Applying the Schlossberg 4s Transition Model to Retired University Faculty: Does It Fit?

Jane Goodman John G. Pappas

The authors sumeyed university faculty t o investigate whether the Schlossberg 4s Transition Model was a usefil way to look at retirement aajustment. Participants were asked questions regarding aspects of situation, self, sup- port, and strategies before and a j e r retirement. Results are described in relation to overall retirement satisfaction.

According to federal regulations, beginning on January 1 , 1994, universi- ties could no longer mandate faculty retirement at a specific age. This shift in federal regulations means that faculty members can generally work as long as they wish. This change has also spurred an interest in understand- ing some of the aspects of faculty retirement, from administrators, who often want to encourage retirement, and from social scientists, who want to better understand the transition. Although much of the published litera- ture focuses on the financial aspects of retirement, several researchers have examined features of retirement satisfaction.

Walz, Craft, and Blum (1991) reviewed the literature on faculty retire- ment and concluded, “professors generally are positive about retirement and adjust well to retirement. . . . [They] however, have reported negatives associated with retirement: loss of contact with students and colleagues, loneliness, feelings of uselessness, lack of structure, and concern about fi- nances” (p. 61). Dorfman (1992), who also examined faculty retirement, stated

The literature is quite conclusive in identifjring what academics consider to be the positive aspects of retirement: free time to spend as one wishes, freedom from routine and responsibilities, more op- portunity for service, and remembrance of work well done. (p. 346)

Jane Goodman is an associateprofcrsor of counselingat Oakland Universiry. Birmingham. Michigan. John G. Pappas is a pmfssor ofcounseling at Eustem Michigan University in Ypilanti. Comspondcncr rrgard- ing this artick should be sent to Jane Goodman, 715 Wimbkton, Birmingham, MI 48009 (c-mail: gmdman@oakland edu).

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She identified negatives that were similar to those identified by Malz et al., (1991). Most of the studies cited in both articles found that retirees are satisfied with their retirement. Although they did not look at postretirement satisfaction, Monahan and Greene (1987) found that faculty members who opted for early retirement were less healthy, less satisfied with their teach- ing assignments and research productivity, and felt less recognized for their contributions than others. Waters and Goodman (1990) stated that a posi- tive attitude and planning seem to be useful in constructing a successful retirement. They suggested that “the counseling perspective of looking at life-style, relationships, and internal needs and values can lead to a positive adjustment” (p. 99). Carter and Cook (1995) suggested that “increasing retirees’ self efficacy will be enhanced through active participation in the planning process” (p. 79).

According to LaBauve and Robinson (1999), “there have been very few attempts to develop appropriate and viable interventions to help retirees cope with adjustment to new and different lifestyles”(p. 10). O u r study is an attempt to evaluate one such intervention model by looking at the fit be- tween that model and retirement for a particular group (i.e., college faculty).

Retirement can be viewed as one of many work transitions that people will experience during a lifetime. In discussing the retirement transition, in general, LaBauve and Robinson (1999) described it as not only a change in roles but also as an “expansion and redefinition of previous career roles” (p. 2). Today’s world has become one of multiple transitions. Indeed, some experts say adults will experience as many as seven major career shifts during a working life (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1998; Peterson, 1995). Other areas of life (e.g., relationships, health, internal needs) also in- volve transitions. Schlossberg (1984) proposed that looking a t transi- tions was the best way to understand adult development. The Schlossberg model, when applied to retirement, suggests that successful coping de- pends on an evaluation of the retiree’s unique situation, the qualities of the individual him- or herself, the support available, and the strategies used to plan retirement. This model, sometimes called the 4s model- situation, self; support, and strategies-postulates that there are many dimensions included in each of these major categories. T h e situation variable, for example, is affected by the t iming of retirement in an individual’s life. If married, has the spouse already retired or is he or she still working? Are there elderly parents or other dependents for whom care must be provided? Does the faculty member perceive the re- tirement as a choice or a necessity? Has the individual weathered previous transitions? Was the outcome positive or negative? What other stresses is the individual experiencing at the same time as the retirement transition?

