Thomas A Pacheco DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.22977.67682
1. Overview and Statement of Research Problem
Food insecurities in America have become a growing concern for social scientists and the American population as a whole. Food insecurities is a social problem that has come to the attention of California State University Chico (CSU Chico) because of the increasing number of students who identify as food insecure. CSU Chico has noticed students who identify as food insecure have poor academic performance, and they have started to take steps to address this social problem. There are many factors that contribute to food insecurities among CSU Chico students. Food insecurities is mainly driven by socioeconomic status. The underlying causes of food insecurities and academic performance disparities may be deeply rooted in societal systems where privilege and oppression operate. (Singh et al 2024) Thus, how does the social problem of food insecurities among CSU Chico students affect their academic performance?
This proposed research is to investigate the connections between CSU Chico students that face food insecurities, and how these food insecurities affect their academic performance. Apparently, there is clear evidence that shows there is an existing connection between CSU Chico students who are food insecure and have poor academic performance. Consequently, the research question for this research is: How does food insecurity among CSU Chico students impact their academic performance? Clearly, CSU Chico students that have different levels of food insecurities will academically perform differently. These different levels of food insecurities will likely be the main driving force among CSU Chico students’ academic performance.
The main goals of my research involve identifying the scope of food insecurities and how many of these CSU Chico students face food insecurities, and what factors contribute to food insecurities. In addition, I aim to identify different factors that may cause academic performance to suffer when CSU Chico students are food insecure. Finally, I look to identify different support systems that currently exists to assist CSU Chico students that face food insecurities. Furthermore, my goal is to provide recommendations based on my findings, which can provide additional interventions to help the need of the CSU Chico student target population, and improve their academic performance.
Food insecurity in America has become a public health crisis that affects many vulnerable populations, and American society is taking notice of this social problem. When people have food security, they have a better quality of life and their cognitive functioning improves. (Snyder 2021) The American people care about food insecurities because food insecurities have become a social problem that has touched many families across America. In California, they have a population of 39.66 million people, and 14.2 million of them face food insecurities. (World 2025) Food insecurities have become a social problem that continues to grow larger every day.
This research project is of particular interest to me because this social problem affects a large group of CSU Chico students. In fact, of the entire CSU Chico student population, more than half identify as food insecure. With the Chico Wildcat Food Pantry serving 4,000 students every semester, and 100 students every day. (CSU Chico 2018) In addition, I was one of the food insecure students when I started CSU Chico. Food insecurity is prevalent throughout many communities in the United States and across many CSU campuses. Overall, food insecurity disproportionately affects college students. It is important to address this issue because due to lack of nutrients, students face cognitive barriers which affect their academic success. (Galvan 2023) Having food security should be a human right, like having air to breathe and water to drink.
Research of this nature would significantly contribute to the existing research literature that currently exists on students’ food insecurities and academic performance. This research will offer additional information into the complex relationship between food insecurities and academic performance. By adding to existing literature, this study can deepen our understanding of how having access or no access to food impacts academic performance, which may potentially guide policies and interventions to bring food security and academic success to CSU Chico students.
Additionally, CSU Chico has 800 acres of farmland that is a living laboratory for students, but only 10 acres is used to grow food for the CSU Chico students’ Wildcat food pantry. Ten acres of a garden can feed 1000 students per month (CSU Chico 2018) However, CSU Chico has 7000 food insecure students every semester. Furthermore, additional research is required to investigate what additional resources and policies are needed to eliminate students’ food insecurities at CSU Chico. This would be an additional research project at a later date.
No ethical or moral concerns will exist because the participants of this research will receive informed consent. This informed consent will consist of the participants completely understanding the scope of this research and any potential risks involved. The participants of this research will have the process of how data will be used explained to them in detail, which will include how their data will be kept confidential. After the research is conducted and published, all data will be destroyed to protect the student’s responses. The survey for the research will be online and sent to CSU Chico students via email. The research survey will include a digital consent form at the start of the survey, and any student that agrees to complete the survey will need to click the agree button before taking the survey.
