parentingen
dc.typeDissertationen
thesis.degree.disciplineEducational Research and Evaluationen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen

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