EXPERIENCES OF LOW-INCOME STUDENT-PARENTS AT A COMMUNITY

COLLEGE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC

by

Marlena Yvonne Jarboe

B.B.A., December 1998, James Madison University
M.S., July 2007, Nova Southeastern University

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of

Old Dominion University in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of

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DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEADERSHIP

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OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY
December 2021
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Approved by:
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Mitchell R. Williams (Director)

Laura Smithers (Member)

Peter Anderson (Member)

 ABSTRACT

EXPERIENCES OF LOW-INCOME STUDENT-PARENTS AT A COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DURING THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC

Marlena Yvonne Jarboe

Old Dominion University, 2021
Director: Dr. Mitchell R. Williams

Twenty-two percent of United States undergraduate students are parents (Cruse, et al.,

2020). Referred to as student-parents, they are most likely to have low-incomes and attend

community colleges (Cruse, et al., 2019; Gault et al., 2014). They tend to reduce their course

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loads and drop out of college due to work-life balance challenges even though they typically

have better grade point averages than their non-parent peers (Cruse et al., 2019; Manze, et al.,
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2021; Peterson, 2016).

The problem to be addressed was how community college instructors, leaders, and
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legislators can support low-income student-parents’ persistence toward a postsecondary

credential. There is a gap in the research about how the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic is
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impacting this large student population. Before the Pandemic, low-income student-parents

already had financial insecurities with food, housing, and childcare (Baker-Smith et al., 2020).

Now there are many more obstacles with school closures, lay-offs, and lack of childcare (Cruse

et al., 2020).

This qualitative, phenomenological study focuses on the phenomenon of student-parents’

experiences at a community college during Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. Using reflective

lifeworld research guided by van Manen’s (2016) hermeneutic phenomenology thematic analysis

(Vagle, 2018), I discovered four themes: (a) Student-Parents Postsecondary Credential

Completion Often Interrupted, (b) Student-Parents Need Mental Health Support, and (c) Student-
Parents Need More Financial Support and Education, and (d) Instructor Interaction, Support

Services, and Course Delivery Methods are Essential to Student-Parents’ Postsecondary

Persistence. Recommendations include how community college leaders can help increase

persistence through a family friendly campus, childcare options, mental health support, flexible

class schedules, and additional support services. Suggestions for legislators include reducing

barriers to obtain and maintain social services funding assistance.

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Copyright, 2021, by Marlena Yvonne Jarboe, All Rights Reserved.

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This dissertation is dedicated to:

My Jesus who gives me strength, wisdom, and peace. “Blessed is she who believes the

Lord will fulfill all promises to her.” – Luke 1:45.

My husband who is my encourager and the love of my life. Thank you for managing our

family, our household, and making delicious homemade meals so I could pursue this dream.

My daughter who worked by my side, kept my glass of water filled, plugged up my

heated blanket, and supplied me with bountiful loving hugs.

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My son who made sure I had plenty of caffeine and encouraged me to finish my doctoral

degree because being called Dr. Jarboe would be badass.

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My mom who demonstrated great work ethic and held high expectations for her children
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despite being a low-income single-parent. Your love and efforts to pull us out of poverty are the

inspiration for this study.

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My dad whose love is never ending. I am so happy that we all now hang out together

with joy and laughter.

My stepdad, sister, brother, sisters and brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, and cousins for

your love and support throughout my life.

The student-parents who participated in this study and shared so openly with me. Keep

persisting, you can pull yourselves out of poverty!

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks to the guidance, dedication, and support of my dissertation committee.

Thank you Dr. Mitchell Williams for your wisdom and leadership as my committee chair.
During one of your classes you shared your passion to help people with low-incomes, this is
when I knew ODU’s Community College Leadership program was for me. During summer
institute when we sat in a restaurant and talked about our children, I saw a man of great character
and knew that I wanted you to be my chair. Your belief in me and words of encouragement kept
me motivated and ever more passionate about the mission of the community college. Thank you
to Dr. Laura Smithers, my methodologist, who exposed me to the world of reflective lifeworld
research. I will forever be changed by these participants’ lived experiences. Dr. Peter Anderson,
little did I know that this kind and wise community college leader that I met years ago at a

