Running Head: GAP YEAR
Exploring the Reasoning and Motivation of Pre-University Gap Year Students
Jessica Gore
Georgia Southern University
J Gore
GAP YEAR
Exploring the Reasoning and Motivation of Pre-University Gap Year Students
In a time when all students are encouraged to pursue some form of higher education upon
graduating high school, little if any consideration is given to if the student is truly ready for
college or university. A growing trend, especially within the United Kingdom, has been that of
students taking a deferred route to university, or what has come to be known as a “gap year.” A
gap year is defined by Martin (2010) as period of time in “which an individual takes ‘out’ of
formal education, training, or the workforce where that time sits in the context of a longer term
career trajectory” (p.1).
The gap year can trace its origins to those of wealth and privilege and the ‘Grand Tour’
that was undertaken by well-educated upper middle-class young men during the Victorian Era
(Heath, 2007). The Grand Tour provided these young men and moratorium between their formal
education and a professional career, with the opportunity to gain experiences such as visiting
sites in classical European culture and outstanding site of natural beauty (Heath, 2007).
Today, more students are taking part in the pre-university gap year experiences based on
the perceptions that this time off can offer you life-changing experiences that you cannot gain
from a traditional formal education route. With professional organizations helping students to
find volunteer, world travel and work experiences prior to entering university, students are
examining themselves to determine the benefits of a gap year and the role it will play upon
reentering the formal education world. According to O’Shea (2011), by delaying their formal
education, these students are “making significant gains in personal, civic and intellectual
development” (p. 575 – 576). With students being perceived as more mature, independent, self-
reliant, global citizens and life long learners as a result of taking a gap year, why is this not a
more common route of study for students in the United States of America?
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Because much of the research on students who have taken part in gap years and gap year
programing has been conducted outside of the United States, the purpose of the study is explore
the stories of American students who have participated in a pre-university gap year. I want to
understand the motivation and reasoning behind why a student may choose to take a gap year
and if there are any common characteristics. In addition, I want to explore the student’s
perceptions of college and themselves before they embark on their gap year experience.
As a professional who works with students during their college search process, this study
will help in the understanding of why students may choose to take a non-traditional route to
formal education through a gap year experience.
Annotated Bibliography
Birch, E. &Miller, P.W. (2007). The Characteristics of ‘Gap-Year’ Students and Their Tertiary
Academic Outcomes. Economic Record, 83(262), 329-344.
doi:10.1111/j.14754932.2007.00418.x
With more students in Australia choosing to take a break between completing high school
and entering university, a gap year, it is important to study the impact this may have on a
student’s success once at university. Similar characteristics have emerged about students
who do partake in a gap year, which include gender, home location, birthplace and prior
academic achievements.
This study indicates that students who do take a gap year between high school and
university are showing that this experience has a positive impact on their academic
outcomes; earing marks that are 2.3 percent greater than their peers who do not take gap
years. In addition to earning better marks, gap year students appear to be more motivated
for entering university as well as being of value to low-achieving students.
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Heath, S. (2007). Widening the gap: Pre-university Gap Years and the ‘Economy of
Experience.’ British Journal of Sociology of Education. 28(1). 89-103.
As the popularity of taking a pre-university gap year becomes more popular among
British students, so is its weight in gaining an advantage over those students who do not
pursue this route. As the gap year has developed over the years, so have organizations
that provide help and opportunities to students seeking to take some time off. This article
explores the popularity of the pre-university options for British students as well as the
presumed benefits. It also defines a hierarchy of the various opportunities based on the
‘economy of experience’ surrounding the gap year; those experiences that are well-
structured and purposeful such as volunteering have more weight than those that are not,
such as overseas activities and work experience.
As research about the benefits of taking a gap year emerged, five categories emerged:
It provides for self-reflection and enhances the students’ sense of perspective for being able to make better informed decisions
There is an opportunity for self-development and enrichment of ones self. Due to their experiences, students who take a gap year are more mature and
adaptable to university life ‘Soft skills’ such as communication, organizational and team working skills are
acquired Gap year students are more desirable by employers because of these attributes.
