Assessing student (dis)engagement: Interrogating how access and equity factor into the university experience

Disengagement is not a “steady state” rather it is better conceptualized on a continuum with engagement in some areas as well as disengagement in others (Christenson and Thurlow 2004). The proposed research will explore how issues of access and equity factor into student engagement within the university setting. In particular, this research explicitly examines “push” and “pull” factors for engagement by drawing on several data sources to assess factors affecting retention rates and the experiences of students who leave post-secondary education. More specifically, this program of research addresses: (i) the experiences of students who leave university without attaining credentials; (ii) food insecurity amongst university students and barriers to food security in one municipality and (iii) the prevalence of sexualized violence on campus, in particular, by analyzing the processes through which women and LGBTQ2+ individuals navigate feeling safe on campus given their increased risk of sexualized violence.

Faculty Supervisor:

Martha Dow

Student:

Ekaterina Marenkov;Chloe Raible;Linh Nguyen

Partner:

Divisions of Family Practice - Chilliwack

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

University of the Fraser Valley