Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School

College for Community Health

Department/Program

Family Science and Human Development

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Chih-Yuan Steven Lee

Committee Member

Kathryn G. Herr

Committee Member

Sara E. Goldstein

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic created significant disruption across the world. These two studies provide a mixed methods approach to understanding how undergraduate college students at one university were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first, a quantitative study, examines changes in mean, median, and standard deviation of GPAs in the semesters leading up to and during the pandemic (Fall 2018 - Spring 2022). The second, a qualitative study, involves interviewing students (n = 13) who began their undergraduate college career in Fall 2019, prior to the pandemic, and graduated in Spring 2023. Findings from these studies suggest that undergraduate students performed better during the pandemic, particularly in Spring 2020, due in part to expanded pass/fail policies and increased flexibility from instructors. However, male students and some students of color experienced more dispersion in grades. The results of the qualitative study suggest that students were able to maintain a strong student identity even when physically separated from the campus. The qualitative study also highlighted the importance of student belonging and connections to the campus community. In addition, findings suggest that these students, who were emerging adults (ages 20-22) were able to persevere on their developmental journey through this challenging period.

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