“I have no idea how I will get a stipend”: the impact of COVID-19 on graduate students’ financial security
In this study, we investigated graduate students’ financial security during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Spring 2022 semester, the continued changes brought on by the precautionary measures implemented presented difficulties for both faculty and graduates. In this mixed methods study, we surveyed g...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-02-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2024.1235291/full |
| _version_ | 1797334691385180160 |
|---|---|
| author | Fubiao Zhen Taylor Graves-Boswell Taylor Graves-Boswell Michael S. Rugh Jake M. Clough |
| author_facet | Fubiao Zhen Taylor Graves-Boswell Taylor Graves-Boswell Michael S. Rugh Jake M. Clough |
| author_sort | Fubiao Zhen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this study, we investigated graduate students’ financial security during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Spring 2022 semester, the continued changes brought on by the precautionary measures implemented presented difficulties for both faculty and graduates. In this mixed methods study, we surveyed graduate students (N = 258) at a public research university to explore the pandemic’s effects on their financial security. Through the sign test analyses, we found a significant decrease in graduate students’ financial security scores during the pandemic, and particular groups of students were more susceptible to decreased financial security. The thematic analysis further explored the financial security decrease and identified inflation and economic downturns, and the suspension of work or financial support as two main challenges graduate students confronted during the pandemic. Both quantitative and qualitative findings reflected the financial stress and hardship confronted by graduate students during the pandemic. It was implied that extra financial support and consultation should be provided to students with meager stipends or student loans. The results further informed the academic community to foster the culture of care inside academia, by addressing graduate students’ financial concerns properly in the post-pandemic period. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T08:24:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c86f977db2d447e79a514bc3089bbb80 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2504-284X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T08:24:47Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-c86f977db2d447e79a514bc3089bbb802024-02-02T04:52:29ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Education2504-284X2024-02-01910.3389/feduc.2024.12352911235291“I have no idea how I will get a stipend”: the impact of COVID-19 on graduate students’ financial securityFubiao Zhen0Taylor Graves-Boswell1Taylor Graves-Boswell2Michael S. Rugh3Jake M. Clough4Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CanadaCollege of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, TX, United StatesCollege of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida, Florida, FL, United StatesCollege of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, TX, United StatesCollege of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, TX, United StatesIn this study, we investigated graduate students’ financial security during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Spring 2022 semester, the continued changes brought on by the precautionary measures implemented presented difficulties for both faculty and graduates. In this mixed methods study, we surveyed graduate students (N = 258) at a public research university to explore the pandemic’s effects on their financial security. Through the sign test analyses, we found a significant decrease in graduate students’ financial security scores during the pandemic, and particular groups of students were more susceptible to decreased financial security. The thematic analysis further explored the financial security decrease and identified inflation and economic downturns, and the suspension of work or financial support as two main challenges graduate students confronted during the pandemic. Both quantitative and qualitative findings reflected the financial stress and hardship confronted by graduate students during the pandemic. It was implied that extra financial support and consultation should be provided to students with meager stipends or student loans. The results further informed the academic community to foster the culture of care inside academia, by addressing graduate students’ financial concerns properly in the post-pandemic period.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2024.1235291/fullgraduate studentsCOVID-19school closurefinancial securitymixed methods |
| spellingShingle | Fubiao Zhen Taylor Graves-Boswell Taylor Graves-Boswell Michael S. Rugh Jake M. Clough “I have no idea how I will get a stipend”: the impact of COVID-19 on graduate students’ financial security Frontiers in Education graduate students COVID-19 school closure financial security mixed methods |
| title | “I have no idea how I will get a stipend”: the impact of COVID-19 on graduate students’ financial security |
| title_full | “I have no idea how I will get a stipend”: the impact of COVID-19 on graduate students’ financial security |
| title_fullStr | “I have no idea how I will get a stipend”: the impact of COVID-19 on graduate students’ financial security |
| title_full_unstemmed | “I have no idea how I will get a stipend”: the impact of COVID-19 on graduate students’ financial security |
| title_short | “I have no idea how I will get a stipend”: the impact of COVID-19 on graduate students’ financial security |
| title_sort | i have no idea how i will get a stipend the impact of covid 19 on graduate students financial security |
| topic | graduate students COVID-19 school closure financial security mixed methods |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2024.1235291/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fubiaozhen ihavenoideahowiwillgetastipendtheimpactofcovid19ongraduatestudentsfinancialsecurity AT taylorgravesboswell ihavenoideahowiwillgetastipendtheimpactofcovid19ongraduatestudentsfinancialsecurity AT taylorgravesboswell ihavenoideahowiwillgetastipendtheimpactofcovid19ongraduatestudentsfinancialsecurity AT michaelsrugh ihavenoideahowiwillgetastipendtheimpactofcovid19ongraduatestudentsfinancialsecurity AT jakemclough ihavenoideahowiwillgetastipendtheimpactofcovid19ongraduatestudentsfinancialsecurity |