Research Proposal

A Working or Tentative Title

How First Generation Students are Impacted by Social Isolation

Topic Description

    The most prevalent issue that most people are facing currently is the COVID pandemic. Most people are having to face issues that might have not been so affecting before. The issue for most students and faculty is the transition from in person learning to remote learning. I will be exploring the issue of how social isolation has aggravated the mental health of college students. Furthermore, this paper will help better understand how the transition to remote learning impacted certain sectors of the student population. In addition, due to social isolation these sectors have faced the issue of “belonging” at college. The privatization of public higher education further intensifies this issue because it is a challenge for low income students to prioritize their education during this time where they have additional responsibilities.

Research Question

How has the transition to remote learning affected the student's? How has this transition had a negative or positive effect on college students? If it has positively impacted, what are some coping methods that college students found most useful during this time? How has this transition had a negative effect on college students' mental health? How has it affected the first generation students more than others? How has social isolation changed the defined “belonging” for first generation college students?

Theoretical Frames

    One of the critical theories that can explain the challenge of remote learning is that low-income first-generation students face difficulty adjusting to their environment and anxiety due to more responsibilities. They face more barriers such as slow internet connectivity (Katz, Vikki S.) and worry of finances(Gillis, Alanna)". This population struggles the most financially because their parents lost their jobs or their job closed due to quarantine/stay-at-home order, etc. This theory shows that the COVID pandemic has further worsened students' condition, and they need support from colleges and universities.

    A crucial theory that can explain the challenges faced by first generation college students is that they feel that they do not “belong” in the college community. They want to feel connected, accepted, respected, and valued (Darris R.). Unfortunately, most of the time the first generation do not feel this way because the opportunity gaps brought the thinking that they do not have potential or do not belong. Currently, the issue of belonging has been worsened because of the social isolation. Social isolation makes them believe that they are not in college since they are not actually going to campus. The idea that first generation college students not feeling like they belong to their college community is an ongoing issue, but COVID has worsened this issue.

Cases

    Alanna Gillis and Laura M. Krull in , “COVID-19 Remote Learning Transition in Spring 2020: Class Structures, Student Perceptions, and Inequality in College Courses” conducted a study at an elite flagship university. Both the authors were instructors of synchronous and asynchronous classes. This study shows results of the survey given at the end of semester. The study shows that first generation students face more difficulty with barriers such as no dedicated workspace, personal finances, and insufficient flexibility of coursework.

    Aleksandar, Kecojevic et al in “The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study” conducted a survey at a suburban public university in Northern New Jersey of college students taking an introductory core curriculum course on personal health. The study showed that college students have difficulty in ability to focus on academic work (73.5%) and difficulties with online learning (58.6%).

    Matthew H. E. M. Browning in “Psychological impacts from COVID-19 among university students: Risk factors across seven states in the United States” cross-sectional data by collecting web-based questionnaires from seven U.S. universities. The study showed that some concerning impacts are “entrapment, boredom, fatigue, hopelessness, guilt, and inconvenience to hygiene, sleep, housing, employment, personal finances, and caretaking”.

Bibliography 

Browning, Matthew H. E. M., et al. “Psychological Impacts from COVID-19 among University Students: Risk Factors across Seven States in the United States.” PLOS ONE, edited by Chung-Ying Lin, vol. 16, no. 1, 2021, p. e0245327. Crossref, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0245327.

Darris R. and Kimberly B. Pyne. "Finding My Way: Perceptions of Institutional Support and Belonging in Low-Income, First-Generation, First-Year College Students." Journal of College Student Development, vol. 58 no. 6, 2017, p. 907-924. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/csd.2017.0071.

Gillis, Alanna, and Laura M. Krull. “COVID-19 Remote Learning Transition in Spring 2020: Class Structures, Student Perceptions, and Inequality in College Courses.” Teaching Sociology, vol. 48, no. 4, 2020, pp. 283–99. Crossref, doi:10.1177/0092055x20954263.

Katz, Vikki S., et al. “Digital Inequality, Faculty Communication, and Remote Learning Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of U.S. Undergraduates.” PLOS ONE, edited by Benjamin Motz, vol. 16, no. 2, 2021, p. e0246641. Crossref, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0246641.

Kecojevic, Aleksandar, et al. “The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students in New Jersey, Cross-Sectional Study.” PLOS ONE, edited by Kristin Vickers, vol. 15, no. 9, 2020, p. e0239696. Crossref, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0239696.