PANDEMICS AND STUDENT ACCESS 1

Pandemics and Student Access

Ariana Sanchez Alvarez

California State University, Fresno

PANDEMICS AND STUDENT ACCESS 2

Abstract

At the time in which this study was proposed the COVID-19 global pandemic was in full

effect. With Fresno being put under a shelter-in-place order in March 2020 the California State

University, Fresno was also required to enforce a campus shut down of non-essential

departments. The institution’s announcement about shift to virtual instruction caused an

exponential increase in need of technological devices which demonstrated the lack of access the

students of Fresno State are facing. As a result of this sudden increase of resources needed, the

purpose of this study was to understand how Fresno State students were affected in terms of

access specifically regarding access to technological devices, reliable internet, and the sudden

shift to online learning. This study is guided by the framework of Pierre Bourdieu and his theory

of Social Reproduction (Patton, 2016). The methodology utilized for this study was a qualitative

approach using a particularist case study, interviewing ten Fresno State students using a set of ten

open-ended interview questions (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The data was to be analyzed using

open and axial coding to group the responses across themes (Jones et al., 2013). The significance

behind this study is the need for empirical literature on how COVID-19 has affected

post-secondary students. Due to its novelty there is essentially none currently available,

hopefully this can be an effective contribution to the field.

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Introduction

“All hands on deck, we need to move as quickly as possible”, has been the unofficial

motto throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic of 2020 (Evans et al., 2020, p.1). As the

spread of COVID-19 propagated throughout the nation and the globe, the Center for Disease

Control urged the implementation of social distancing, which is defined as the “certain actions

that are taken by health officials to stop or slow down the spread of a highly contagious disease”

(Coyner, 2011, p.8). The urgent need for social distancing ensued a 188 country closure by April

2, 2020 leaving higher education institutions and 1.5 billions students scrambling to

accommodate for the remainder of the academic year (Evans et al., 2020). The sudden campus

closures forced

“[university administrators, faculty, and staff to respond] to this call

enthusiastically and creatively, ensuring that their students [had] resources

available to continue and support their learning as they are [forced] to study

remotely and exercise social distancing and where necessary self-isolation”

(Evans et al., 2020, p.1).

When the city of Fresno’s shelter-in-place order began on March 19th, 2020, the

California State University of Fresno was no exception (Castro, 2020). President Joseph Castro

and other university officials were required to respond with a campus closure order (Castro,

2020). Though there were no active COVID-19 cases related to the university, in order to

mitigate the risk President Castro declared a shift to virtual instruction beginning on March 20,

2020 (Castro, 2020). However, the sudden transition shed light on issues of accessibility on

Fresno State’s campus. Being a student employee at the DISCOVERe Hub at Fresno State I
PANDEMICS AND STUDENT ACCESS 4

witnessed first-hand the lack of resources that students had. The sudden campus closure left

students who did not own their own technological devices ill equipped to finish the remainder of

the semester. Students were forced to resort to the DISCOVER Hub’s emergency device

deployment to borrow either an iPad, wifi hotspot, or both to accomodate for virtual instruction.

My positionality as a student employee in that department during a time as such piqued my

interest to propose this study. The guiding research question for this study is how were Fresno

State students affected by COVID-19 in terms of access? The purpose behind the study was to

understand how Fresno State students were affected by COVID-19, specifically through access

to technology, reliable internet, and online learning. The secondary purpose of this study was to

determine how to better prepare the university for future campus crises as severe as this one.

