The Repository @ St. Cloud State

Open Access Knowledge and Scholarship

Date of Award

5-2020

Culminating Project Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Social Work: M.S.W

Department

Social Work

College

School of Health and Human Services

First Advisor

Deola Brumbaugh- Johnson

Second Advisor

Patience Togo

Third Advisor

Dick Andzenge

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Keywords and Subject Headings

Food insecurity, food security, academic success, academic achievement, gender, immigration status, university student

Abstract

This quantitative study’s purpose is to investigate the impact of food insecurity on the academic achievements of St. Cloud State University students. Previous research and literature shows a strong inverse relationship between academic achievement and student food insecurity. Research shows that a students’ inability to achieve regular and healthy food intake can negatively affect their general health, mental health, physical health, and affect their academic success.

The quantitative research study uses a convenience sample of data collected in April 2019 at St. Cloud State University. Institution Review Board approval was collected prior to the collection of data. The participants in this study are comprised of currently enrolled university students from St. Cloud State University in the Spring 2019 semester. Students were given the option to decline the invitation to participate in this study. These participants were not offered incentives to participate in this study. The information collected from this study include fifteen (15) questions regarding food insecurity, academic achievement, and sociodemographic questions. The variables being measured in this study are food insecurity, academic achievement, gender, and university student status.

This quantitative research study will utilize the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to conduct analysis on the data collected. Analysis will be conducted through descriptive statistics and frequencies as well as through bivariate Pearson Correlations to investigate relationships and frequencies between the aforementioned variables.

Comments/Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my family and my friends for encouraging me throughout the entire process and offering time to critique and review my thesis throughout the various stages and offer me words of support when I needed it. I would like to thank my thesis committee members, especially Dr. Deola Brumbaugh- Johnson, for being patient and offering words of encouragement throughout the entire process and always supporting me when I needed assistance. Professor Patience Togo and Professor Dick Andzenge, I would like to thank you being so supportive of this research. I would also like to thank the Social Work Department of St. Cloud State University, who have been there through every step and offering words of support and encouragement. I would like to thank Dr. Sheila Moriarty and Dr. Eunson Kwon for allowing me to be apart of this research experience and encouraging me to continue. Lastly, I would like to thank the Department of Statistics and Department of Education who took time to offer assistance with the data analysis and desegregation as well as offering support when they could.

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