Introduction
Global civilizations are shaped by dynamic and varied societal development. It covers several initiatives to solve critical problems, promote equality, and improve society. This course taught me that academics, practitioners, and educators must grasp societal change. This knowledge guides our activities and enables people and communities to generate good change. There needs to be more study on Walden graduate students’ understanding of societal change despite its widespread discussion in academic and practical settings. This disparity matters because Walden University emphasizes good social transformation via education. This research examines Walden graduate students’ sense of social change to fill this gap. Studying how Walden students think and interact with social change will help us understand how graduate education and good social change are linked.
Background
Social change is a dynamic process driven by people, organizations, and institutions trying to improve society. It includes grassroots movements addressing local concerns and transnational groups addressing global ones. Social transformation aims to make the world more fair and sustainable. This course has taught me that social transformation is difficult and multidimensional. Scholars have examined motives, techniques, and results. Social change literature has examined empathy, prosocial emotions, and individual agency. It also explored how education and higher education affect societal transformation (Kezar, 2014). Social change frequently starts with people who are strongly devoted to making a difference in their communities or on a broader scale (Ashoka, 2017). Walden University emphasizes good social change in its goal and vision. Beyond rhetoric, Walden’s social change mission influences its education. Therefore, knowing how Walden graduate students perceive and interact with social change is crucial to matching the university’s goal with student experiences.
Gap in Research
The literature on social change is abundant, yet Walden graduate students’ comprehension of social change needs to be improved. Social change studies often examine societal trends, existing institutions, or public opinion (Aguinis & Glavas, 2012). Few research examines Walden University graduate students’ social change experiences, motives, and values. Limited academic attention to this student group shows the research gap. Walden graduate students are unusual because they balance academics, professions, and personal obligations. Many are involved in their communities, careers, and social concerns and come from varied origins. Exploring how these students handle societal change might reveal how graduate education and Walden’s purpose fit into their personal and professional goals. Walden graduate students must understand societal change for scholarly and practical reasons. It may help the institution tailor its curriculum, support services, and pedagogical style to student values and aspirations. It may also illuminate Walden alums’ potential contributions to constructive social change in education, healthcare, and social justice. Gap in Research
The literature on social change is abundant, yet Walden graduate students’ comprehension of social change needs to be improved. Social change studies often examine societal trends, existing institutions, or public opinion (Aguinis & Glavas, 2012). Few research examines Walden University graduate students’ social change experiences, motives, and values. Limited academic attention to this student group shows the research gap. Walden graduate students are unusual because they balance academics, professions, and personal obligations. Many are involved in their communities, careers, and social concerns and come from varied origins. Exploring how these students handle societal change might reveal how graduate education and Walden’s purpose fit into their personal and professional goals. Walden graduate students must understand societal change for scholarly and practical reasons. It may help the institution tailor its curriculum, support services, and pedagogical style to student values and aspirations. It may also illuminate Walden alumni’s potential contributions to constructive social change in education, healthcare, and social justice.
Purpose Statement:
This research examines Walden graduate students’ social change definition. This study tries to explore how Walden graduate students envision social change, what drives them to work for it, and how their Walden University experiences shape their views. The study’s main question:
Research Question: What does social change mean for Walden graduate students?
Qualitative research approaches, including interviews and theme analysis, will be used to collect and evaluate Walden graduate student data. This study examines Walden graduate students’ narratives, views, and experiences to understand how societal change affects their academic and professional lives.
Role of the Researcher
I have collected, analyzed, and interpreted data as a qualitative researcher studying Walden graduate students’ social change meaning. In qualitative research, the researcher’s involvement affects the process and interpretation. This part will discuss my study experiences, obstacles, and ethical issues during data gathering. The research method was reflexive because I recognized the need to admit my experiences, opinions, and prejudices. Qualitative researchers support reflexivity, ongoing self-awareness, and critical reflection on the researcher’s impact on the study process (Ravitch & Carl, 2021). During data collecting, my Walden University student identity became clear. As a graduate student, I shared experiences and circumstances with my participants, which might build rapport and induce bias. I connected with people better as a student researcher because I understood the difficulties and goals of graduate school. I had to be mindful of this shared identity to avoid over-identifying with participants or imposing my own experiences on their tales.
Roles Played
Throughout the study, I played several parts. In Walden graduate student in-depth interviews, I first facilitated. I created an open, safe forum for people to debate social change. As data gathering developed, I became a thorough data collector, transcribing interviews and keeping extensive records and ethical norms. I became an interpreter and analyst through coding and analysis. Identifying data patterns, themes, and interpretations required impartiality and analysis. The tales I woven together synthesized multiple viewpoints and experiences into a comprehensive picture of social change’s implications for Walden graduate students. These responsibilities permitted a varied research question examination, deepening and broadening the study.
Ethical Considerations
Throughout this investigation, ethics were important. Maintaining participant secrecy and anonymity was a top ethical issue. I carefully deleted identifying information from transcripts and papers and assigned participants pseudonyms to address this. All participants gave informed permission after being told of the study’s goal, their rights, and the possibility of data publication. As a student researcher, power differentials were another ethical problem. Knowing this, I approached participants with humility and respect, stressing their autonomy in expressing their experiences. I was also transparent about my Walden University relationship to prevent conflicts of interest. I also maintained my rigor and dependability. This required taking reflexive notes to document my biases and assumptions to avoid influencing the investigation. Thus, the study’s ethics protected participants’ rights, dignity, and confidence while maintaining scientific integrity.