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conference would serve as a member of my dissertation committee. Witnessing your rise in
leadership in the community college system is inspiring and motivating for me. Thank you for
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your encouragement and support during my dissertation journey. To Dr. Chris Glass, Dr. David
Ayers, Dr. Dennis Gregory, Dr. Shana Pribesh, Dr. Kim Bullington, and the rest of the CCL
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team, you have created a rigorous program that will benefit community college leaders and their
students for years to come. I have and will continue to recommend this program to community
college leaders.
To my community college work family for encouraging me to pursue this degree. To the
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leadership team, Dr. John Downey and Dr. Bob Young for your encouragement. You often
believed in me more than I believed in myself. To my friend and colleague, Dr. Dave Urso, I am
forever grateful that you challenge me to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Thank you
for your advice and peer review of my work. You not only make our workplace fun but were
always willing to cover the office for us both when I needed time to commit to this study.
The real unsung hero in this doctoral journey is my husband, Spencer. He made sure that
I wanted for nothing. He always makes me laugh and supported my academic endeavors. To my
children, Tori and Easton, I appreciate all the time you sacrificed over the past few years so that I
could work on my dissertation. To all of my family and friends, thank you for your unconditional
love and support throughout my life. This doctoral journey has been challenging and life
changing. I could not have done it without you. Thank you all!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... xi

LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... xii

Chapter
I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1

Background of the Study ............................................................................................................ 2

Identification of the Problem ...................................................................................................... 7

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Purpose Statement ....................................................................................................................... 7

Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 8

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Professional Significance ............................................................................................................ 8
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Overview of Methodology ........................................................................................................ 10

Delimitations ............................................................................................................................. 12
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Definition of Terms................................................................................................................... 14

Chapter Summary ..................................................................................................................... 16

II. LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................... 18

Problem Statement/Purpose ...................................................................................................... 18

Method of the Literature Review .............................................................................................. 19

Synopsis .................................................................................................................................... 19

Theoretical Foundation ............................................................................................................. 20

Overview of Student-Parents .................................................................................................... 24

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COVID-19 Overview: The Impact on Postsecondary Education and Student-Parents ............ 24

Mental Health............................................................................................................................ 27

Financial Challenges ................................................................................................................. 30

Financial Assistance.................................................................................................................. 31

Demographic Data .................................................................................................................... 41

Motivation ................................................................................................................................. 43

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Postsecondary Institutional Responsibilities............................................................................. 44

Chapter Summary ..................................................................................................................... 51

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III. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................. 53
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Role of the Researcher .............................................................................................................. 54

Participant Description and Sampling ...................................................................................... 55

Data Collection Procedures....................................................................................................... 56

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Data Analysis Procedures ......................................................................................................... 59

Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 61

Chapter Summary ..................................................................................................................... 61

IV. RESULTS OF STUDY........................................................................................................... 63

Setting ....................................................................................................................................... 64

Participant Demographics ......................................................................................................... 65

Participant Profiles .................................................................................................................... 72

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Data Collection ......................................................................................................................... 78

Data Analysis Procedures ......................................................................................................... 80

Evidence of Trustworthiness..................................................................................................... 85

Findings..................................................................................................................................... 87

Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................... 120

V. DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................ 123

Purpose Statement and Research Questions ........................................................................... 124

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Summary of Methodology ...................................................................................................... 125
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Data Collection ....................................................................................................................... 126
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Data Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 129

Summary of Major Findings ................................................................................................... 132

Findings Related to the Literature........................................................................................... 133

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Conclusion of Findings ........................................................................................................... 152

Discussion ............................................................................................................................... 153

Implications for Practice ......................................................................................................... 156

Recommendations for Further Research ................................................................................. 165

Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 166

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 168

APPENDICES
A. Participant Recruitment Letter ........................................................................................... 185
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B. Old Dominion University Education Human Subjects Review Committee Exempt

Approval ............................................................................................................................ 186

C. Approval from a Community College’s Internal Review Board ....................................... 187

D. Old Dominion University’s Informed Consent Document ................................................ 188

E. Follow-up Email to Potential Participants .......................................................................... 195

F. First Interview Protocol ...................................................................................................... 196

G. Second Interview Protocol ................................................................................................. 198

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H. Third Interview Protocol .................................................................................................... 200
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VITA ........................................................................................................................................... 202
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LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1. U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines – Annual Income .................................................................. 31

2. Participant Demographics ......................................................................................................... 67

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page

1. A Model of Postsecondary Student Persistence...................................................................... 22

2. Racial or Ethnic Background of Student-Parents in U.S. Two-Year Postsecondary Institutions

................................................................................................................................................. 42

