UCLA

Recent policies based on the Guided Pathways model have been implemented at numerous community college systems across the nation, including in California, with the goals of easing the decision-making process of students and increasing the efficiency with which they navigate these institutions (Bailey et al., 2015a; Eikey et al., 2017). However, absent from these discussions has been an assessment that contextualizes who these students are and how they experience making critical decisions, such as choosing their program of study. This study redirects the conversation of how community college students make decisions about their majors from one about macrostructural processes to a microlens that explores the specific experiences of community college students. Utilizing contextual, theoretical groundings that combine developmental (Arnett, 2000) and psychological (Marcia, 1993) lenses, in conjunction with critical theory, this study examines the experiences of 26 emerging adults attending a community college in Southern California. Findings from this study indicate that several factors impact how emerging adults in community colleges make decisions about their vocational identities. These factors include past educational histories and conversations with institutional agents, and family members, as well as negative ideas about their race/ethnicity, gender, and other aspects of their identities. This study suggests the need for community colleges to adopt policy models that incorporate developmental and psychological frameworks, along with economic theories, to understand the student experience. Additionally, this study’s findings challenge institutions and practitioners to critically examine their policies to avoid institutionalizing practices that mirror upper/middle-class habits and further marginalize the students they are trying to serve.