College Student Experiences in a Creative Writing Extracurricular: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experience of students at Western Pennsylvania community colleges with creative writing extracurricular involvement and its impact on academic success and personal development. The theory guiding this study was Astin’s theory of student involvement, as it provided a framework for exploring involvement in creative writing extracurriculars within the community college. The central research question of the study was: What are the lived experiences of community college students actively involved in a creative writing extracurricular? Two sub-questions follow, dissecting the student's academic success and personal development. The research study design was phenomenology, which focused on the study of participants' lived experiences to understand the essence of the experience or phenomenon. The study utilized the hermeneutic phenomenology approach due to personal experience with community college students and advising of an extracurricular organization on campus. The participant population included 12 enrolled students at four community colleges in Western Pennsylvania who actively participated in creative writing extracurriculars on campus. Data collection consisted of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups. Data analysis included text transcript creation, coding, and thematic development. There were four themes that emerged during data analysis: community college experience, creative writing, academics, and personal development. Emerging themes were analyzed using MAXQDA data analysis software. Overall, community college students perceived that involvement in a creative writing extracurricular would play a crucial role in academic success and personal development.