Similar questions may be asked for each of the other variables. The self variable might focus o n faculty members’ resilience, their ability to find

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meaning in new situations, or their sense of self-efficacy. The support vari- able might examine retirees’ personal support network, the availability of support from the university, or their ability to access support. Finally, the strategies individuals have used to plan for and manage the transition are examined. Earlier work by Atchley (1985) suggested that there is a honey- moon phase to most people’s retirement transition; this honeymoon is fol- lowed either by disenchantment or stability. We hypothesized that individuals who had more strategies at their disposal would be more able to move directly to the stability phase.

O u r study was designed to examine the retirement transition rather than the retirement condition. The goal was to examine the factors related to the 4s model that seemed to assist in navigating the retirement transi- tion. We were also interested in identifying the factors that retirees per- ceived as contributing to current satisfaction. Two questions specifically investigated how the participants’ university could have been of greater assistance to its retirees before, during, and after the transition.

METHOD

Participants and Procedure The study is based on the current emeritus faculty group of the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University. (The college includes the fol- lowing departments: health, physical education, recreation and dance, lead- ership and counseling, special education, and teacher education.) T h e participants were identified with the assistance of personnel in the dean’s ofice, and all had served as full-time, tenure-track faculty in the College of Education. At the time of the study, the total number of college faculty retirees was 66, and this group constituted the sample population for our study. Because research (e.g., Atchley, 1985) seemed to indicate that there is often a series of phases in the retirement process, with differing levels of satisfaction, we decided to gather data from all living retired faculty. Thus, all retirement phases would presumably be included. Approval for this research project was granted by the university’s Human Subjects Review Committee.

We developed and mailed a Faculty Retirement Survey to each retiree along with a letter that invited them to participate in the study and a self- addressed, postage-paid return envelope. The need to better understand the retirement transition of college faculty and the value of learning from their collective experiences were themes developed in the letter. The letter also addressed the issues of anonymity of participant responses and the aggregate nature of subsequent data reporting. The intent of sharing the findings within the university community in an effort to strengthen the institutional support for current and future retirees was emphasized, as

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well as the opportunity for the participants themselves to receive a sum- mary of the findings.

We had received 50 completed questionnaires by the initial date indi- cated for the return of the survey. At that time, we decided to send a fol- low-up letter to the 16 individuals who had not responded, stressing the importance of full participation in the study; we included another copy of the survey and a return envelope. By the find deadline, we had received an additional 5 questionnaires, resulting in a total return of 55 (85%) com- pleted surveys. Findings are based on this group of participants.

Survey Instrument The Faculty Retirement Survey included two major sections. The first sec- tion was designed to elicit general information about the participants and their current level of satisfaction with retirement. The second section was designed to provide insights into the retirement transition process of col- lege faculty and to assess the application of the Schlossberg 4s Transition Model to this population. We developed the survey after an extensive re- view of the literature on faculty retirement in higher education. This re- view showed that there is limited research on the retirement experiences of college faculty that focuses on the psychological and sociological aspects of this major life transition.

Demographic information requested in the first sectioo included such variables as the participants’ present age, sex, race-ethniciiy, departmental affiliation, total years of university service, age at retirement, and pension plan options. Nine questions elicited this basic data. In addition, questions were asked to determine interest in early retirement plans and the incen- tives that would be important considerations if such plans were available.

We developed the second section of the survey to examine the retire- ment transition of college faculty from a different perspective. Because Schlossberg’s (1995) work is widely cited in the literature and provides a practical conceptualization of adult life transitions, it seemed appropri- ate to test its applicability in this study. We believed that Schlossberg’s 4s Transition Model was relevant for exploring the more personal and social dimensions of the retirement transition. The model describes, in detail, the four major variables (described previously) that influence tran- sitions and influence the ability of the individual to cope during a transi- tion. Questions were constructed to determine the nature, level, or relationship of each of these variables within the context of participants’ perceptions of their retirement transition experiences. A checklist was provided to investigate the factors that contributed to the individual’s retirement decision (see Table 1). We hypothesized that life satisfaction in retirement might not be unitary, but rather that although some aspects of life might be satisfying others were not. We, therefore, devel-

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TABLE 1

Factors Contributing to Retirement Decision ( N = 55)

Factor n YO

Leisure and Travel Plans personal Motivation Freedom from Routine Changes in Working Conditions Family Considerations Financial Considerations Changes in Collegial Relationships Health IssuesKoncerns Nonpaid Career Plans Caretaking Responsibilities Other Paid Career Plans

26 24 22 16 13 10 7 7 4 3 2

47 44 40 29 24 18 13 13 7 5 4

oped a list of areas of life, and respondents were asked to rate each on a 5- point Likert-type scale (see Table 2).

