The College of Education

Announces the Final Examination of

Clay Andrew Woemmel

for the degree of

Doctor of Education

Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at 10:00 am

207 Ball Hall, The University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

Biographical Sketch

Bachelor of Science, Psychology and Public Relations, Southeast Missouri State University

Master of Science, Counseling and Personnel Services, The University of Memphis

Advisory Committee

Richard James, Ph.D., Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Research, Committee Chair

Pamela Cogdal, Ph.D., Associate Clinical Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Research

Rosie Phillips Bingham, Ph.D., Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Research

Colton Cockrum, Ed.D., Adjunct Professor, Leadership

Major Field of Study

Counseling

Period of Preparation: 2012-2016

Comprehensive Examination Passed: April 2015

Title of Dissertation

A Descriptive Study of the Career Perceptions of Diverse Freshmen Students in a First-year Experience Course

Abstract

This study examined archival data gathered from freshmen students who completed a career exploration unit in a first-year experience course during a recent four-year time span (2011-2014) in an effort to determine how levels of career confidence differed among students based upon race, gender, and place of college residence. Four specific research questions were examined: (1) How does confidence in the ability to identify the skills necessary for a desired career differ among freshmen students based on race, gender, and collegiate residential status; (2) How does confidence in chosen academic major vary among freshmen students based on race, gender, and collegiate residential status; (3) How does confidence that academic major will lead to a specific job/career path differ among freshmen students based on race, gender, and collegiate residential status; and (4) How does confidence in the ability to choose a second major when the first choice did not work out vary among freshmen students based on race, gender, and residential status.

Participants were 1953 freshmen students who enrolled in a first-year experience course, ACAD 1100, and completed the ACAD Career Exploration Unit and its associated learning assessment during the years 2011-2014. Fifty of the participants identified as Asian/Asian American, 1009 identified as Black/African American, 68 identified as Hispanic/Latino, and 826 identified as White/Caucasian. Six hundred forty-two were male while 1311 were female. Eleven hundred were residential students while 853 were commuter students.