Date of Award
2026-05-01
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Educational Leadership and Administration
Advisor(s)
Wei-Ling Sun
Abstract
The first year of college is a pivotal time for students entering the academic world, even more so for first generation students who do not have a blueprint for navigating the academic space. This study investigates first-generation, first-year students and their use of music as a tool to make sense of self, the world around them, and their educational journey. In utilizing the qualitative methodology of semi-structured interviews and focus groups, I capture participant experiences through the scope of their everyday music consumption. Musical taste is personal, and songs can provide a context that aligns with the personal journey of attending your first year of college. As students become curators of their everyday lives, they provide a soundtrack that aligns with how they experience and make sense of academic spaces as well as their own strengths and identity. Utilizing Weick's theory of organizational sensemaking and Yosso's Community Cultural Wealth as a framework, this study explores the role music plays in participants' understanding of their relationship with the university as well as the strengths they have developed through lived experiences prior to college. The findings in this study reveal how music plays a role in first-generation college students' first year of college. By understanding identity, familial connection, and reflexivity of the college experience, the data highlights how music serves as a resource to make sense of the college experience by enhancing the tenets of self throughout the process. This study can serve as a launching pad for faculty to curate intentional curriculum and for student affairs divisions to develop programming that solely revolves around music as a means to empower students as academics and increase campus engagement across the board.
Language
en
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
Copyright Date
2026-05
File Size
111 p.
File Format
application/pdf
Rights Holder
Ramon Ernesto Varela
Recommended Citation
Varela, Ramon Ernesto, "That Song Speaks To Me: An Exploration Of Music Consumption As A Sensemaking Tool For First Generation, First Year College Students" (2026). Open Access Theses & Dissertations. 4818.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/open_etd/4818
Included in
Higher Education Administration Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Music Commons