Literature Review

Conceptual Framework

The theoretical framework that guides this study is Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of Social

Reproduction. According to this theory, “education is primarily responsible for legitimizing and

creating hierarchies that both reward those at the top and disenfranchise those at the bottom”

(Patton et al., 2016, p.261). I chose this theory as the guiding framework for this study because it

aligned with the situation that is happening due to the pandemic. During this pandemic those

who are disenfranchised are the ones who have found themselves struggling the most and those

who were at the top are able to remain at the top (Patton et al., 2016). Bourdieu (2016) describes

three types of capital that contribute to the reproduction of inequality, which are economic,

cultural, and social capital. For this study however, the two types of capital that will guide our

research will be economic and social capital. Economic capital is described as the resources that
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can be converted to money (Patton et al., 2016). Through financial assets and money flow,

Bourdieu argues that this capital has a direct influence on the other two forms, cultural and social

(Patton et al., 2016). The way that economic capital aligns with this study is that students are

lacking economic capital which is preventing them from buying their own technological devices

to continue their education online. Due to this they have to resort to secondary options in order to

remain connected to their education to not become further disenfranchised. The second capital

that guides this study is social capital. Social capital, according to Bourdieu is the accumulation

of resources, whether that be acquired or potentially acquirable through a network of

relationships, either directly or indirectly (Patton et al., 2016). The way in which social capital

aligns with this study is if students did not have those relationships with professors, advisors, etc.

or indirect access to information on how to be connected to resources then they would have not

had knowledge on how to access those emergency technological devices previously mentioned.

Ultimately, the reason this framework was chosen to guide this study is due to the connection

between the lack of access presented in the proposal and the lack of capital and how that can

propagate the inequality that Bourdieu argues is reproduced by education.

Access to Technology

Given that COVID-19 emerged in the year 2020, the age of highly advanced modern

technology it created a much different environment for the education world, specifically higher

education. Had this pandemic occurred twenty years ago the educational delivery would have

looked exponentially different. Al-Zahrani and Laxman (2016) predicted that by 2020 the most

common method of connecting to the internet would be through the use of mobile devices. Given

their popularity and accessibility they argued that mobile devices such as portable computers,
PANDEMICS AND STUDENT ACCESS 6

tablets, smartphones would also cross over into the education realm and serve as educational

resources (Al-Zahrani & Laxman, 2016). Therefore allowing for electronic learning or e-learning

as they described it to access learning remotely at any time (Al-Zahrani & Laxman, 2016).

According to Money and Dean (2019) technological access and computer literacy have a

significant impact on achieving outcomes in the virtual instruction format, the lack thereof would

negatively affect how students perform if they cannot literally partake. The access to these

technological devices, according to participants in a 2010 study, directly correlated to key

benefits including communication, convenience, greater access to informational resources, and

more accessible study materials (Waycott et al., 2010). More specifically, in regards to

communication, technological access allows students to engage in online discussion forums and

connect with their lecturers and peers (Waycott et al., 2010). Students also included that for those

who found in-person or telephone communications with their instructors intimidating, written

electronic communication was a more comfortable method for them (Waycott et al., 2010).

Overall, these findings demonstrate the significant impact that access to the technology has on

students. These findings are also strong indicators of the need to address this accessibility issue

because when online learning is the only instruction method available as it has been during this

pandemic, institutions must do everything in their power to enable their students to succeed.

Access to Reliable Internet (WIFI)

As much as the lack of technological devices has a negative effect on post-secondary

students, the lack of reliable internet also has a significant if not higher impact on them. Even if a

student does have access to a device, if they do not have access to the internet the device is

redundant and ineffective, especially if the only method of learning is through online instruction.
PANDEMICS AND STUDENT ACCESS 7

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic Evans et al. (2020), argue that in order to ensure equality in

virtual learning university administrators must acknowledge the need for reliable internet

connection. A 2018 study showed that,

“2.2 percent of adults lack access to 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload

service, a recent FCC report, using data at the census block level instead of the

block group level, found that 10 percent of Americans lack this access. Second,

the FCC report notes that the maximum advertised speed is not necessarily the

speed available to all consumers in a given area and that actual speeds vary by

provider” (Rosenboom & Blagg, 2018, p.4).

