Date
12-16-2025
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Christopher W. Parrish
Keywords
Accessibility, Accommodation, College, Disabilities, Neurodevelopmental, Smartphone
Disciplines
Education | Higher Education
Recommended Citation
Sandstrom, Eric F., "The Lived Experience Of Students With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities And Smartphones For Higher Learning" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7850.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7850
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the lived experiences of college students with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) using smartphones for online learning during historic levels of both enrollment of students with NDDs and smartphone use in education. The guiding framework is Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory, which explains how learning occurs in a social context that includes interpersonal, behavioral, and environmental factors. This study asks: What are the lived experiences of students with NDDs in college using smartphones for online learning? The study seeks to understand how smartphones influence students’ perceptions of disability accommodations, internal locus of control, and social self-esteem. The qualitative methods apply a modified transcendental phenomenological approach, based on Moustakas’ inquiry, for the preparation, collection, and analysis of data. A purposeful sampling strategy involved 15 students who either met DSM-5 criteria for NDDs or self-reported dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Data from structured questionnaires, reflective journals, and written narrative interviews were triangulated to generate themes, providing a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon.
