Date of Award
2019
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Education
Abstract
The gap in technology access in the United States is indicative of the larger inequalities that continue to plague our modern society. This research project focuses on the relationship between technology access and postsecondary success. Previous studies have established there is a connection between technology access and academic success, but many questions about how and when students access technology remain unanswered. in this thesis, I gather information from disparate sources to try and draw conclusions about the current state of technology in postsecondary education. This included research on technology use patterns among numerous demographic groups, information of the social behaviors observed on and around college campuses, and the social, emotional, and financial burdens that students come to bear as part of the postsecondary journey. Using a snowball sample, I collected self-reported data from undergraduate students using an online survey. I analyzed this data found some trends among the usage behaviors of undergraduate students. While there are still questions left unanswered by a study this small, this area of research has the potential to influence larger trends in postsecondary completion rates, as we continue to examine what factors play a role in whether or not a student graduates.
Recommended Citation
Evans, Abigail, "From the Technology Gap to the Graduation Gap: Implications of Technology Access and Postsecondary Success" (2019). Master's Theses. 4332.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/4332
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2019 Abigail Evans
