Date of Graduation

12-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders

Advisor/Mentor

Leslie-Jo Shelton

Committee Member

Ketevan Mamiseishvili

Second Committee Member

John Murry

Keywords

inclusion, Campus carry, international students, social ecology

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological study purposefully sampled 15 graduate international students at a Southern University (SU). Semi-structured interviews were used to determine their perceptions and attitudes regarding the implementation of campus carry policies at the institution. The study aimed to answer the following research questions: How has the implementation of the campus carry policy at SU impacted international students’ perceptions of their experiences at the institution? How has the implementation of campus carry policies at SU influenced international students’ perceptions of the social ecology of the institution? and How did SU formally include international students in the on-campus campus carry policy discussion and implementation? Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (1993) was applied to ascertain the factors that informed the participants’ perception of the phenomenon. The results showed that the participants were not impacted by SU’s campus carry policy, the social ecology at the university was not affected by the policy, and the participants were excluded from SU’s campus carry implementation process. Based on these findings, I suggested that student affairs’ practice geared towards international student support are intentional, encompass cultural sensitivity, and inspire campus carry development processes that are inclusive and informed by research that applies student development theory. Keywords: Campus carry, international students, social ecology, inclusion

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