2. Theory and Literature Review
There is an empirical relationship between CSU Chico students facing food insecurities and academic performance, and previous research has shown a connection between the two variables. In addition, food insecurities are caused by many factors, and CSU Chico students face many of them. These factors are financial instability, lack of necessary resources to meet their needs, and the high cost of living. When CSU Chico students face these factors that lead to food insecurities, their academic performance suffers. Academic performance for CSU Chico students can decline when facing food insecurities. The lack of food can cause cognitive impairment, physical health issues, mental health issues, and social stigma. (Cather 2021) For example, a student’s academic performance may decline if they have food insecurities that cause cognitive impairment. This is because cognitive impairment affects brain functions, which can lead to reduced memory retention and slower problem-solving skills. (Cather 2021)
Theoretical paradigms appear to be relevant to this research project. When looking into theories that apply to this research, we can look at critical theory. This theory aims to understand the power structures and the status quo in societies that cause inequalities, and to challenge the status quo to bring about equality in societies. According to Frankfurt School and Latiolais (2025), critical theory is a school of thought that looks to bring understanding to the power struggle between the dominant group with resources and the oppressed group with a lack of resources. As such, previous research has proven that food inequalities that cause poor academic performance are caused by social inequalities and a lack of resources to make them food secure. Various independent factors related to food insecurities and poor academic achievement have been identified among college students, such as identifying with a historically racialized group, low-income status, and first-generation student status (Singh et al 2024)
There have been many academic studies and research completed in reference to college students that face food insecurities and have poor academic performance. Numerous connections have been found that relate to this study’s research question. One connection found is students with income of $20,000 or less need financial aid and loans, and these students are more likely to be food insecure, which can hinder academic performance. (Ramirez 2021) In addition, students that have poor academic performance are more likely to have lower GPAs or miss classes. For example, a study from CSU Chico found a correlation between lower GPAs and food-insecure students. The research found students that miss more class and have lower GPAs in the range of 1.01 to 2.5 are more likely to experience food insecurities compared to students with higher GPAs (CSU Chico 2018)
To address the issue of food insecurities and poor academic performance, the CSU campuses have tried different solutions to address this social problem. CSU campuses have started to raise awareness for students who are eligible to receive SNAP benefits, and this can help students with food insecurities, which can approve academic performance. (Galvan 2023) Furthermore, students that come from low socioeconomic backgrounds tend to face more food insecurities. A study of college students from CSU campuses found that college students with food insecurities and poor academic performance with lower GPAs, usually come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (Singh et al 2024)
Additionally, research has looked into why students become food insecure. Research has found that low socioeconomic class has proven to be a major factor in food insecurity. However, there are additional factors like a lack of resources available to make students food insecure. For example, CSU Chico students who struggle with meeting their needs with their existing forms of income (financial aid and traditional employment) may qualify for SNAP, but food insecurities remain without additional resources. (Snyder 2021) Without CSU Chico students having additional resources, we see food insecurities remain, and so does low academic performance. In 2018, California Senate Bill 85 sent more than two million dollars across all of the CSU campuses to address food insecurities among students through the student success and CSU Basic Needs Initiative. However, after looking at existing efforts and services to fight student hunger, additional assistance for students is needed. (Martinez et al 2018)
3. Variables and Hypothesis
This research looks to analyze CSU Chico students with food insecurities (Independent variable), and their academic performance (Dependent Variable). Both of the independent and dependent variables can be observed, collected, recorded, and analyzed. However, it’s important to look at how these variables can be conceptualized and operationalized.
When conceptualizing the independent variable (CSU Chico food insecure students), we need to understand what it means to be food insecure. Food insecurity can come in different levels. For example, little to no food insecurity (No Hunger), and partial food insecurity (Partial Hunger) to complete food insecurity (Hunger). The cause of food insecurities has many different factors that contribute to this social problem. These factors can be low socioeconomic class, rising tuition, rising cost of living, lack of affordable food, limited financial aid, lack of available resources, and lack of awareness of current resources (EBT and Wildcat Food Pantry) that are available. When looking at the moment of observation, we will see that some CSU Chico students identify as food insecure, and other students will identify as food secure. The CSU Chico students that do not identify as food insecure will be unhelpful in addressing this research question.
This research concept of CSU Chico food insecure students will require additional operationalization in order to measure. The acceptable data that will be used will consist of surveys to determine food insecurities of CSU Chico students. Students that identify as partially food insecure will require follow-up questions to clarify the extent of their food insecurity. For example, if students say they are partially food insecure, they will be asked how many times they have missed a meal in a week.
