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2019 Annual Conference

October 8–11, 2019

St. Louis, MO

Financial Shame among Adult Graduate Students: Possibilities for Transformative Learning and Social Change

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 5:00 PM–6:30 PM CDT
Grand DE
Select the FIRST area in which your presentation best fits.

Graduate Student Education

Presentation Format Requested

Poster (60-90 minutes)

Session Abstract

This session presents prior research about financial/debt stress, social class, and shame of graduate students, particularly in theological education, and proposes “financial shame” as the way these experiences interact.  Then principles of transformative learning are explored, toward possibilities for individual empowerment and societal change.

Target Audience

This poster session, about financial shame and transformative learning, is intended for educators, administrators, and student services personnel in graduate student education, as well as social justice educators, community organizers for economic justice, and graduate students who may experience or work with adult graduate students experiencing financial stress and shame.  There is particular emphasis on the field of theological education.

Learning Outcomes

Attendees will:
1.) Gain an understanding of the terms and data related to financial stress, debt stress, and financial shame.
2.) Critically reflect on financial shame in relationship to adult graduate students’ experiences of financial debt/stress, social class, and pursuit of low-paying professions.
3.) Explore the possibilities and challenges of transformative learning for potentially mitigating financial shame in pursuit of social change.

Session Description

With student loan debt now the second largest type of debt in the United States, many professionals are delaying homeownership, marriage, and childbirth due to burdensome financial and debt stress encountered during and after earning a graduate degree.  This may be especially true for students from lower socioeconomic situations, as well as those pursuing advanced degrees in low-paying professions, like theology/ministry.  Many graduate schools and professions are grappling with what this increased student debt means for their current and future students and the future of their professions.  Research shows that the financial and debt stress experienced by graduate students and professionals has mental, emotional, spiritual, relational, and academic consequences, especially when it leads to financial shame.  Many professions, including the field of theology/ministry, have invested substantial time, funds, and research to explore how the student debt crisis affects their students and graduates.  However, most of the research and proposed solutions focus on policy change or on individual financial management education.  This presentation will explore the potential causes and effects of financial/debt stress and shame in adult learners and examine principles and practices of transformative learning as possible strategies that may be utilized to reduce financial shame and promote social change.

Format & Technique

This session will present previous research about financial/debt stress and its relationship with student well-being, social class, and shame.  Graphs and images will be used to demonstrate these relationships and offer a definition of financial shame.  Further, the principles of transformative learning will be applied to the existing research, with examples of how transformative learning can and has been used to address financial shame and further the work of social change.  The session will include an emphasis on theological education as a profession in which research about financial shame, as well as transformative learning interventions, have been prioritized.

Primary Presenter

Jessica Williams, Kansas State University
Work Title

PhD Student

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