| Social exchange theory asserts that individuals who receive a gift will be pressed by an internal sense of obligation to give back in turn (Mauss, 2002). While there is a great deal of literature devoted to giving, there is little literature about the receiving end of the exchange cycle. Deeply impacted by the effects of direct reciprocity are North American educational institutions, which increasingly rely on alumni support to maintain their financial viability. Colleges and universities must decide how to direct their spending in a way that allows the institution to continue in perpetuity. In spite of theories about direct reciprocity within social exchange literature, scholarship recipients often give back little more or less than non-recipients (Monks, 2003). The purpose of this qualitative research was to investigate the subjective, lived experience of nine scholarship recipients who completed college at least ten years prior to their participation. This research used the Listening Guide method to develop a narrative form of participants' stories, allowing the multiple and sometimes contradictory voices to emerge from each, including decision making about their diverse giving patterns. Their accounts complicate existing literature with narratives that include far more than a sense of obligation. Multiple factors influenced their experience, including pre-existing values and life experience, perceptions about school administration, and the opportunity and capacity to develop a sense of agency. In addition, the participants provided an increased understanding of the temporal and fluid nature of their experience and reaction. |