Conceptualizing the dependent variable (Academic Performance) we need to understand what academic performance is. According to CSU Chico (2018), academic performance is measured by GPA and class completion rates. This means how many students go to class and pass without withdrawing, and who have satisfactory GPAs, which are 2.0 or higher. This is the standard practice of colleges when it comes to measuring students’ academic performance.
This research concept of CSU Chico student’s academic performance will require additional operationalization in order to measure. Specifically, respondents will be asked about class attendance, and if they have a pattern of missing classes. Additionally, respondents will be asked about their history of withdrawing from classes. Respondents’ answers to these two questions will provide an accurate picture of their class attendance and withdraw history. In addition, respondents will be asked about their class performance, and if they receive passing grades. This can be measured by student GPAs, which is a standard for measuring academic performance in college. These three types of evaluating academic performance will be used in this research.
The independent and dependent variables in my research should be valid. I will use a standardized measuring system similar to the USDA’s survey model when CSU Chico student respondents take my survey. I will make my own survey questions, but they will follow the same rules and methods as the USDA, because the USDA has reliable methods to measure food insecurities. The key terms will be defined clearly, so students understand what food insecurity means. In addition, I will use multiple data sources in this research, which will include surveys, Chico Wildcat Pantry data, attendance data, and academic performance data. Furthermore, my research will be reliable in that all student respondents will be able to answer the survey accurately and honestly because I will avoid leading questions. A student that states they are food insecure will have no reason to lie or answer incorrectly. All respondents should be able to answer the questions based on their own experiences with food insecurities.
As for the reliability of this research and the results of the data. My research and the data found should be easily replicated by other researchers because it will be consistent and reproducible. The student respondents will all receive the survey of closed-ended questions under the same conditions, which is delivery through the CSU Chico Qualtrics platform via email delivery. Additionally, I will use a test of repeatability, which will consist of administering the same survey twice under identical conditions. Furthermore, I will use statistical analysis with techniques like correlation coefficients or intraclass correlation to maintain the reliability of the respective phenomenon.
To enhance generalizability in my research, I will ensure that my research findings can apply beyond my specific sample. This will include diverse sample selection of student respondents from all demographic backgrounds, and random sampling with random selection methods to ensure a larger student population of respondents. Having a larger sample size of respondents will insure generalizability, and increase the likelihood that the results and data are accurate by reducing the risks of skewed results. Furthermore, to maintain generalizability, I will compare my data to existing data and statistics to see if my research aligns with previous research.
I hypothesize that CSU Chico students experiencing food insecurities will exhibit poor academic performance when compared to CSU Chico students with no food insecurities. Certain students will have more food insecurities, which will affect their academic performance by missing classes, withdrawing from classes, and lower GPAs. Students that are food secure will miss fewer classes, withdraw less from classes, and have higher GPAs.
4. Design: Sampling and Data Collection
The proposed study population of my research will be CSU Chico undergraduate and graduate students. This will consist of a total of 14,581 enrolled students. This number includes 13,392 undergraduate students, and 1,189 graduate students. (Chico Facts 2025) To avoid a selection effect, I will not only focus on students that use the Chico Wildcat Food Pantry, but the entire Chico state student population. This is because some students that don’t seek out services or resources may still be food insecure. The research level of analysis will be at the individual level, which will look at how food insecurities affect single students’ academic performance.
The sample design will use a probabilistic sampling approach, which will consist of random sampling. In other words, at any time, CSU Chico students could face food insecurities, so using a probabilistic sampling approach with random sampling would help eliminate potential biases. The research sampling design will involve using a random sampling method to ensure that every CSU Chico student has an equal opportunity to be selected. The random sampling method will be used to avoid selection bias and any possible sampling errors that could occur by not including the entire CSU Chico student population. This research sampling design of random sampling will send the research survey out via email to all CSU Chico students, regardless of ethnic background, socioeconomic status, declared major, academic standing, or graduate and undergraduate status.
