Developing a Sense of Belonging Among First-Year First-Generation College Students

The purpose of this project is to explore the barriers experienced by first-year first-generation college students, and what support services can be provided to mitigate the barriers. Through an intensive review of literature, sense of belonging is one of many barriers that first generation college students face. Being the first to do something can be uncomfortable and scary. The intentions of this project are to create a Living Learning Center that aids first-generation college students during their transition to college. This Living Learning Center will host a summer bridge program designed to lessen the struggles that first generation college students face upon arrival at an institution. Creating a sense of belonging for first-generation college students during their first year on campus will increase retention at an institution and overall student success

A case study of students entering writing courses at College of Sequoias

The purpose of this qualitative research study is to discover whether English Language Learners\u27 (ELLs\u27), English as a Second Language (ESL) students\u27, and First Generation College Students\u27 (FGCSs\u27) participation in College of the Sequoias\u27 writing center encouraged or yielded students\u27 personal and professional involvement. The purpose of this study is to encourage faculty, staff, ESLs/ELLs/FGCSs, and community stakeholders to enroll in the services offered at the college discipline\u27s writing center. More specifically the research questions for this study are as follows: According to student and staff members, is the writing center at College of the Sequoias maintaining effective reading and writing tutoring services for English as Second Language (ESL) students? 1. According to student and staff members, is the writing center at College of the Sequoias maintaining effective reading and writing tutoring services for English Language Learner (ELL) students? 2. According to student and staff members, is the writing center at College of the Sequoias maintaining effective reading and writing tutoring services for First Generation College Students (FGCSs)? 3. According to student and staff members, does maintaining reading and writing tutoring services for ESL students, ELL students, and FGCSs encourage faculty members\u27 and tutors\u27 personal and professional involvement? 4. According to student and staff members, how can tutors help to develop writing and reading courses for ESL students, ELL students, and FGCSs? The conclusions of the study include: College of the Sequoias must acknowledge the need for transformational and transgressional learning. In order for the dominant ethnic and cultural background of students to be independent learners and thinkers an institutional school reform must be in action. The present study contributes to the literature regarding ESL/ELL/FGCS adult learning theories and practices and explores the need for additional pedagogical practices to be implemented for post-secondary instructors and staff members. This study also helps to establish the strengths and weaknesses inherent in multiculturalism and diverse learning theories

Factors Contributing to the Success of First-Generation College Students at a Research University

First-generation college students are students whose parents do not have a college degree, and they face numerous barriers in college. Yet, several first-generation college students (FGCS) are successful and are on-track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in four years. Their success is important because education is associated with increased income, quality of life, and social mobility, making educational attainment even more significant in Arkansas, which has both low educational attainment and high poverty. Little is known about what can be done to close the achievement gap. It is important to analyze what helped FGCS succeed so that higher education administrators, faculty, and staff can help other FGCS succeed. The study used explanatory sequential mixed methodology to analyze the factors first-generation college students identified as contributing toward being on-track to graduate in four years. Data for the study were collected at the University of Arkansas, an Arkansas land-grant institution. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s chi-square of independence test were used to analyze first-generation students. Focus groups of FGCS were conducted to understand the factors that contributed to being on-track and strategies for success. The study’s results indicated that ethnicity and changing the major college of degree program are not related to being on-track to graduate, but other demographic factors like age, residency, and ACT score are significant. FGCS faced multiple barriers like unpreparedness, financial obligations, and relating to their family members, but they were motivated to succeed by many factors, primarily believing that a college degree was necessary for a better life. They used a few strategies to succeed, such as active involvement in planning their course of study to maximize efficiency. Recommendations for both future research and future practice were made to help first-generation college students succeed

A Mixed Method Investigation of Communication Apprehension in First Generation College Students at a Four-Year College

Using qualitative and quantitative methods, I explore (a) experiences of first-generation college students with high levels of communication apprehension, (b) how the experiences compare to those of non-first generation college students, and (c) the possibility that first-generation college students experience higher levels of communication apprehension than non-first-generation college students. Thoughout of my investiagation, I : (a) confirm that students who are the first in their families to attend college experiences different from students whose parents attended or graduated from college, (b) establish a possible link betweenteh academic preparedness of students from poor quality/performing urban schools and students from high performing suburban schools, (c) confirm that high levels of of CA most often come from a concern of how students are perceived by their peers, (d) provide an example of how self-efficacy and social self-efficacy are connected to communication apprehension, (e) provide an example of how communication apprehension can stem from being a FGCS, socially unprepared and isolated from one\u27s peers, and (f) posit that non-traditional students have concerns about age difference when taking classes with traditional students that may lead to state or situational communication apprehension. These and other research findings provide (a) examples of what has been profiled and described in earlier research on FGCS, (b) examples of what has been profiled andn described in earlier research on students with high levels of communication apprehension, and (c) support for future qualitative studies in the areas of FGCS and students with high levels of CA as a means of learning about the students\u27 actual experiences, needs, and feelings