Development of UK-based volunteering programs has increased as it promotes social
cohesion and ‘civil renewal.’ In addition, many organizations that offer overseas
experiences have developed due to British gap-year students comprising of the majority
of the international backpacker community. But even with new programs being
developed throughout the UK, the majority of the students who embark on a gap year
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experience are from well-informed, middle-class families; therefore, attempts to widen
access to students In the UK seeking full-time volunteering opportunities have developed
and increased with aid from the government. As competition increases as well as an
emphasis on the ‘economy of experience,’ the gap that exists between students in the
world of positional competition will continue to widen.
King, A. (2011). Minding the gap? Young people’s accounts of taking a Gap Year as a form of
identity work in high education. Journal of Youth Studies, 14(3), 341-357.
doi:10.1080/13676261.2010.522563
As students enter into university, they encounter a bit of uncertainty with their identity as
they are neither dependent children nor are they fully independent adults: as a result,
many students choose to take gap year to help with this identity confusion. In this article,
King goes one step further and explores how three psychosocial attributes, confidence,
maturity, and/or independence are used to help with the identity work within the context
of higher education.
Based on previous research, the majority of gap year participants are middle class, white,
females from Southern England (this study was conducted in the United Kingdom).
Despite these common characteristics, all students can gain psychosocial developments
and social distinctions from taking a gap year.
This study gathered data using a theoretical and methodological perspective and looked
to focus on social action, in situ, as it is accomplish in talk. There were 23 participants
who were chosen based on convenience and snowball sampling. They also had to have
taken a pre-university gap year within the previous five years. The data collected for this
study was by means of interviews, in which several themes emerged:
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Confidence, maturity and/or independence in gap year talk Confidence, maturity and/or independence and gaining entry to university Confidence, maturity and/or independence and different types of students Confidence, maturity and/or independence and gaining graduate employment
Overall, student’s talked about their gap year experiences by referencing confidence,
maturity and/or independence, how they relate to people and events in the current
biography, and their future, such as employability. The study also supports previous
research, which indicates that students undertake identity work as they transition to
adulthood and the gap year act as a time and space where this significant biographical
change occurs.
Martin, A. J. (2010) Should students have a gap year? Motivation and performance factors
relevant to time out after completing school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3),
561-576. doi:10.1037/a0019321
One of the major reasons that gap year participants take time off is so that they can have a
break for formal education or work.
O’Shea, J. (2011). Delaying the academy: A gap year education. Teaching in Higher Education,
16(5), 565-577. doi:10.1080/13562517.2011.570438
This article focuses on the international volunteering gap year from an educational
perspective by students in the United Kingdom. It does so, by examining case studies of
participants of a prominent gap year organization in the UK that specializes in helping
students to participant in 12-month overseas volunteer programs in developing countries.
The study made use of multiple methods of qualitative inquiry, which included document
analysis of organizational material and volunteer reports as well as semi-structured
interviews.
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From this study, O’Shea suggest that student’s embark on these volunteer experiences
with altruistic and egoistic motives. Based on the study, many students encountered
common experiences:
Cultural shock and trying to assimilate to a new way of life Development of their civic education which tended to develop an awareness,
appreciate and criticism of cultural and political structures A change in their religious perspectives or a stronger sense of the religion with
which they regularly practice An appreciation for community and family life A better understanding and tolerance of other cultures as well as identifying more
with their own British culture Greater perceived intellectual development within themselves that leads to more
confidence and the ability to make decisions Understanding of their personal identity and growth Difficulties returning to the UK and formal educational settings; revere culture
shock
By delaying their term of entry into college, students who are partaking in international
volunteer gap years are experiencing gains in personal, civic, moral and intellectual
development. These experiences that they are able to gain cannot necessarily be found
within traditional formal educational settings and are thus setting these students apart in
university and the work force. It is creating not just involved and motivated students and
employees, but global citizens of character.
Rubin, M. (2008). Gap year: Transition from high school to college. Time off or time on?
Hispania, 91(1).
In order to gain a good educational experience, many students are turning to the option of
taking a gap year. The gap year is no longer associated just with students who are rebels,
dropouts or who have nothing better to do, but instead for students from all backgrounds.
By participating in a gap year, these students are proving to be prepared and serious
learners who are more focused, have more self-awareness and who are more flexible with
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working with others of diverse backgrounds. When students are able to take time off
before entering into the rigorous college atmosphere, they are able to encounter real-life
situations and understand their role within this world, thus making them global citizens as
well as life-long learners.
