Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Elizabeth Bruch

Abstract

Student academic entitlement behavior is a problem within the United States' higher education system. This behavior could affect student learning, harm institutional reputation, and inflict undue pressure on faculty. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand what faculty members identify as the causes and the implications of student academic entitlement behavior and the actions needed to inhibit the behavior. The work was supported by applying Morrow's conceptual framework that suggests student academic entitlement behavior challenges academic achievement. Completed at a for-profit university in the southern United States, the research questions of this study examined the faculty members' perceptions of student academic entitlement behavior. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with a purposeful sample of 12 participants and analyzed using an eclectic coding method. The faculty acknowledged that some students enter the university with academic entitlement tendencies; however, the faculty perceived institutional practices and policies that sanctioned student consumerism as a primary enabler of the behavior. Emerged findings suggested an endorsement of learning-focused efforts, including explicit expectations of students, admittance practices, and andragogical professional development for the faculty to assist in curtailing the behavior. The findings of this study are presented in a position paper and afford an opportunity for social change by offering the faculty members' perceptions of a potentially damaging behavior. The findings are significant for educators who seek to initiate a conversation about the relationship between student academic entitlement behavior and institutional practices and how to inhibit the behavior within the institutional community.

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