Landon Zagacki
Professor Goeller
Research in Disciplines: College!
22 March, 2020
Research Proposal
Working Title:
Topic
Throughout this paper I will evaluate the obstacles and precautions that students with type 1 diabetes are plagued with, and how it affects everyday life (mentally, socially, etc.) as a student living on a college campus, and what these students can do to matriculate into college life more easily. Further, I will dissect the procedural differences of everyday life on campus between those students with type 1 and those without it, emphasizing the complex nature of the disease and the reason these students need to be accommodated by the university they attend, as well as the kind of accommodations that should be made.
Research Question
How is the transition into college different for those students who have type 1 diabetes compared to those who do not have it? While attending college,what are some of the ways these obstacles affect the students education, finances, and social life?
Theoretical Frame
In order to grasp a better understanding of the effects that type 1 diabetes can have on college students, we will be reviewing the research report Quality of Life of College Students Living With Type 1 Diabetes: A Qualitative View, written by Fredette, Mawn, Fain and Hood. In the report the idea of emerging adulthood is mentioned, this is, “used to describe the period from age 18 through age 25” (Arnett, 2000). “It is a time when internal struggles present themselves relating to peer acceptance and the search for one’s own identity” (Faulkner, 2003). The idea of emerging adulthood can be attributed to both students with and without type 1 diabetes, in turn allowing us to establish a baseline of hardships that arise while students make such a transition. While also showing the further hardships and difficulties those students with type 1 face opposed to those without.
Sorry I overlooked this partial post. This is a little narrowly focused, but I can imagine a way of making it work -- based on what little I know about the disease and the challenges it poses for college students.
ReplyDeleteAs I think I mentioned to you, I had a close friend with type 1 diabetes (which she had since childhood) in high school. Thinking about her experiences in college (as we dated off and on into post-graduation), she definitely struggled a lot with her blood sugar issues because of the stress created by college -- including poor eating habits, late- or all-night studying and writing, and picking up some bad habits -- especially smoking(!) which is a real no-no for diabetics. I still remember visiting her once in her dorm at Columbia and finding her very ill from having pulled too many all-nighters and struggling with a sinus infection, on top of her diabetes. I should have been more supportive of her then -- I think she had started to alienate even her roommates because of her bad habits. It's rather a painful memory -- though I had a chance to rectify it later with her. In any case, the "college lifestyle" was clearly a problem for her and I am sure it is for others with the disease.
This is such a stressful time for all of us. I think writing about this will be helpful for you.