Method
Research Design
For this study, the qualitative method of research will be used to help in the
understanding of why students choose to take a pre-university gap year and what do they believe
they will gain or learn from doing so. It will be necessary to gain consent from each of the
participants in order to conduct and use any of the student’s personal accounts (Appendix B).
The participants will be asked to participate in a one-on-one interview with the research
(Appendix A). All interviewees will be asked the same questions in order to compare and
contrast their perceptions of college and themselves before their experience; however, should the
interviewee bring up other topics of interest, this information may be taken into account. The
researcher will record and transcribe the interviews, as well as make notes during the interview
process to ensure that any non-verbal information is documented.
Participants
The participants for this study will be determined through the use of homogeneous
sampling; a form of purposeful sampling in which the researcher identifies and selects
individuals “based on membership in a subgroup that has defining characteristics” (Creswell,
2012, p. 208). The subgroup selected for this study is students in the state of Georgia who will
be partaking in a pre-university gap year. Furthermore, these students are defined as those who
have been admitted to a four-year college or university for the fall entry term directly following
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their graduation from high school and who have decided to defer their college entry for one year
to the next fall entry term. The goal is to identify and obtain permission to interview between
five and ten students. The recruitment of participants for this study will rely on help from the
Admission Office of four-year colleges and universities in the state of Georgia. Once the
students have been identified, the researcher will communicate with these potential participants
via their school e-mail address, which will explain the purpose of the study, include a copy of the
informed consent form as well as how to indicate that they are interested in participating in the
study.
Data Collection
In order to gain understanding behind a student’s desire and motivation to take a pre-
university gap year, the researcher will engage participants in individual open-ended interviews
before their gap year experience. Since this study is focusing on the participants’ stories before
their experience, questions to be asked during the interview will be prepared in advance
(Appendix A). The researcher will serve as interviewer and will follow the prescribed interview
questions, however, if the interviewee should disclose additional information, this may also be
used. The researcher will determine what is important to the study as well as ethical. It is also
their responsibility as interviewer to record field notes accordingly as to accurately capture and
portray the entirety of the interview from the setting to the actions of the interviewee.
Data Analysis Procedures
In order to explore the reasoning and motivation behind why students decide to take a
pre-university gap year, the researcher will engage in a grounded theory design. The process
will engage in the emergent design, which relies on “exploring a basic social process with preset
categories” (Creswell, J. W., 443). As the researcher codes and analyzes the data, common
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categories and themes will emerge within each interviewee’s story. The emergence of these
themes within the data will continue to develop, as the researcher will then compare each story’s
themes. The researcher will then be able to identify a core category or central phenomenon that
will lead to the development of a theory. Once a theory is determined, it must be validated in a
process called discriminant sampling, in which the new found theory is compared to existing
process found in the literature (Creswell, J. W., 442). Based on the linking of concepts or
categories, the research can write their research report that is to include the problem, methods,
discussion and results, as well as the researcher’s generated theory and abstraction of the process
under examination (Creswell, J. W. 442).
Ethical Considerations
Before this study is conducted, a proposal as well as all materials that will be used will
be presented to the Institutional Review Board. The research will not take action to conduct any
part of this study until proper approval is gained. In addition, the researcher is to work closely
with their advisor of the project.
Due to the nature of this study wanting to understand the reasoning and motivations of
students who take a pre-university gap year, there is a precaution to the sensitivity of the
participants. Before conducting any interviews, the researcher must obtain informed consent
from all participants. The researcher is responsible for reading the Informed Consent Form to all
participants, as well as the participants are to read the form before signing. By having the
information reiterated, the participant will be made aware of the purpose, procedures and
inherent risk of the study as well as the fact they may remove themselves from the study at
anytime.
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Because of this study is gathering personal information and stories about gap year
students, it is important to maintain the confidentiality of the students. As a researcher, it is
important to maintain the voice of the participants and to not recreate or falsely portray them in
the final work. In order to avoid this, participants of the study will have the opportunity to read
and review the researchers final work in order to check for validity and accuracy. Participants
will also be assigned a pseudonym in the final work in order to keep their identities unknown.
