Department of Communication (CIS), General

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Browsing Department of Communication (CIS), General by Subject "anticipatory socialization"

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    “No Plan B Whatsoever”: Student Perception of Vocational Preparedness with Career Ambiguous Majors
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2021) George, Hannah K; Carmack, Heather J.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    Organizational socialization is the process of “becoming” within a defined group. This process begins with Anticipatory Socialization and the initial exposure to norms, behaviors, culture, and expectations of a defined organization. For the majority of individuals, an academic major relating to a future career is the first step in this journey; but how do students with a career-undefined major make sense of the skills learned in college and attribute them to future vocations? This dissertation uses Weick’s (1993) theory of Organizational Sensemaking, Jablin’s (1985) theory of Organizational Assimilation, and Knapp et al.’s (1981) concept of memorable messages to understand what employable skills students in career-undefined major feels they are learning, and what skills they feel they are lacking. Participants confirmed the sources of anticipatory socialization as described in Jablin’s 2001 work and identified a new source of “nonfamilial adults.” Messages and lasting impressions were gathered from intentional conversations as well as actions observed and deemed memorable by the participant, providing a context of Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1977). Student-defined employable skills learned in the career-ambiguous major open the possibility for an additional stage in the Organizational Assimilation process that proceeds Vocational Anticipatory Socialization. Building on the ontology of the phrase “real job,” these messages obtained by vocational osmosis fit into the realm of “work socialization” (Clair, 1996, p. 265), which provides a space for messages outside of the specific organizational context. The stage of Workplace Anticipatory Socialization is where liberal arts majors and soft skills can have the most impact on student development, prior to encountering a specific organization or occupation. Recommendations are also presented for curriculum and assessment of career-ambiguous academic programs, based upon the information presented by students.