Date of Degree

8-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program

Education

Advisor

Sandra L. Guzman Foster

Advisor

M. Alison Buck

Advisor

Jacquelyn P. Poplawsky Ortiz

Abstract

HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESILIENCE: AN EXPLORATION OF SEXUAL

MISCONDUCT SURVIVORS’ LIVED EXPERIENCES  AND

THE IMPACT ON THEIR EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY

Patricia Williams, PhD

University of the Incarnate Word, 2026

This study explored the lived experiences and resilience of victims/survivors of sexual misconduct while pursuing education at an Institution of Higher Learning (IHL). Students between the ages of 18 and 24 are more likely to be sexually victimized than be victims of robbery at IHLs (RAINN, n.d.). The impact of sexual misconduct can leave victims/survivors with long-term trauma, causing negative academic outcomes and a host of behavioral and emotional issues (Banyard et al., 2020; Carey et al., 2018; Dworkin et al., 2023; Molstad et al., 2023; Pemberton et al., 2020). This study explored the lived experiences of survivors of sexual misconduct and gave meaning to their stories of how, despite the harm they experienced, they found ways to start their healing journey, as well as acknowledging their resilience to continue and complete their educational goals.

The study used a qualitative methodology and narrative inquiry design to delve into the lived experiences of five survivors of sexual misconduct, which aided in collecting participants’ stories, richly layered with data, and report them in a meaningful way (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990). The conceptual framework that guided this study was Sexual Trauma Theory and Resilience Theory. Data was collected using one-on-one interviews, and that data was analyzed using Clandinin’s and Connelly’s (2000) narrative inquiry’s three-dimensional commonplace of temporality, sociality and place. Coding combined strategies from Saldaña (2021), such as In Vivo coding and Emotional coding, and Clandinin’s and Connelly’s (2000) narrative inquiry’s three analytic coding strategies, which included broadening, burrowing, storying, and restorying.

The results revealed how each participant took a unique self-paced pathway to cope with their trauma and healing process, transform their trauma into something meaningful, find the resilience to complete their educational goals, and refuse to allow the act of sexual misconduct to define or deter who they were as survivors.

The true gravity of harm caused by offenders remains unknown. Many of the current processes and policies utilized by IHLs to address sexual misconduct cases require reevaluation. The current methods used by IHLs often leave victims feeling unsupported, betrayed, and revictimized, resulting in a diminishing trust in the process and a reluctance to formally report sexual misconduct crimes. Utilizing trauma-informed approaches, such as restorative justice and trauma-informed therapists, should be considered as alternative approaches.

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