Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Elizabeth A. Bruch

Abstract

Academic entitlement is a concern in higher education because of the potential societal and market driven influences on credible scholarship. Most of the research has focused on negative attitudes and behaviors attributed to students. The considerations of tenured professors who interact with academically entitled students and strategies for effective classroom management has not been fully explored. Constructivism provided the theoretical framework for the qualitative case study. Data were collected from open-ended, semistructured interviews with a purposeful sample of 10 tenured professors from a state college in the Southeastern United States to explore (a) the meanings participants attributed to academic entitlement, (b) how those meanings affected their decision-making, and (c) the ramifications of those decisions for classroom management. Data were analyzed through descriptive, InVivo, and patterns coding. Findings indicated that although academic entitlement is a consequence of cultural practices, professors can alter the perception of academically entitled students with an adherence to robust classroom policies and self-reflection to mitigate enablement of the behavior. Findings were used to create a professional development mentorship program for new full-time professors designed to promote self-reflective practices and individualized management considerations to cultivate classroom management skills and improve student learning and retention. New faculty without exposure to academic entitlement might face unanticipated challenges when managing classrooms. An awareness from the experiences of colleagues who instructed academically entitled students will benefit new educators by providing insights to promote stronger classroom management and result in culturally positive social changes.

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