Qualitative Research as a Tool to Better Understand the Early Childhood Education Community College Landscape

There is power in collective action and grassroots level support. When North Carolina Community Colleges were forced to shut down and transition their courses to remote delivery, Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs were incredibly successful. The resilience of these programs is attributed to the care and dedication institutions, faculty members and students lend to each other. As a research intern working with the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and NC State Belk Center this spring semester, I was able to interview students and faculty members who experienced the pervasive supports put in place over the past years and attempts to meet the needs of early educators throughout the state. I also focused on data analysis and learned how to code and synthesize qualitative data.

Across the state, ECE programs are almost exclusively offered online, giving these faculty members a slight advantage last March when the outbreak of COVID-19 was first declared a pandemic. Though some course components were reimagined, faculty members were able to focus on how to best support their students. Some of the most remarkable moments from my interviews were the stories students shared of faculty support. Many had faculty members consistently reaching out to them, handing out their personal phone numbers and being available around the clock to support students both academically and personally. A great deal of students faced unemployment, food insecurity and mental health challenges through the pandemic. The faculty support was often monumental to their ability to persist in their course work.

ECE programs also took a communal approach to their solutions. Institutions who were already entirely online offered to share their best practices for online course instruction and invested in better technology to ensure students had the ability to complete their coursework. Many institutions adopted new grading and withdrawal policies. Those campuses that were able left select student spaces open. Overarchingly, these institutions prioritized flexibility and worked to individualize students’ needs and meet them as they could. The collaboration between faculty members and programs was a key component to the success of ECE programs over the past year.

As a student in the Higher Education Administration program at NC State, I have a vested interest in understanding the needs of college students and how to best support them through challenges. This project allowed me to connect with community college students directly and better understand their perspectives. I also had the valuable opportunity to advance my research skills, gaining firsthand experience conducting qualitative research, open coding and project management. One of my main roles during this internship was interviewing current students in ECE programs. This one-on-one interaction was my first time conducting qualitative research. The opportunity to work on a project from start to finish gave me a great depth of understanding of the qualitative research process. Professionally, I now have better research and analytical skills. Personally, I gained an understanding of the community college system in North Carolina and how to best support this student population.

41% of undergraduate students attend a community college. For many, an associate degree is a highly affordable option that allows students to progress their careers without pausing their careers or personal lives. Still, community colleges are not given the level of national attention or resources they need to best support their students. Though the level of faculty support is remarkable, these individual actors should not be the sole source of support for community college students.

This project showed me that the fundamental need of these programs and students is better funding. The emergency funds allocated to community colleges during the pandemic allowed institutions to provide laptops, expand resource offerings and personalize course content to students. In NC, early educators are seven times more likely to live in poverty than K-8 teachers. These students are working toward advanced degrees in a profession that will most likely not pay them a living wage. Child care is a necessity for many working families. The educators that keep the doors open should be paid at a level that reflects the essential nature of their work. ECE programs were largely able to successfully support their students through an incredibly challenging time. The pandemic did, however, exacerbate preexisting inequities and show the immediate need to expand the support offered to these students. With that goal in mind, community colleges can work to truly transform the early childhood education system.