We Learn Best From Those With Lived Experience: A Phenomenological Study of Postsecondary Student Food Insecurity

This Master's thesis (supported by Dr. Liz Jackson and the Guelph Lab) explores and illuminates the phenomenon of postsecondary student food insecurity using qualitative methodologies. It uses a phenomenological framework to better understand what constitutes the lived experience of students with food insecurity; the researcher conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with students, all but one from the University of Guelph, who were recruited primarily through the campus food bank. The findings show that students’ experiences with food insecurity are diverse, yet overarchingly shaped by the intersection of the social identities they hold, demonstrating that student food insecurity is produced by multiple, overlapping systems of oppression that privilege certain identities and discriminate against others.

Read We Learn Best From Those With Lived Experience and its accompanying infographic.