Date Approved

4-16-2024

Embargo Period

4-16-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Educational Leadership, Administration, and Research

College

College of Education

Advisor

James Coaxum, Ph.D.

Committee Member 1

Carol Thompson, Ph.D.

Committee Member 2

Jay Chaskes, Ph.D.

Keywords

Grounded theory; Higher Education; Law; Legislation; Linguistics; Policy

Subject(s)

Universities and colleges--New Jersey; Higher education and state--Unites States

Disciplines

Educational Sociology | Education Policy | Higher Education

Abstract

Between the decades of 1970 through 1999, there were major shifts in higher education in New Jersey. Utilizing a grounded theory approach this dissertation created a database of legislation, hearings transcripts, and education reports. Searching this database for commonly used terminology, this dissertation was seeking a pattern in language use that could demonstrate the incursion of neoliberal economic terminology into the way high education was discussed during these years. A grounded theory exploration, this dissertation does not claim to have achieved a proven connection between the language shift and decisions made by education leadership. All it can demonstrate is that there is a linguistic shift including very specific terminology. Demonstrating that there is such a pattern in the over 3,000 documents reviewed lays out the theory that this incursion exists. Thoughtful insights into the use of language as it impacts higher education, this dissertation highlights the way linguistic shifts can change attitudes and therefore outcomes.

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