Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on First-Generation, Low-Income and Rural Students in Indonesia and Vietnam: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study

Comparative studies around the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are still limited. This paper explores the question: how has the COVID-19 pandemic affected higher education students, and which ones have been most impacted? Indonesia and Vietnam are our focus. We leveraged a rich set of data collected online from both countries (n = 2600). We used regression analyses to measure students' wellbeing, financial hardships, access to technology, and educational satisfaction. As expected, we found statistically significant differences between both countries except for the wellbeing domain. For within-country comparison, consistent for both countries, low-income students were less likely to access technology and were more likely to experience financial distress than their counterparts. Indonesian first-gen students also showed a similar trend. Lastly, we observed a lower likelihood of satisfaction from rural and low-income students in Indonesia for their education during the pandemic. We provide our policy recommendations for both countries. [This manuscript accompanied a conference presentation at the 50th Annual Conference of Mid-South Education Research Association (MSERA) in New Orleans, Louisiana (November 9-12, 2021).]

Tuition-Free College in the Context of COVID-19: TN Reconnect Adult Student Narratives

Utilizing narrative inquiry and thematic analysis, this study followed up with adult students who initially participated in a qualitative project, Understanding How Students Reconnect: A Longitudinal Study (Collom et al., 2021). Five participants shared their experiences as adult students during COVID-19, which included their experiences shifting to virtual learning and the broader effects of the pandemic on their lives. Our findings indicated that while students coped with the transition to virtual learning, the overall perceived quality of education dropped and forced students to make difficult family and employment decisions. Overall, the study illuminated the barriers that exist for adult students who have faced unexpected life-events and demonstrated the need for institutions to build supports for adult students beyond tuition-free college. Our findings highlight the need for supports above tuition for Tennessee Reconnect students. While Tennessee Reconnect has substantially increased adult student enrollment in the state, increased support is essential to realize the full benefits of the policy.

Conditions Fostering International Graduate Students' Happiness and Engagement during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper focuses on eight conditions that kept international master's students (IMS) in a Southern Ontario university happy and engaged in their studies during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the first phase of the Appreciative Inquiry's (AI) 4-D cycle--i.e., discovery--this doctoral study conducted 14 individual interviews and three focus group discussions to identify conditions that made the IMS students happier and more engaged despite pandemic-related challenges. The study is crucial in advancing positive experiences of IMS because existing literature has focused primarily on their challenges and problems. The study's use of AI, a strength-based theoretical and methodological approach, suggests the need to highlight the quality experiences of this minoritized group. Data revealed specific factors that brought about happiness and boosted IMS engagement in their studies, namely: financial and emotional support from family, responsive instructors, employment opportunities during the pandemic, and learning and engaging in extracurricular activities with colleagues and friends. Other conditions also proved crucial to participants' happiness and engagement in their studies, including: professionalism of non-teaching staff, the institution's learning management system and supporting online platforms, virtual access to campus software and other learning resources, and reduced travel time. Study findings aim to inform international student policy and enrich the international student experience literature.

An Interview with Eric Waldo

Students need to be able to complete a meaningful higher education degree without crushing debt. That is the simple, straightforward perspective of Eric Waldo, Chief Access & Equity Programs Officer at the Common App and Executive Director of Michelle Obama's Reach Higher initiative. In an age where higher education may feel out of reach for far too many students, it's time for some long-overdue conversations about what is really driving this "hard sell" of college applications and admissions. Waldo has quite a bit of practical experience working in higher education and helping to lead the charge to improve college access and graduation rates. In this interview, he addresses questions on affordability.