Date of Degree
2025
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)
Director
Hutchings, Quortne
Committee Members
Mac, Jacqueline; Wesener-Michael, Kelly
Keywords
emergency aid, microgrants, basic needs insecurity, resource scarcity, student success
Abstract
“A LIFT-UP, NOT A HANDOUT”: Exploring the Impact of Resource Scarcity and Emergency Microgrants on Community College Students
More community college students are facing resource scarcity, struggling with insufficient means to cover essential expenses and unexpected costs that might hinder their ability to fully engage in their education. In response, community colleges are more frequently administering emergency microgrant programs to assist students who lack the financial means to meet essential expenses. Although there is a growing body of research on the impact of basic needs insecurity and emergency grants on academic outcomes, there is a notable lack of literature offering qualitative insights into how community college students experience resource scarcity and the effect of emergency microgrants on their educational experience. The aim of this study was to investigate how community college students experienced resource scarcity and how receiving an emergency microgrant influenced their engagement with the college and their educational journey. This study was guided by Scarcity Theory (Mullainathan & Shafir, 2014) and the Perna and Thomas Conceptual Model for Student Success (2008), employing a qualitative instrumental case study methodology. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with ten participants who received emergency microgrants. Three themes emerged from the research: (1) resource scarcity creates mental strain and hinders academic engagement, (2) emergency microgrants provide immediate financial and emotional relief, and (3) emergency microgrants foster students’ sense of institutional support and care. The findings suggest that community college leaders should view emergency microgrants not merely as financial assistance but as both (1) a critical academic intervention and (2) a tool to support students’ mental health and well-being.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Weinstein, Heather, "“A LIFT-UP, NOT A HANDOUT”: EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF RESOURCE SCARCITY AND EMERGENCY MICROGRANTS ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS" (2025). Dissertations of Practice. 74.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/74
