A Qualitative Analysis of Institutional Inequities During COVID

This research paper describes a qualitative analysis of open-ended responses to a survey administered during COVID-19. In April of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, an anonymous survey was administered in the engineering colleges at California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly, SLO), both part of the California State University (CSU) system. The survey collected quantitative and qualitative responses to track student, staff, and faculty wellbeing. A previous paper examined the quantitative responses of students [1] and found profound differences between the two schools. This paper will use qualitative methods to look more deeply at the responses to the two open-ended questions. The two schools have very different contexts; one is urban and primarily Hispanic, while the other is rural, primarily white, and selective in admissions. Qualitative analysis with inductive coding was used to develop themes and insights from the data. The analysis was conducted through a lens of structural inequities and power. The contrasting demographics and contexts of each university illustrates the systems that emphasize equality instead of equity. Both the individual situations of the people in the system and the structural support systems produce much different outcomes. These can be seen in the narrative responses. In addition to the contrasts related to race and economic resources, the systems of privilege and power are also clear in the narratives. Staff and students had a different experience than faculty. We also experimented with generative AI (ChatGPT-4) to develop themes in the data. A short discussion on the usefulness and potential negative impact of this new technology will be briefly explored. It is our hope that understanding the impact of the themes during the COVID-19 pandemic on the survey of participants and the characteristics of each university can inform more effective interventions and support measures for educational institutions to consider the unique needs of a diverse campus. In addition, we argue that it will be important to consider equity in all interventions.