This study is meant to be a stepping-stone into further research about students who chose
to take a pre-university gap year in the United States. With much of the previous research being
conducted abroad, it is important to understand the educational aspirations of our own students
and if the idea of taking a gap year is something of interest to them. The choice to take a non-
traditional route to university is often looked down upon in the United States so this study is
looking to understand the reasoning and motivations behind why some students go against the
grain. The hope is that this study will lead to further studies of students who take a gap year and
the effects of their experience and success at university and in the work force.
References
Birch, E. &Miller, P.W. (2007). The Characteristics of ‘Gap-Year’ Students and Their Tertiary
Academic Outcomes. Economic Record, 83(262), 329-344.
doi:10.1111/j.14754932.2007.00418.x
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluation quantitative
and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Ltd.
Heath, S. (2007). Widening the gap: Pre-university Gap Years and the ‘Economy of
Experience.’ British Journal of Sociology of Education. 28(1). 89-103.
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King, A. (2011). Minding the gap? Young people’s accounts of taking a Gap Year as a form of
identity work in high education. Journal of Youth Studies, 14(3), 341-357.
doi:10.1080/13676261.2010.522563
Martin, A. J. (2010) Should students have a gap year? Motivation and performance factors
relevant to time out after completing school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3),
561-576. doi:10.1037/a0019321
O’Shea, J. (2011). Delaying the academy: A gap year education. Teaching in Higher Education,
16(5), 565-577. doi:10.1080/13562517.2011.570438
Rubin, M. (2008). Gap year: Transition from high school to college. Time off or time on?
Hispania, 91(1).
Sparks, S. D. (2010). Research suggests a ‘gap year’ motivates students. Education Week, 30(4).
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Appendix A
Interview Protocol
Project
Time of Interview:Date:Place:Interviewer:Interviewee:Sex of Interviewee:Race/Ethnicity of Interviewee:
[Interviewer will describe the research study to the interviewee by reading the informed consent form, which explains the purpose of the study, the individuals and sources of data being collected, what will be done with the data to protect the confidentiality of the interviewee and how long the interview will take.[Have the interviewee read and sign the consent form.][Turn on the tape recorder and test it.]
Questions:
1. What higher education institutions did you apply to? Were you accepted? And in what order would you rank these institutions based on your top choice?
2. What do you intend to do during your gap year? And how did you decide on this particular experience?
3. What is the major reason for wanting to pursue a gap year?4. Is there anything that you believe you will miss out on by not attending college in the
fall?5. Describe what you expect to gain from your gap year experience.
(Thank the individuals for their cooperation and participation in this interview. Assure them of the confidentiality of the responses and the potential for future interviews.)
(Creswell, 2012, p. 226)
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Appendix B
INFORMED CONSENT FORM
Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study, which will take place from June 1, 2013 to August 30, 2013. This form details the purpose of this study, a description of the involvement required and your rights as a participant.
The purpose of this study is:
To understand the stories of students who have decided to take a pre-university gap year instead of the traditional high school to college route.
The benefits of the research will be:
To better understand the reasoning and motivations behind why students want to embark on a pre-university gap year.
To identify common characteristics of students pursuing a gap year experience. To learn how students view themselves and college before their gap year experience.
The methods that will be used to meet this purpose include:
One-on-one interview pre gap year experience
You are encouraged to ask questions or raise concerns at any time about the nature of the study or the methods that are being used.
Our discussions will be audio taped to help me accurately capture your insights in your own words. The tapes will only be heard by me for the purpose of this study. If you feel uncomfortable with the recorder, you may ask that it be turned off at any time.
You also have the right to withdraw from the study at anytime. In the event you choose to withdraw from the study all information you provide (including tapes) will be destroyed and omitted from the final study.
Insights gathered by you and other participants will be used in writing a qualitative research report. Though direct quotes from you may be used in the paper, your name and other identifying information will be kept anonymous.
By signing this consent form I certify that I agree to the terms of this agreement.
_____________________________ _____________________________ _________ (Print Name) (Signature) (Date)
(http://ling-blogs.bu.edu/lx540s11/files/2011/04/Informed-Consent-Examples.pdf
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Jessica, good work! Thanks for all your hard work on this. You have done an exceptional job and
demonstrated you have a strong understanding of research design. I think you chose nice articles
for the annotated bibliography and summarized them well. I would like to have seen you
formally state your research question and your significance. I hope you will find my comments
and suggestions useful as you work on future papers.
Paper: 26/30 points
Class points (including 1 point for discussion this week): 94.5/100
Class Grade: A
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