This quote exemplifies the need for not only having any type of internet connection but

more so the need for reliable bandwidth that will allow students to engage properly and

effectively (Evans et al., 2020). There is really no use for an internet connection if it will not

allow individuals to work at the capacity that they require (Evans et al., 2020). Additionally, they

mention the need to accomodate for students who live in rural communities where the reliability

is not as great in order to give those students an equal playing field (Evans et al., 2020). Another

study that demonstrated the importance of internet access is a 2010 study where participants

stated that the internet markedly improved their access to information (Waycott et al., 2010).

Participants also mentioned the convenience access to the internet provided them (Waycott et al.,

2010). Unfortunately, a factor that influences a lack of access to the internet according to

Adegoke and Osokoya (2015) is socio-economic background, a low socio-economic background

to be specific. Based on this finding someone with a low socio-economic background would

therefore have difficulty affording a higher price for a more reliable internet connection
PANDEMICS AND STUDENT ACCESS 8

(Adegoke & Osokoya, 2015; Evans et al., 2020). Therefore, Rosenboom and Blagg (2018) argue

that the providers should decrease the cost and make higher speed internet more accessible to

everyone. Though given today’s economic climate and provider competition it is probably not

feasible for providers to simply decrease the cost (Rosenboom & Blagg, 2018).

Online Learning

A 2016 study found that although online education is consistently increasing, we do not

know the long term implications that it has being that it is fairly new in terms of modern

technology (Goodman et al, 2016). However, John Sener (2010) argues that there is strong

evidence that online learning is fairly equal if not more effective than traditional in-person

instruction. In order for online learning to be effective it is important that educators curate their

curriculum to fit an online platform (Evans et al., 2020). These researchers argue that by

ensuring educators follow that recommendation institutions will see positive results and perhaps

better cater to students who do not thrive in the traditional instructional settings (Evans et al.,

2020). A caveat to online learning is that both the students and educators must approach distance

learning with an open mind in order for it to be effective and beneficial (Al-Zahrani & Laxman,

2016). For example,

“some students felt that certain tools were a poor replacement for teaching and

learning that was not technologically mediated. For instance, although lecture

recordings offered some benefits (as identified above), they were also seen by

some students to be inferior to attending lectures. In addition, there were instances

PANDEMICS AND STUDENT ACCESS 9

when students felt they needed to be involved in ‘‘hands-on” face-to-face

learning” (Waycott et al., 2010, p.1208).

Regardless of how great the instructor and the curriculum is, if students approach online

learning with a close-minded attitude they will not benefit from it until they are prepared

to accept this method of learning (Waycott et al., 2009). Another limitation of online

learning is the students’ hesitancy to engage in online public forums in fear of appearing

unintelligent to their peers (Waycott et al., 2010). Though it might seem trivial and easy

to overcome, this is legitimately a severe limitation for students because it will prevent

them from fully engaging with the curriculum (Waycott et al., 2009). This lack of

confidence along with a low sense of self-directedness, which Money and Dean (2019)

describe as actively taking the initiative on their education and taking on the

responsibility of ensuring they are engaged and learning, is a lethal combination that will

lead to negative outcomes for the student. These researchers argue that it is vital for

students enrolled in this method of learning to take on that responsibility (Money &

Dean, 2019). By “determining one's learning needs; setting and tracking goals; planning,

organizing, and engaging the learning tasks; and evaluating one's own learning

outcomes” the student will likely have better outcomes, however nobody but the student

themselves can decide that (Money & Dean, 2019, p.68). The last issue that comes with

online learning, or in the case of COVID-19 a sudden transition to online learning, is a

digital divide. A digital divide is described as the difference between digital natives, those

who are well-versed with technology and digital immigrants who are best described as

those who are technologically challenged (Waycott et al., 2009). The average digital
PANDEMICS AND STUDENT ACCESS 10

native is typically a younger individual and the average digital immigrant is typically an

older individual (Waycott et al., 2009). According to a study the digital divide is the

‘‘biggest single problem facing education today” (Waycott et al., 2009, p.1202). The

reason why this issue is regarded as highly problematic is because in the education

setting, the natives are typically the students and the immigrants are traditionally older

educators such as lecturers and professors (Waycott et al., 2009). This concept was

fulfilled through my potion as a DISCOVERe guide. Through this job I partook in

multiple training sessions for Zoom and Canvas to prepare us for virtual instruction. A

majority of attendees were older faculty members whose courses were not intended to be

online or who had little experience with online aspects of education. It was difficult for

them to switch over their entire curriculum online on a week's notice.

