Date
8-9-2024
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Chair
Justin Smith
Keywords
Coronavirus (COVID-19), Success, First-year Students, Undergraduate, Theological Education, Self-Determination Theory (SDT)
Disciplines
Higher Education | Online and Distance Education
Recommended Citation
Nash, Philip Lamar, "A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study of First-Year Christian Student Success in Theological Studies During the Pandemic" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5832.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5832
Abstract
This study examined the journeys of first-year undergraduate theological students during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to figure out what, if anything, aided the students in completing their coursework with passing grades. COVID-19 has impacted organizations and individuals around the world, prompting changes to ensure that things kept moving forward safely. The research was conducted to discover what, if anything, brought about achievement for students in a COVID-19 collegiate environment. The research was guided through a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative approach by conducting interviews with students about their first year in a residential secondary educational setting that moved to being online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research study aimed to discover factors that led to the successful completion of course curricula by first-year undergraduate students in a COVID-19 collegiate environment while in theological studies.
