Date
4-26-2024
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Chair
Meredith Park
Keywords
online learning, low-income, higher education, technology, students, distance learning, integration, persistence
Disciplines
Education | Higher Education
Recommended Citation
Williams, Jayda M., "The Experiences of Low-Income Students Focusing on an Online Learning Environment in Southwest Georgia: A Hermeneutical Phenomenology" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5502.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5502
Abstract
The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study is to understand the experiences of low-income students in an online learning environment and how they are socially and academically integrated at an institution in southwest Georgia. Tinto’s 1997 revised student integration model and theory on how institutions must socially and academically integrate students to improve students’ persistence is to guide this research. The participants for this study are ten low-income students who participated in the data collection tools, which are surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews. The participants expressed their experiences, barriers, social and academic integration, and persistence in an online learning environment. The data is analyzed using Moustakas’ 1994 seven-step modification of the van Kaam method, which developed themes and patterns to understand the experiences of low-income students participating in an online learning environment. After analysis, the three themes formed (1) barriers to success, (2) overcoming barriers and persistence, and (3) integration. The results of this investigation were consistent with the current studies on the experiences of low-income students.