3. Student-Parent Age Distribution at U.S. Two-Year Postsecondary Instititutions .................. 43

4. Total Number and Percentage of Student-Parents by Student-Parent’s Age Group .............. 68

5. Total Number and Percentage of Student-Parents by Number of Dependent Children ......... 69

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6. Total Number and Percentage of Children by Children’s Age Group.................................... 70

7. Total Number and Percentage of Student-Parents by Poverty Level .................................... 71

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8. Example of Color-coded Theme on Spreadsheet.................................................................... 82
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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Twenty-two percent of all United States undergraduate students are parents (Cruse et al.,

2020). These postsecondary students who have at least one dependent child, also called student-

parents, are most likely to attend community colleges (Cruse et al., 2019). Even though most

student-parents have low-incomes and are twice as likely to drop out when compared to their

non-parent peers, they usually have higher grade point averages (GPA) (The Aspen Institute,

2021; Manze, et al., 2021; Zalaznick, 2021).

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Postsecondary enrollment is declining across the United States (National Student

Clearinghouse Research Center, 2021; NCES, 2021). In addition, student-parent credential

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attainment is decreasing (Gault et al., 2014). For the purposes of this study, a credential is

defined as an Associate of Arts & Sciences (A.A.&S.) Degree, an Associate of Science (A.S.),
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Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree, a Certificate (C), a Career Studies Certificate

(CSC), or a Workforce Certificate. Staying true to their mission to “serve all segments ... of
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society” (Vaughan, 2003, p. B24) with a focus on open access to meet the needs of the

community (Vaughan, 2003), community colleges in particular need to be aware of the factors

influencing student-parent persistence in order to retain this significant student population.

Increased enrollment and more revenue for postsecondary institutions is not the only benefit.

Most postsecondary staff, faculty, and administration genuinely want students to succeed and

improve their lives. Student-parents who desire to pull their families out of poverty not only

provide a better life for themselves but for generations to come (Gault et al., 2018). Their ability

to support themselves financially also has a positive economic impact in their community.
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The COVID-19 Pandemic provides a unique opportunity for researchers of student-

parents. Student-parents across the nation struggled more than their non-parent peers to meet the

basic needs of their families, such as food, housing, transportation, and childcare during the

Pandemic. “Among parenting students, 70% experienced basic needs insecurity; the rate among

non-parenting students was 55%. Disparities in housing insecurity were especially prominent,

with parenting students 15 percentage points more likely than non-parenting students to

experience housing insecurity” (The Hope Center, 2021, p. 34). Parental responsibilities

increased with the majority of educational institutions transitioning to online learning. Student-

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parents spent the majority of their time caring for and homeschooling their children while also

trying to go to school themselves (Education Week, 2020; Heggeness & Fields, 2020). This
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chapter includes an overview of the background of this qualitative, phenomenological study of

student-parents before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic, identification of the problem,
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purpose statement, research questions, professional significance, an overview of the

methodology, delimitations, and definition of terms.

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Background of the Study

Student-parents are similar to the majority of college students today. They often attend

school part-time, work one or more jobs, and live off campus. They share the financial

challenges of rising costs for tuition and basic living expenses. However, while many college

students deal with the access barriers of having a low income, student-parent’s situation is made

more difficult due to the need for affordable and dependable childcare (Alon et al., 2020; The

Hope Center, 2021; Kashen et al., 2020; Schumacher, 2015). They are less likely to borrow

money for higher education purposes because they do not want more debt and are more likely to

reduce their course loads as the semester progresses due to work-life balance challenges
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(Peterson, 2016). Because they are unable to afford childcare and are the primary caretakers of

their children, they spend most of their time caring for their children further decreasing the time

they can spend on their postsecondary pursuits (Alon et al., 2020; Gault et al., 2020; The Hope

Center, 2021; Kashen et al., 2020).

For those who do seek financial assistance, Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965

has provisions for low-income students (Hegji, 2017). Students must complete the Free

Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and provide proof of their income and assets as

well as that of their family members (Hegji, 2017). The FAFSA is good at determining financial

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need for those who are in higher socioeconomic classes, but it can miss students who live near

poverty and need more financial assistance (Goldrick-Rab, 2016), known as the ALICE
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population. ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed and defines

the struggles of households that earn above the Federal Poverty Level, but do not make enough
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to afford a bare-bones household budget (United Way, 2021). This can be due to previous

attainment of a Bachelor’s degree or additional family expenses that the FAFSA does not take
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into consideration which makes them ineligible for Pell Grants. If their income is low enough,

they qualify for the Federal Pell Grant program and do not have to repay this aid (Hegji, 2017).