Each of the Schlossberg (1984) dimensions was addressed with a set of questions selected from the factors identified in the Transition Model as relevant to each dimension. These are described in detail in the Results section of this article. The dimensions that yielded significant results are presented in Tables 3 and 4. There were also opportunities for open-ended responses. A closing question asked participants to share the advice they would give a faculty colleague who was planning to retire soon.

TABLE 2

Satisfaction Level of Retirees Combined Positive Ratings - Highly Safisfiedand Satisfied(N= 55)

Life Dimension n %

Relationships with Family Relationships with Friends Financial Resources Psychological Outlook Level of Activity Leisure Involvement Community Involvement Physical Health Support System Professional Involvement

53 52 50 50 50 50 49 48 45 40

96 95 91 91 91 91 89 87 82 73

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TABLE 3

Sources of Support During Retirement Transition

Source n

Intellectual activities 31 Hobbies 23 Athletic activities 20 Artistic activities 10

Faith 9 Pets 4

Religious affiliation 10

RESULTS

In the first part of this section, we summarize the general information obtained from the Faculty Retirement’ Survey and provide the basis for the descriptive data. Age ranges of the study participants are shown in Table 5. Each participant’s age on October 1, 1996 was used as the “present age.” Sixteen women and 39 men completed the survey, 29% and 71%, respec- tively. All indicated their race-ethnicity as White; one respondent also reported being part American Indian. As stated previouslx all are emeritus faculty of the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University. O n the one hand, this might be considered a restrictive sample; on the other hand, participants coming from a single university controls, to some extent, for the procedures and benefits supplied by different institutions that could have an impact on retirement satisfaction.

Total years of service at the university ranged from 8 to 41 years, and the mean number of years of service was 24.43. The most frequent number of years was 25, with the remaining years of service widely distributed. The age of the participants at retirement ranged from 50 to 71 years, and the

TABLE 4

Persons Providing Support During Retirement Transition

Person(s) n

Spouse or partner 39 Children 30 Friends 32 Former colleagues 21 Other relatives 1 1

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TABLE 5

Age Distribution of Retirees ( N = 55)

Range n %

55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80 or more

2 7

16 11 9

10

4 13 29 20 16 18

mean retirement age was 62.33 years. The most common retirement ages reported were 63, 65, and 62, in that order. Their dates of retirement ranged from January 1964 to September 1996. No observable pattern was noted because there was a relatively even spread among the dates with no more than four retirements on any given date.

Retirement pension plans of the participants were reported as follows: Teacher’s Insurance and Annuity Association/College Retirement Equities Fund (TWCREF), 17 (3 1 %); Michigan Public School Employees Retire- ment System (MPSPERS), 25 (45%); and both, 13 (24%). These data closely reflect the employment periods of the retirees as well as the changes in the retirement pension options provided by the university.

Factors contributing to the retirement decision of the participants are summarized in Table 1. Participants were asked to indicate the factors that influenced their decision to retire. As shown, leisure and travel plans, per- sonal motivation, and freedom from routine were the three highest re- sponses. Wi th few exceptions, academic effectiveness, caretaking responsibilities, other paid career plans, and nonpaid career plans were less often checked as deciding factors.

Current levels of satisfaction were consistently high on several life dimen- sions. Using a 5-point, Likert-type scale (1 = highly unsatisjied to 5 = highly satisjed), participants were asked to rate their satisfaction on 10 aspects of their lives. Table 2 shows the level of positive satisfaction as measured by the number of responses that were rated as either highly satisjied or satisfed on each of the life dimensions identified. Generally, the results indicate a positive overall level of satisfaction. Relationships with family and relation- ships with friends received the most positive responses, with approximately two thirds of the participants rating these two areas in the “highly satisfied” category. Satisfaction with their present support system and professional in- volvement seemed to be the areas that participants perceived least positively.

We also asked participants to indicate whether they would have been interested in an early retirement incentive plan if i t had been available

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before their retirement decision. Data show that 26 (47%) indicated “yes,” 16 (29%) indicated “no,” and 13 (24%) were “not sure.” The incentives most frequently mentioned as important regarding an early retirement plan were primarily financial considerations. An adequate early buyout plan, added financial incentives, and extension of benefits were the themes most commonly expressed.