Methodology

Given the nature of this pandemic a qualitative approach would be the most appropriate

methodology for this study. The method proposed for this study is a particularistic case study as

it was focused on the COVID-19 phenomenon (Jones et al., 2013). The participant pool would

consist of ten Fresno State students recruited from multiple list serves throughout the campus.

Students interested in partaking in the study would follow up with the contact information

provided in the recruitment email to schedule an interview appointment. The participants would

then partake in an open-ended, ten question individual interview session (Jones et al., 2013).

Data analysis would include the transcribing of the interviews followed by the use of open and

axial coding in order to code interview responses based on themes (Creswell, 2018). Due to my

positionality as an employee with DISCOVERe guide I was able to witness first-hand the issues
PANDEMICS AND STUDENT ACCESS 11

of access that students on our campus had. Though this experience piqued my interest to pursue

this study it also would ensue some bias as a researcher. In order to account for validity and

decrease the amount of bias in the study I would disclose my positionality in my findings to

ensure readers know that this is a well researched study (Creswell & Creswell, 2018).

Additionally, I plan to present all findings or information regardless if they are positive, negative,

or discrepant in order to demonstrate credibility (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). In addition to

ensuring that the analysis portion of my study is credible I plan to appoint a peer debriefer to

review the contents of the study (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Being a lone researcher can limit

your perspective or interpretation of the study, therefore it is important to appoint a peer

debriefer to ensure the validity (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). To ensure reliability with the

coding of participants' interview responses I will implement the use of intercoder agreement as

suggested by Creswell and Creswell (2018). Striving for at least a minimum of 80% agreement

on my initial codes will therefore also help with credibility (Creswell & Creswell, 2018).

Knowing my codes were cross checked will allow me to feel more comfortable discussing my

results in the finding section of the study. Unfortunately, an aspect that I will not be able to

implement, at least for this version of the study, is spending a prolonged time observing this issue

(Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Being that we are allotted only a certain amount of time as

graduate students the timeline of this study would be no longer than an academic year.

Conclusion

Given that this is a novel virus and that this pandemic in particular is exponentially

different from past pandemics in terms of mitigation response we unfortunately do not have a lot

of guiding literature yet. With so much literature yet to be produced it is hard to really know all
PANDEMICS AND STUDENT ACCESS 12

of the ends and odds of the issues pertaining to this pandemic. Though I believe this a solid first

step to contributing to the COVID-19 literature perhaps reproducing this study or a modified

version of it will be an even greater contribution allowing us to have a better understanding of

the deeper effects of this phenomenon. Until then we can only go based off of the literature

available on previous pandemics and on what we are able to gather through this study. I am

hopeful that this study will effectively shed to some light on these pressing issues of lack of

access and better prepare not only Fresno State but other higher education institutions as well. I

hope that this work serves its intended purpose and allows us to better understand and better

prepare for the future to ensure future students are not affected in the way our current student

population has been affected throughout this pandemic.

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References

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Al-Zahrani, H., & Laxman, K. (2016). A Critical Meta-Analysis of Mobile Learning Research in

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Coyner, S. C. (2011). Classroom Strategies to Preserve Academic Continuity and Integrity

during an Emergency. ATEA Journal, 8–11.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed

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Evans, D. J., Bay, B. H., Wilson, T. D., Smith, C. F., Lachman, N., & Pawlina, W. (2020). Going

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