Although Pell Grant distributions have increased over time, only 16.9% of community college

students are Pell Grant recipients (NCES, 2019). For student-parents participating in college

workforce programs, additional funding initiatives can help pay for most or all of the expenses of

courses, books, and examinations that lead to certifications. Funding is dispersed to the

postsecondary institutions and is offered to students on a first-come, first-served basis, which

limits the number of students who benefit (Workforce Financial Assistance, 2020).
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For students who receive Pell, this funding is not enough to cover the entire cost of

attendance (COA) (Cruse et al., 2020). COA is the estimated cost of tuition, fees, books,

supplies, transportation, rent, food, loan fees, allowance for childcare or dependent care, costs

related to a disability and other miscellaneous expenses, and reasonable costs for eligible study-

abroad programs (U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid, 2021c). To cover the COA

many student-parents work multiple part-time jobs. However, these jobs are often low-wage and

are not likely to provide flexible scheduling options, health insurance, or opportunities for

promotion with higher wages. As a group, student-parents did not want to take on more debt and

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were hesitant to have student loans (Wilson, 2008). In fact, one study (Dowd & Coury, 2006)

showed that students in two-year colleges and those who took out loans to pay for college were
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less likely to persist. Together, this combination has a negative impact on their higher education

credential completion (Dowd & Coury, 2006).

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Federal assistance programs such as Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (USDA, 2021a), Child Care and Development Fund
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(CCDF) (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2021a), Temporary Assistance for

Needy Families (TANF) (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2021b), and

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (USDA, 2021b) allow low-income student-

parents the opportunity to focus on their studies instead of worrying about how to feed their

families and pay for other living expenses. However, TANF has work first rules which make

employment a priority over education (Goldrick-Rab et al., 2020a). Policies like work first

undermine state and federal investments in higher education and workforce development

programs and make it harder for student-parents to meet their households’ basic needs (Goldrick-
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Rab et al., 2020a). In addition student-parents working in low-wage, low-growth jobs create

obstacles toward financial mobility and security (Goldrick-Rab et al., 2020a).

Although there are many obstacles along the postsecondary credential completion

journey, there are also several motivating factors for student-parents to persist and complete a

postsecondary credential. Higher incomes, increased employment, better health, and more civic

engagement positively impacts their future and that of their children (Gault et al., 2018). Student-

parents will also likely no longer need local, state, and federal financial assistance. Social

mobility due through postsecondary credential attainment continues to improve the lives of

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families for generations to come (Harding et al., 2015).

Postsecondary institutions that are welcoming, offer flexible course schedules, and
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provide support services to student-parents make them feel socially accepted and more likely to

continue to enroll (van Rhijn et al. 2016). Support services specifically targeting student-parents
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are imperative, since these students are often not aware of the policies and procedures involved

when pursuing a postsecondary credential (Peterson, 2016). Postsecondary institutions also need
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to communicate that continuous enrollment is the best avenue to meet their educational and

career goals (Jobe et al., 2018).

Flexible online programs are appealing to busy adult learners (Jobe et al., 2018).

However, students are vulnerable to the hazards that flexibility inherently possesses. In

asynchronous online classes, they may feel detached from the postsecondary institution (Jobe et

al., 2018). Adult learners have higher student satisfaction in synchronous online classes that have

more live interaction with the instructor (Kuo et al., 2014). Accelerated or advanced-level

courses that have more peer to peer interaction allow adult learners to achieve a deeper level of
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understanding on the subject area and have a higher level of interaction and collaboration among

online students (Kuo & Belland, 2016).

Motivation and appropriate support services has a positive impact on student-parents’

postsecondary persistence despite the challenges. But then in March 2020, the COVID-19

Pandemic created even more hardships and increase the barriers to student-parents’ pursuit of a

postsecondary credential. By April 2020, 43% of the world population (over 3.4 billion people)

was in lockdown (Marinoni et al., 2020). Economic and health related shocks varied

systematically by socioeconomic factors (Aucejo et al., 2020). Social distancing measures halted

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most face-to-face classes and campus activities (Marinoni et al., 2020). Ninety-one percent of

two-year postsecondary institutions transitioned some or all instruction online (Johnson et al.,

2020).
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The theoretical framework for this study is Tinto’s (1993) theory of student retention.
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This theory includes internal factors, or those within the postsecondary institution’s control, and

external factors which are outside of the postsecondary institutions’ control which impact student
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persistence. Tinto (1993) emphasized that students’ uncertainty of their educational and

occupational goals is more common than postsecondary institutions realize. He contended that

students must be committed to their education, occupational goals, and desire to stay at the

postsecondary institution. Institutional commitment may come from a family tradition, peer

pressure, or perceptions of graduating from a certain postsecondary institution will improve

future occupational outcomes (Tinto, 1993).

