Date

8-20-2026

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Brandi Robinson

Keywords

autism, higher education, nutrition, ecological systems theory, accessibility, Bronfenbrenner, sensory, social, accommodations, culture

Disciplines

Education | Higher Education

Abstract

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study is to interpret how adult students with ASD in higher education navigate nutritional choices. This study was guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, which explains the relationship between environmental factors and individual health and well-being. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to examine how students with ASD experienced nutrition within the higher education environment. The central research question asked how adult higher education students with ASD experienced and navigated nutrition in the context of college life. The sample included 10 adult participants with ASD enrolled in a higher education institution. Data were collected through individual interviews, focus groups, and journal prompts to gain an in-depth understanding of participants’ lived experiences. Findings demonstrated that nutritional behaviors were shaped by institutional, social, cultural, and embodied influences. Participants described disruptions to eating routines due to academic demands, social considerations, and early formed food practices. Findings further suggested that behaviors often interpreted as individual nutritional choices reflected adaptive responses to inaccessible food environments and competing academic demands. These patterns reflected the internalization of environmental conditions, influencing daily nutritional decision making and lived experiences.

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