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.
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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.