Understanding the ‘Why’: A Research Study on the Motivations of Graduate Students for Public Engagement

University of Minnesota M.A. thesis. August 2015. Major: Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. Advisor: Andrew Furco. 1 computer file (PDF); vi, 95 pages.The purpose of this research study was to better understand the motivations of graduate students at U.S. higher education institutions for involvement in public engagement. The study employed a mixed-methods research approach with a modified transformative sequential strategy to identify and analyze graduate student motivations for public engagement, and was guided by the typology of Dr. KerryAnn O'Meara (2008) on faculty motivations for public engagement in combination with the findings of Dr. Timothy Eatman (2012) on publicly-engaged graduate and early career scholars. This study contributes to extant literature on motivations for public engagement through its focus on a less-studied population (graduate students) and development of a conceptual model for understanding graduate student motivations for public engagement. On a more practical level, findings may also enhance institutional, departmental, and programmatic understanding of how to cultivate and sustain graduate student motivations for public engagement