RESULTS
Data Sources
I used many data sources to understand Walden graduate students’ views on social change. Two Scholars of Change films, a phone conversation with coursemate John, and Walden social change website content were used. The earliest data sources were two 10-minute Scholars of Change films. Walden graduate students presented their social change thoughts and experiences in these films. These films were carefully watched and transcribed to obtain useful information. This procedure went well without any surprises. The second data source was a 30-minute phone interview with consenting coursemate John. John was told of my plan to record the interview for transcription before the interview. This made the interview process transparent and ethical. I gathered mission statements, projects, and Walden University’s social change commitment from the social change webpage. These internet resources were accessible and provided contextual information to enhance study outcomes.
Instruments
This study employed a variety of data-gathering strategies and sources for different purposes:
Scholars of Change Videos: These Walden graduate student movies on social change were major tools. Firsthand accounts and perspectives. The films captured actual voices and viewpoints without being made for study. Each video’s publishing date was not supplied since they were accessible via course materials. These movies were not research tools but provided rich qualitative data relevant to the study subject.
Phone Interview: The phone conversation with coursemate John was another important data-collecting tool. This semi-structured interview allows for follow-up questions and in-depth replies to prepared questions. The course materials guided the interview guide’s consistency and relevancy. This tool was designed for this study but used qualitative interviewing methods from the training. The interview guide was customized for the research since it had never been utilized with other participant groups.
Walden Social Change Website: Supplemental data came from Walden Social Change website materials and resources. Mission statements, projects, and Walden University pronouncements emphasized social transformation. These materials offered context and background for participant perspective analysis, even though they were not research equipment.
Data Analysis
This study coded data from the two Scholars of Change films, the phone interview, and the Walden social change website in a systematic and iterative method.
First-cycle coding: The first coding cycle focuses on exploring Scholars of Change video and phone interview data. This involves segmenting data into understandable chunks and assigning descriptive codes. Descriptive coding captured participants’ social transformation experiences. Relevant data was coded as “impact on community” or “personal growth.” This early coding helped organize and comprehend the data.
Second Cycle Coding: The second coded data was more concentrated after the first cycle. I applied concept codes to descriptive codes in this step. Concept coding identified data patterns and themes. The concept code “impact on personal growth” may include descriptive codes for self-awareness, transformation, and personal development. This approach helps move codes to categories and themes.
Identification of themes: In the second round of coding, themes emerged. Data themes were recurrent threads and major discoveries. Themes included “personal transformation,” “community engagement,” and “educational empowerment.” Careful inspection of coded segments and data source quotes revealed these patterns. Figures and charts were used to summarize the concepts.
Trustworthiness
Several factors determine the reliability of this research’s results. These include common themes across data sources, theme variances, and trustworthiness criteria. The results are credible since consistent patterns were observed across multiple data sources. The Scholars of Change films, phone interviews, and Walden social change website data regularly mentioned “personal transformation,” “community engagement,” and “educational empowerment.” This constancy makes these themes reliable representations of participants’ social change viewpoints.
Common themes provide trustworthiness, while various data sources give depth and variety. The Scholars of Change films focused on personal development and educational empowerment, while the phone interview illuminated community participation. Each data source and participant’s answers are distinct, explaining these differences. Recognizing numerous topics makes the research complete.
Several tactics were used to guarantee research rigor and reliability for trustworthiness. Multiple revisions, memo drafting, and peer conversations ensured credibility throughout coding and analysis. This rigorous technique improved interpretations and reduced researcher bias. The research focused on Walden graduate students, but the results may apply to other online learning contexts. The results apply to comparable scenarios if contextual elements match. A comprehensive audit trail of coding choices, notes, and data sources-built dependability. Peer debriefing and member verification strengthened interpretations’ data-based dependability. Trustworthiness was confirmed through a reflexive notebook that captured personal biases and preconceptions. Including participant verbatim quotes confirmed the results’ impartiality and allowed readers to assess interpretations in the context of participants’ voices.
Summary
The studies highlight Walden graduate students’ understanding of societal change: Walden graduate students see social change as a holistic process that incorporates personal development, community participation, and education-based empowerment. These pupils are determined to improve society and see themselves as change agents. The Walden educational atmosphere supports their social change efforts. The study has changed my view of myself as a constructive social change agent. I realize how important education is for personal development and community participation. Walden graduate students’ commitment to social action has reaffirmed my confidence that learning can influence society. This experience has encouraged me to be a lifelong learner and promote good change in my community.
References
Aguinis, H., & Glavas, A. (2012). What We Know and Do not Know About Corporate Social Responsibility. Journal of Management, 38(4), 932–968. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206311436079
Ashoka. (2017). My Changemaker Toolkit by Ashoka – Issuu. Issuu.com. https://issuu.com/ashokachangemakers/docs/my_changemaker_toolkit_2017_issuu
Kezar, A. (2014). Higher Education Change and Social Networks: A Review of Research. The Journal of Higher Education, 85(1), 91–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2014.11777320
Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2021). Qualitative research : bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological. Sage.
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