University of Iowa Iowa Research Online Theses and Dissertations Summer 2016 The lived experiences of underemployed frst-generation college graduates Shane Gibbons University of Iowa Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd Part of the Educational Psychology Commons Copyright 2016 Shane Gibbons This dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/2084 Recommended Citation Gibbons, Shane. "The lived experiences of underemployed frst-generation college graduates." PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) thesis, University of Iowa, 2016. https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.q4olmx5x Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd Part of the Educational Psychology Commons THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF UNDEREMPLOYED FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE GRADUATES By Shane Gibbons A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations (Counseling Psychology) in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa August 2016 Thesis Supervisor: Associate Professor Saba Rasheed Ali Copyright by Shane Gibbons 2016 All Rights Reserved Graduate College The University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL ____________________________ PH.D. THESIS _________________ This is to certify that the Ph.D. thesis of Shane Gibbons has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Psychological and Quantitative Foundations (Counseling Psychology) at the August 2016 graduation. Thesis Committee: ____________________________________________ Saba Rasheed Ali, Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________________ William M. Liu ____________________________________________ John S. Westefeld ____________________________________________ Stewart W. Ehly ____________________________________________ Carolyn Colvin ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A special acknowledgement and thank you to my research team and advisor. Without your collaboration and many hours of hard work, this study would not have been possible. I would also like to thank my fellow interns for providing a year of emotional and practical support. Finally, a thank you to my partner and family for all of their support over the years. ii ABSTRACT In this study, we conducted a qualitative exploration of the lived-experiences of underemployed First-Generation College Graduates (FGCG). The purpose of the study was to expand and promote a thoughtful discourse about a more inclusive and domain- sensitive approach to counseling underemployed first-generation college graduates. Participants’ consisted of seven underemployed first-generation college graduates in a small Midwestern city. Participants’ ages ranged from 22 to 30 years old (M= 27.8, SD=2.7). Of the participants, all were Caucasian (5 female, 2 male) and had graduated within the past six years. Using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR; Hill et al., 2005; Hill, 2012), we conducted seven 60-minute semi-structured individual interviews. Five domains emerged from analysis of the results: (1) Messages concerning the college to work connection, (2) lived-experience of underemployment, (3) perceived barriers to adequate employment, (4) resources and coping strategies, (5) future outlook. Within these domains 10 categories and 29 subcategories emerged. A detailed summary of these results and implications will be provided. iii PUBLIC ABSTRACT First-generation college graduates represent a large and growing proportion of graduates entering the United States workforce. Unfortunately, they are likely to enter a precarious job market characterized by widespread underemployment. Precarious work - low-wage, low-skill, low-autonomy work – undermines a person’s ability to fulfil their needs for survival, connectedness, and self-determination (Blustein, 2006). This study gathered the lived experiences of seven underemployed first-generation college graduates. Underemployed first-generation college graduates reported an inability to acquire financial stability, strong social relationships, and self-determination. Moreover, they reported disgruntlement that their post-graduation experience contradicted prior messages about the utility of a college degree in acquiring adequate work. Despite facing many challenges in underemployment, underemployed first-generation college graduates reported a wide range of coping strategies which enabled stability, connectedness, and self-determination outside of their work environments. Furthermore, a majority of interviewees reported a general optimism about their ability to acquire adequate work through further training and education. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1: Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Statement of Problem ...................................................................................................... 7 Current Study .................................................................................................................. 7 Implications of Current Study ......................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review ...................................................................................... 10 What is Underemployment and How is it Measured? ................................................... 10 Human Capital Theory (HCT) ................................................................................... 13 Relative Deprivation Theory ..................................................................................... 14 The Psychology of Working ......................................................................................... 16 Studies on the Experience of Underemployment .......................................................... 18 Conceptual Issues in Measurement of Underemployment ............................................ 21 Skills-related Underemployment ............................................................................... 22 Current measures of underemployment ..................................................................... 23 The Nature of Inadequate Employment ........................................................................ 25 The Growth of Underemployment ............................................................................ 25 Antecedents to Underemployment ............................................................................ 26 Consequences of Underemployment ............................................................................. 35 Job Related Outcomes ............................................................................................... 36 Career Related Outcomes .......................................................................................... 37 Mental Health Outcomes ........................................................................................... 38 Summary of Underemployment Research ................................................................. 41 Research on First-generation College Students ............................................................ 41 Major Issues Related to First-generation College Students....................................... 44 CHAPTER 3: Methods ..................................................................................................... 61 Consensual Qualitative Research .................................................................................. 61 Rationale in using CQR ............................................................................................. 64 Participants .................................................................................................................... 66 Measures........................................................................................................................ 68 Demographic Questionnaire ...................................................................................... 68 v MacArthur Subjective Social Status Scale ................................................................ 68 Interview Protocol ......................................................................................................... 68 Researcher Expectations and Biases ............................................................................. 69 Procedures ..................................................................................................................... 69 Pre-interview Procedure ............................................................................................ 69 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................. 69 CHAPTER 4: Results ....................................................................................................... 72 Domains and Categories................................................................................................ 72 Messages Concerning the College to Work Connection ........................................... 72 Lived Experiences of Underemployment .................................................................. 74 Perceived Barriers to Adequate Employment ........................................................... 92 Resources and Coping Strategies .............................................................................. 99 Future Outlook ......................................................................................................... 110 CHAPTER 5: Discussion ................................................................................................ 117 Domain 1: Messages Related to the College to Work Connection ............................. 118 Domain 2: Lived Experiences of Underemployment .................................................. 120 Ability to Fulfill Basic Needs .................................................................................. 120 Consequences of Underemployment ....................................................................... 125 Domain 3: Perceived Barriers to Adequate Employment ........................................... 128 Domain 4: Resources and Coping Strategies .............................................................. 131 Domain 5: Future Outlook .......................................................................................... 135 CHAPTER 6: Limitations and Publications ................................................................... 139 Limitations .................................................................................................................. 139 Sample Limitations .................................................................................................. 139 Methodological Limitations .................................................................................... 140 Research Team Limitations ..................................................................................... 141 Expectations and Biases .......................................................................................... 141 Implications ................................................................................................................. 145 Practice Implications ............................................................................................... 145 Research and Theory Implications .......................................................................... 150 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 151 APPENDIX A: Demographic Questionnaire.................................................................. 163 vi APPENDIX B: Interview Protocol ................................................................................. 166 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 168 vii