In the second part of this section, we present information on the retire- ment transition as reported by the participants. The findings are based on the survey items that assessed each of the four dimensions of the retirement transition described in Schlossberg’s (1984, 1995) model. Following are summaries of the survey results for each variable.

Situation The situation variable focuses on what is happening or has happened at the time of the transition. It includes such subvariables as the level of control people feel over the transition and the timing of the transition in their lives. Using 5-point, Likert-type scales, we asked two questions to deter- mine the level of control participants perceived they had over their retire- ment and the timing of the retirement. Responding to the question, “Did you feel your decision to retire was in your control?” 43 (78%) indicated completely, and 7 (13%) indicated mostly. Only 5 (9%) reported being not sure, not much, or not at all in control of their decision to retire. Regarding the timing of their decision, participants were asked to rate their feeling on a scale of exceflent, good, not sure, poor, or very poor. Of the 55 respon- dents, 27 (49%) reported that the timing was excellent, 23 (42%) said that it was good, 4 (7%) were not sure, and 1 (2%) thought that the timing was poor; no retiree thought the timing was very poor.

It seems that individuals’ sense of control over their retirement decision would correlate with overall satisfaction with retirement. In fact, the Pearson product-moment correlation was significant but weak, ( r = .28, p c .05). To determine this relationship, an overall satisfaction score was completed for all participants by summing their numerical ratings for each of the listed life dimensions. A mean was used for each participant to replace missing answers in a few cases. As seen earlier, overall level of satisfaction was high, with a mean of 4.28. The Pearson product-moment correlation benveen level of satisfaction and timing was strong ( r = .68, p c .001). This seems to confirm the importance of timing in the retirement transition even when control does not stand out as a critical factor.

Participants were asked whether they had continued to teach part- time at the university since their retirement. One fifth (20%) indicated that they had been involved in part-time teaching. Participants were also asked whether they had begun any new employment since retire- ment. Of the 55, 1 3 (34%) indicated “yes,” and 4 2 (76%) indicated

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“ 7, no. Some of the employment areas included teaching at other univer- sities, college administration, consulting with schools, clinical practice, medical claims processing, restaurant ownership, and gardening.

Self We used two questions to prompt participants to provide information on the balance and mattering aspects of the self variable, the aspect of the Schlossberg 4 s Transition Model that relates to individuals’ inter- nal worlds. These questions were designed using three 5-point, Likert- type scales. The first two questions were designed to determine changes in the participants’ perceptions of life balance among work, family, lei- sure, and other pursuits before and after retirement. T h e rating scale ranged from excellent (5) to very poor (1). Regarding participants’ life balance before retirement, the following results were obtained: 15 (27%) excellent, 28 (51%), good; 5 (9%), not sure; 6 (1 1%), poor; and 1 (2%), verypoor. In contrast, present life balance in retirement was reported as follows: 26 (47%), excellent; 26 (47%), good; 1 (2%), not sure; 2 (4%), poor; and none, verypoor. T h e increase in excellent rating responses from 27% to 47% along with the number reductions in the not sure, poor, and very poor responses seems to demonstrate that the balance in the lives of several participants improved after retirement.

We used percentages to evaluate participants’ ratings regarding their feelings about mattering to others (i.e., being appreciated, noticed, or acknowledged,) since retirement to investigate this aspect of the self dimension. The following distribution resulted: 9 (17%) indicated im- proved a lot; 8 (15%) improved somewhat; 31 (57%), no change; 6 (1 l%), decreased somewhat; none, decreased a lot; and one missing response. Most participants perceived no change. Of the remaining participants, a greater number reported improvement rather than diminishment in mattering to others. Interpreting these findings is difficult without some indica- tion of the nature and level of “mattering” before retirement.

We again computed Pearson product-moment correlations between overall level of satisfaction and aspects of self. Regarding balance before retirement, a moderate relationship was found ( I = .34, p < .005) between perceived life balance before retirement and satisfaction after. The rela- tionship between overall satisfaction and balance after retirement was a dramatic ( Y = .74, p < .0005). Results suggest that participants who found balance in life were also considerably more satisfied overall.