Students who believe they are part of the college community have a sense of belonging

(The Aspen Institute, 2021; Tinto, 2017). Positive engagement with other students, faculty, staff,

and administrators on campus increases their motivation (The Aspen Institute, 2021; Tinto,
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2017). Frick et al. (2009) reasoned that students want to feel that their time and effort is well

spent. Tinto (2017) concurred and explained that students must believe they are getting a quality

education through relevant curriculum. However, he added that it is possible that even if students

do not feel a sense of belonging or perceive relevance of the curriculum, motivating factors in

their lives external to the college, can cause them persist (Tinto, 2017). Tinto’s theory of

retention and persistence applies to all undergraduate students, including student-parents. This

study will specifically build upon the retention and persistence data of student-parents who are

pursuing a postsecondary credential at a community college during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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Identification of the Problem

The problem to be addressed was how community college instructors, leaders, and
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legislators can support low-income student-parents’ persist toward a postsecondary credential.

There is a gap in the research about how the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic is impacting
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low-income student-parents. Before the Pandemic, low-income student-parents already had

financial insecurities with food, housing, and childcare (Baker-Smith et al., 2020). Now there are
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many more obstacles with school closures, lay-offs, and lack of childcare (Cruse et al., 2020).

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the phenomenon

of the lived family, financial, and educational experiences of 23 student-parents who live in or

near poverty at a community college during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. During this

study, the definition of persistence was defined as continuing to take courses consecutively or

from one semester to the next until credential completion is acquired. Focus was on successive

fall and spring semesters since many students do not enroll during the summer.
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Research Questions

This study was guided by the following research questions:

1. What are the family, financial, and educational experiences of low-income student-

parents as they persist toward a postsecondary credential at a community college

during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic?

2. What are the family, financial, and educational experiences of low-income student-

parents as they persist toward a postsecondary credential at a community college in

synchronous versus asynchronous courses during the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

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Pandemic?

Professional Significance
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Student-parents who attain a postsecondary credential improve the social and economic

mobility not only for themselves but for their children (Gault et al., 2018). Postsecondary
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credential attainment helps end the cycle of poverty. This benefits student-parents, their families,

and the communities in which they live due to increased economic contributions. In addition,
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there are positive mental health impacts on student-parents (cite) not to mention the pride of their

family, friends, peers, as well as the community college staff, faculty, and administration.

With declining enrollment across the nation (National Student Clearinghouse Research

Center, 2021; NCES, 2021), information about low-income student-parents will provide

opportunities for college leaders to retain this significant student population not only during

future unexpected emergencies or natural disasters, but beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Because the majority of higher education courses and support services moved online during the

COVID-19 Pandemic, this provides a unique insight into online course delivery methods and

accessibility of support services.

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Enrollment officials will benefit from knowing the preferred course delivery methods of

student-parents as they manage their family and finances while pursuing a postsecondary

credential. Vice Presidents and Deans of Student Services can use the data collected in this study

to know the support services that student-parents need and when they need them. They can

reflect on existing student services at their own institutions and implement the additional services

needed to help student-parents persist toward credential completion.

Vice Presidents and Deans of Academic Affairs can promote retention, credential

completion, generate more tuition, and improve outcomes (Baker-Smith et al., 2020). They can

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learn about opportunities to expand credit for prior learning and encourage persistence through

earlier credential attainment. Teaching faculty can gain knowledge of class policies, procedures,
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and learning styles that promote success and retention of student-parents. Most postsecondary

staff, faculty, and administration genuinely want students to succeed and improve their lives.
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Graduation day is a treasured day as postsecondary employees and students celebrate not only

credential achievement, but also see the positive impacts on the students, their families, and the
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community.

