Content area
Abstract
Student parents make up 22% of all undergraduate students in the United States (Cruse et al., 2019). While many institutions in higher education prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion on their campuses, students who are parenting while pursuing post-secondary education are often overlooked. For instance, as the largest 4-year public system in the United States, the California State University (CSU) system has yet to implement any system-wide initiatives to address student parents. The purpose of this case study was to explore the specific policies, practices, and programs designed to support parenting students at a single CSU and how student parents experience these support systems. In this qualitative case study, data were collected through online questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with four institutional agents, focus groups with eight student parents, and content analysis of campus websites, course syllabi, internal program data, and digital photographs of campus infrastructure. Findings were categorized into three themes: (1) student parent identity, (2) lack of understanding of needs and experiences of student parents, and (3) fragmented student parent resources. Implications and recommendations for research, practice, and policy are discussed.