The research study population will be accessed by sending the survey out to CSU Chico students via the email-delivery system. Using surveys delivered through email for data collection is ideal for this research because this method of delivery has the greatest chance of a high response rate. CSU Chico students tend to move around a lot because of unstable housing caused by the current high cost of living and high cost of housing. In addition, any physical address on file for CSU Chico students may be their parents’ physical address, or their previous address before they moved to CSU Chico to attend classes.
Additionally, according to a housing instability report from the Department of Health and Human Services (2020) has found that college students experience frequent housing instability and change their addresses regularly. Consequently, any in-person or mail-in survey will most likely not be able to reach the entire CSU Chico student population. On the other hand, CSU Chico students are given CSU Chico email addresses when enrolled, and they check and use their Chico email address regularly for correspondence and classwork. Therefore, making this method of delivery perfect to reach all CSU Chico students.
Data collection methods to be used will consist of an online survey delivered through the CSU Chico Qualtrics survey platform. All CSU Chico students will be emailed a request to participate in the survey, at which time they will use a web-based survey instrument administered by Qualtrics. Using Qualtrics will provide a reliable platform for the survey with sophisticated analytics. This approach is the best method for this research because of its reliability. Using this approach helps solve issues that could arise from other survey delivery methods. With Qualtrics, the data is saved directly to the platform, which will eliminate the need to manage in-take. This data from the survey responses can easily be downloaded and exported from the Qualtrics platform in a CSV format. This will make it easier for processing and analyzing the data in specific software programs like Excel or SPSS.
The survey for this research will consist of nominal and ordinal questions to obtain the independent and dependent variables in question. The independent variable being CSU Chico students who face food insecurities, and the dependent variable being academic performance. The following is a list of the proposed survey questions:
Nominal to measure food insecurity:
Nominal to measure food insecurity:
1.Where do you primarily obtain food while attending CSU Chico?
A. Food banks
B. Grocery stores
C. Wildcat Food Pantry
D. None
2.Which resources have you used or rely on to obtain food?
A. SNAP (Food stamps)
B. Employment
C. Family support
D. None
Ordinal to measure food insecurity:
3. What best describes your current access to any type of food?
A. Full access to food
B. Partial access to food
C. Little to no access to food
D. Don’t Know
4.During the week how often do you worry about your food running out, or where your next meal is coming from?
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Always
D. Don’t Know
5.How often is this statement true: The food I bought for the week or the month did not last, and I was worried about how I would be able to obtain more food.
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Always
D. Don’t Know
6. How often is this statement true: When you buy food to eat you can’t afford to buy nutritious
food.
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Always
D. Don’t Know
7.Have you ever skipped any meals because you had no money?
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Always
D. Don’t Know
Nominal to measure academic performance:
8. Which CSU Chico academic resources have you used to help support your learning?
A. Tutoring services
B. Academic advisors
C. Peer study groups
D. None
9. Which of the following best describes your academic standing at CSU Chico?
A. Currently good academic standing
B. Currently on academic probation
C. Currently one semester away from academic probation
D. None
Ordinal to measure academic performance:
10. What best describes your current attendance record?
A. Full attendance, and I never miss a class.
B. Partial attendance, and sometimes I miss a class.
C. Little to no attendance, and I miss classes regularly.
D. I Don’t Know
11.Do you struggle every semester to receive passing grades?
A. I never struggle to receive passing grades.
B. I sometimes struggle to receive passing grades.
C. I always struggle to receive passing grades.
D. I Don’t Know
12. How often do you struggle with understanding your course material?
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Always
D. Don’t Know
13. How often do you complete your class assignments on time?
A. Never
B. Sometimes
C. Always
D. Don’t Know
14. This semester are you satisfied with your grades and academic performance?
A. Dissatisfied
B. Somewhat satisfied
C. Completely satisfied
D. Don’t Know
15. What best describes your current class withdraw history?
A. Never withdrawn from class
B. Withdrawn from a class before, maybe once
C. Withdrawn from multiple classes, more than two or three
D. I Don’t Know
At this time, there are a few logistical concerns to take into consideration. I don’t see funding or accessing the sample population being an issue in this research. Additionally, I don’t see any ethical issues or data collection issue present in this research. However, there could be time limitations issues to gather the data. Students in between semesters and during summer break may not check their CSU Chico email, which could lead to a drop-off in response rates.
References
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