Legislators can use these data to promote changes to policies, budgets, programs, existing

laws or passing new legislation based on the low-income student-parents' needs. Researchers and

scholars who are interested in this student population will also benefit from the familial,

financial, and educational information collected from this research. In addition, although this

study focuses on community college student-parents, most of this research should be transferable

to any postsecondary institution with student-parents enrolled.

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Overview of Methodology

Through a qualitative, phenomenological study, I conducted interviews of 23 low-income

student-parents as they persisted toward a postsecondary credential at a community college in the

Southeastern United States. It is a medium size, rural community college with approximately

5000 students. The College’s service area includes three counties and three small cities with an

estimated population of 263,000. The study occurred during the Pandemic over several

consecutive months in 2021. The first interviews began at the end of February, the second

interviews began in mid-March, and the third interviews began at the end of March. All of the

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interviews concluded at the end of April 2021. After concluding an interview with a participant, I

scheduled the next interview to occur one to two weeks after the previous interview. Some
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interviews occurred more than two weeks after the previous due to schedule conflicts of the

participants or the researcher. The problem to be addressed was how community college
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instructors, leaders, and legislators can support student-parents who live in or near poverty

persist toward a postsecondary credential during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic. The
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purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the family, financial, and

educational experiences of low-income student-parents as they persisted toward a postsecondary

credential at a community college during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.

Participants

The student-parent participant pool included multiple cultures/ethnicities as well as

student-parents of low-socio-economic status as identified through the community college’s

Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) records and Workforce Financial Assistance records. A purposeful

sampling method, specifically criterion sampling, was used to identify students who met the

criteria via the community college’s financial aid and workforce aid records. The Director of the
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community college’s Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE) Department

contacted the students via email. The students who expressed interest in participating in the study

completed a form with their name and email address. The OIRE Director sent the names and

email addresses to the researcher. The researcher then sent emails to all who responded in an

effort to recruit 25 student-parent participants. The researcher planned to randomly select

participants if more than 25 students responded; however, this was not needed since some

participants did not participate in all three interviews. A total of 23 student-parents participated

in the study.

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Instrumentation

Through a three-interview series (Seidman, 2013), participant interviews occurred over

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several months. The first interview focused on their experiences as low-income student-parents

before the COVID-19 Pandemic. A second interview focused on their experiences as student-
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parents during the COVID-19 Pandemic and clarified specific details about experiences shared

from the first interview. The third interview focused on student reflections of their experiences
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from the first and second interviews and participants shared their ideas for ways to improve the

student-parent experience with community college instructors and leaders as well as legislators.

Data Analysis

Through reflective lifeworld research, I remained as open as possible to the COVID-19

Pandemic phenomenon and the student-parents’ lived financial, familial, and educational

experiences by focusing on both description and interpretation (Vagle, 2018). I identified themes

in the interview transcripts of student-parents guided by Vagle’s (2018) “phenomenological

walks” (p. 93) using van Manen’s (2016) hermeneutic phenomenology thematic analysis. I asked

myself where, what, how, and why a phenomena exists in multiple spaces and places. I drew
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upon my own comprehension of the phenomenological research as well as organically explored

the place to identify cultures, everyday practices, dialogues, and systems. My goal was not to

discuss everything, but to find meaningful things and examine them deeply. This walk led to rich

descriptions with many characteristics and distinctions of the phenomenon (Dahlberg, 2006;

Vagle, 2018).

Delimitations

As a social constructivist, I believe that there are multiple realities of a student. In

addition, my epistemological stance is that both the researcher and the participants construct

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knowledge. I focused on my own values as the researcher, the values of the student participants,

and the postsecondary education setting. The participants’ voices consumed the majority of the
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narrative (Hays & Singh, 2012). Using a qualitative, phenomenological perspective, I focused on

the phenomenon of student-parents, who live in or near poverty, experienced their own lives in
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pursuit of a postsecondary credential at a community college before and during the Coronavirus

(COVID-19) Pandemic. I discovered the financial, family, and postsecondary educational

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experiences during this Pandemic.

Participants included student-parents who were enrolled in at least one credit or non-

credit course at the community college. They had at least one dependent child aged birth to 18

years. They were also eligible for Pell Grants, Workforce Financial Assistance, or were part of

the ALICE population. The sample population was representative of the student population who

were pursuing a postsecondary credential at the community college who applied for financial aid.

Variables of interest included: living situation, number of children, ages of all in household,

gender, race, marital status, grade point average, the number of courses and credits taken each

semester, the course delivery methods, the household income before and during the COVID-19

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