I t is interesting that there was virtually no correlation ( Y = . 0 4 2 ) between overall satisfaction and mattering. As indicated previously, more than half of the participants saw no change in their amount of mattering. This was a surprising finding, because one might predict that mattering would change the most for people who no longer had a principal form of

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mattering (i.e., their work). Perhaps retired faculty did not see their work as a primary source of mattering, or perhaps they had found new ways of mattering.

Support To identify the sources and relationships that provided support for the par- ticipants during the retirement transition, two checklists were presented as well as an opportunity for retirees to indicate other considerations that were not included. Table 3 summarizes the results to the question “Which of the following provided substantial support to you during your transition to retirement?” As noted, intellectual activities, hobbies, and athletic activities received the greatest number of responses. Other sources mentioned were volunteer work, clinical work, building activities, relocating, choral group, amateur radio, travel, community service, and social activities.

Results of participants’ responses to the question “Who of the following provided substantial support to you during your transition to retirement?” are presented in Table 4. I t is clear that participants’ spouses or partners, friends, and children served as important relationships in providing support to them during the transition. Other persons mentioned were self, grandchildren, financial advisor, and authors who examined life transition themes.

Participants completed two checklists that attempted to identify sources of liabilities during the transition to retirement. In response to the q&s- tions “Which of the following were liabilities to you during your transistion to retirement?” only six responses were received. Pets received two responses, and one response each was checked for religious &iliation, faith, intellec- tual activities, and athletic activities. Regarding individuals who might have been liabilities to participants during the retirement transition, former col- leagues received three responses, other relatives received two, and children received one response. Thus, the typical sources of support and supportive relationships were available for most retirees and were viewed primarily as positive during the transition to retirement.

In addition, participants were asked two open-ended questions to deter- mine what helpful support the university provided during the retirement transition and what additional support the retirees would have desired. The positive areas of support were as follows: the retirement seminars pro- vided by Eastern Michigan University/American Association of University Professors (EMU/AAUP), assistance by human resources and staff benefits personnel, scheduled meetings conducted by TIAA/CREF, contacts with state retirement system, buyout plan, departmental retirement activi- ties, and exit interviews. Approximately one third of the participants indicated they received little or no support from the university during their retirement planning.

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Participants identified the following as additional areas that would have facilitated the retirement planning process: more information about retirement process, earlier financial planning, counseling services, more recognition from administration, better life insurance plan, health in- surance, first year of retirement as sabbatical with pay, discussions with recent retirees, and opportunities for more contact or involvement with department and college activities after retirement. Approximately one third of the participants indicated that no additional support from the university was desired.

Strategies Participants responded to two open-ended questions that assessed the startegies they used during their retirement planning and after their retirement. To the question “What strategies designed to ease or enhance your transition did you use personally as you planned your retirement?” the following themes emerged: planned ahead, attended campus seminars, charted prospective income, contacted social security, became active socially, became involved in the community, planned for health and long-term care, worked toward debt retirement, sought part-t ime employment, volunteered, took up hobbies, contacted other retirees, focused more on home and family, and read.

To the question “What strategies have you used since retirement?” the following ideas were listed most frequently: travel, more family involve- ment, church involvement, new career, volunteer work, social activities, cultural activities, exercise, continued study and reading, physical and mental activities, consolidation of debts, managing investments, relocation, involvement in retiree group, and university activities.

Finally, retirees were asked what advice they would give a colleague who was planning to retire. Following is a sampling of the suggestions the participants shared: plan ahead, do paperwork as soon as possible, enjoy your retirement, do it without regrets, realize there is life after retirement, think positive[ly], plan to be physically active, make sure your finances are in order, consider timing, phase down if possible, talk with other retirees, let children know you have a life of your own, develop new life structure or routines, watch diet, pursue intellectual stimulation, try new things, plan on some adjustment time, don’t make drastic changes for at least 1 year, don’t overdo volunteer activities, travel early on, and talk with counselors.

CONCLUSION

Our findings generally support the conclusion found in the literature (e.g., Dorfman, 1992; Walz et al., 1991) that faculty are satisfied with retire-

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ment. In this regard, the 47% of the population who would have consid- ered early retirement is significant. The Schlossberg 4s Transition Model (Schlossberg et al., 1995) states that control and timing are important aspects of the situation variable, often a major determinant of successful navigation of the transition. The satisfaction of the participants in our study may well be explained by the 91% who believed both that the decision to retire was in their control and that the timing of their retirement was good. The other major findings of the study are summarized below.

