The Purpose of this research is aimed to explore and enhance the unique college experience of student-parents. The process by which to achieve this goal was two-fold. First, a needs analysis was developed by dividing the college experience of students-parents into three quadrants. Those main areas of concern were achieving educational goals, allocating time for family bonding, and enjoying self-care activities. Then, correlations were identified among Student-Parents connected to their perceived limitations, observable barriers, and successful strategies that directly impacted this population’s experience.
The results of the needs analysis were then used in the second stage of the project. In the second stage, a website was designed to initiate a virtual platform that aimed to build a community of support for student-parents and implement Positive Behavior Support strategies as an innovative approach to increase retention and graduation rates among student-parents. Pertaining directly to the scope of this study, Student-Parents are defined as individuals who are the primary caretakers of a school-aged child while concurrently pursuing a bachelors or post-secondary degree.
The Parent Corner project unfolds across a series of 3 phases. Phase 1 will explore the student-parent experience as it relates to achieving educational goals, allocating time for family bonding and enjoying self-care activities. Phase 2 will attempt to identify correlations among student-parents connected to their perceived limitations, observable barriers, and successful strategies. Phase 3 will develop a website to build an online community implementing Positive Behavior Support (PBS) strategies for Student-Parents.
The overarching purpose of this project is to advocate for student-parents and provide universities and government policymakers with further insight on how to support this vastly growing population of college students.