Date

4-17-2024

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Jason Cheek

Keywords

online education, higher education, food insecurity, housing insecurity, course

Disciplines

Special Education and Teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental causal-comparative study is to determine if there is a difference in the percentage of courses completed between online university students with disabilities who are experiencing food and/or housing insecurity and those who are not. Students with disabilities at universities are less likely to complete courses than peers without disabilities, and while this discrepancy is often blamed on disability, other factors that impact student performance must be examined to determine if intersecting factors that disproportionately impact people with disabilities, specifically food and housing insecurity, may be contributing to decreased percentages of course completion. The theory guiding this study is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, as it emphasizes the importance of basic psychological needs, such as food and housing, being met in order for people to reach their fullest potential. Research was conducted using the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form and the Fragile Families and Childhood Wellbeing 6 Item Housing Questionnaire. Online students at a large university in the Southwest United States of America in a Teachers’ College were surveyed. A random sample of 126 students was used for analysis, taken from 3,031 students surveyed. Data was analyzed using a two-way ANOVA to determine the findings. There were no statistically significant differences in course completion rates between students who were food and housing secure and those who were not. Further research is recommended to understand the impact of food and housing insecurity in both acute and chronic situations for online university students with disabilities.

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