No single aspect dominated the participants’ decision to retire. Leisure and travel plans, personal motivation, and freedom from rou- tine were the three most frequently listed responses. Overall satisfaction with retirement was very high among the partici- pants. Highest levels of satisfaction were found with relationships with family and friends. Timing of the retirement decision was an important consideration of the retirement transition and overall level of satisfaction. Life-balance ratings increased from the 27% who found it excellent before retirement to the 47% who found it excellent after retirement. When we combined the excellent and good ratings, the increase was from 78% to 94%. Thus, it is clear that these former faculty mem- bers had improved the balance in their lives. There was a significant relationship between overall level of satiffac- tion after retirement and perceived balance among major life dimen- sions before retirement. An unexpected finding was that most of the participants (89%) per- ceived an increase or no change in their perceptions of mattering to others. We had speculated that retirees would miss their relationships with students and colleagues and their importance to the university. Spouse or partner, children, and friends led the list of supports that retirees depended on during their transition to retirement; intellectual and athletic activities and hobbies led the list of nonpeople supports. Retirement seminars that were sponsored by EMU/AAUP were at the top of the list of helpful university supports, followed by personal contacts with and assistance from human resources personnel. Participants reported several coping strategies that they used both during their retirement planning and after their retirement, but no single strategy dominated the findings.

IMPLICATIONS

An obvious limitation of the study is its small size and the fact that it was based exclusively on the retired education faculty from one mid-

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western university. T h e results, however, seem to be consistent with studies cited earlier (for example, see Dorfman, 1992; Walz et al., 1991). For that reason, our findings seem to be somewhat generalizable. The lack of diversity in the sample is an obvious concern. It is important to recog- nize that the sample reflects the hiring practices that were commonly found in higher education for many years. The current faculty of the institution is more representative of America’s diverse population.

It was evident to us that Schlossberg’s (1984, 1995) model provides a cogent and viable conceptualization for examining the retirement transi- tion of higher education faculty. T h e importance of understanding an individual’s situation was underlined by the finding that the timing of retirement was highly correlated with satisfaction. The appropriateness of looking at the self dimension was supported by the high correlation between life balance and satisfaction. Most participants listed various personal supports, but they believed that there was a lack of university support, particularly in the planning stage. This finding lends credence to a demand for more effective employer-provided preretirement activities. The participants in this study had a variety of strategies at their command. This finding does not negate the necessity of investigating strategies; it merely emphasizes their importance. It is clear, therefore, that the variables situa- tion, self, support, and strategies can be a useful framework for exploring important dimensions of this complex life change.

The model can form the basis for program development in providing assistance to expectant or recent retirees. It can also be used as an assess- ment of an individual’s needs. (For a more detailed examination of the use of this model in counseling, see Schlossberg et al., 1995, pp. 139-166 and

Our goal was to provide information to the university community that would improve the quality of support and services to current and future retirees. A recent study (Green, 1990) found that only 23% of college and university retirees recalled having received any counseling or other retire- ment assistance (p. 22). Although the faculty surveyed were generally quite satisfied overall with their present lives, several open-ended comments de- scribed suggestions in this area. Assistance with earlier financial planning; more information on the retirement process; better life and health insur- ance; more options for phasing down; and opportunities for continuing contact with the university, college, and department were most often men- tioned as areas for improvement. Therefore, retirement counseling needs to become part of the array of career services offered to faculty. This is consis- tent with the life span approach proposed by Super (1980) and with the increasing understanding of adulthood as a time of continuing transitions that can benefit from counseling support and assistance (see, for example, Fiske & Chiriboga, 1990).

pp. 227-232.)

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Further studies that expand and enhance the scope of this study are needed, particularly studies that focus on the psychological and sociologi- cal dimensions of the retirement transition. For example, the dimension of mattering, intuitively so important yet with such inconclusive findings in this study, could be productively investigated further. It is also clear that universities have a continuing responsibility to assist and support their faculty throughout retirement planning. This study is an initial step in learning from current faculty retirees, in one college at one university, what their perceptions and perspectives are regarding their own retirement tran- sition experiences.

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