First-generation college students\u27 family role transitions in college: a psychoeducational support group

The college student population continues to grow diverse in many ways, including the evolving cohorts of first-generation college students (FGCS). These students, whose student generational status is defined by having parents who have not enrolled in post-secondary education, enter college with a different background than their peers who have parents familiar with the college experience. This difference accounts for some challenges regularly faced by FGCS, including sensed tension within their family system and overall distress as they transition from their home-oriented to school-oriented roles. This student population lacks resources that aid understanding and management of new challenges within the family and coping with family-related stress. This dissertation project builds on empirical, theoretical, and applied literature about FGCS and their family, literature about the psychoeducational support group format, and original content to offer college mental health clinicians to facilitate a psychoeducational support group for FGCS on their campus. The recommendations outlined in the group handbook included in this dissertation provide college counseling center group facilitators a guide for helping familiarize FGCS members with changes that might occur in their family during the transition to college. This includes guidance on how to manage family-related stress that might arise, including preparation on how to convey expected role transitions to family members and negotiate changing roles. Additional considerations for using recommendations, project limitations, and directions for future research are also addressed

How do faculty and staff perceive the effectiveness of student support systems that promote the retention of First-Generation College Students?

Research showed faculty-student interactions impact student engagement and was a primary factor to student retention (Kuh & Hu, 2001; Means & Pyne, 2017; Swecker et al., 2013; Tinto, 1987). The literature revealed while retention may be an issue for many institutions, there is a greater need to address retention specifically related to first-generation college students (FGCS). Students often seek advice from faculty and staff when faced with questions about their academic progress. Faculty and staff voices need to be collected regarding their perceptions of the effectiveness of the support systems used within an institution that promote retention for FGCS. This dissertation research study aimed to explore faculty and staff perceptions of the factors that influence retention with a qualitative-dominant explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design. In the first phase, twenty-three (n = 23) faculty and staff at a two-year community college in southeastern Minnesota participated in an online questionnaire. Key findings from Phase One included faculty and staff perceived Academic Integration, Academic Conscientiousness, Support Service Satisfaction, and Financial Strain as having a significant impact on retention of FGCS and they perceive themselves as slightly prepared to advise FGCS on topics related to Financial Strain. In the second phase, eight (n = 8) faculty and staff from the same institution participated in an interview. Key findings from Phase Two included 50% of faculty and staff commented that the institution’s support systems for FGCS were effective; of those, 66.6% of staff commented these support systems were effective whereas 40% of faculty perceived the supports as effective. This research study added to the body of literature regarding research that focused on faculty and staff perceptions regarding FGCS retention, the use of the mixed-methods approach to explore retention, and the exploration of FGCS retention at a two-year institution

Exploring the Experiences of Successful First-Generation College Students At Selected Community Colleges

The purpose of this study was to examine how successful FGCS in community colleges addressed challenges they face in order to complete their degree programs. This study was based upon Titno\u27s (1993) Model of Student Departure and explored what methods and programs were most beneficial in helping FGCS overcome the challenges they faced as they worked on their degrees. This study explored each of the three categories discussed: (a) responsive social support; (b) financial preparation and acquisition; and (c) proactive academic preparation and encouragement through the use of semi-structured individual interviews. A more thorough understanding of how to assist FGCS benefits postsecondary staff and faculty who work closely with students. The results of this study can aid individual staff members as well as departments so they can better use and focus their efforts in assisting FGCS.;The findings in this study are essentially consistent with the findings in current research on first generation students with a few notable exceptions. The findings of this study supported those of other research indicating FGCS are for the most part not academically prepared for college; often have limited financial resources; and are not encouraged to attend college from a young age.;The findings of this study indicate previous research regarding social integration may not apply to FGCS in a community college setting. Although the participants did not fully meet the criteria for social integration, they did found a match between their social values, preferences, and behavioral styles with other members of the community and felt supported in their educational pursuits.;The findings of this study led to a number of implications for action. One implication is that colleges and universities need to do more to help secondary school students learn how to prepare for and what to expect at college. In addition, colleges and universities need to do more to help FGCS transition to the college experience. Colleges and universities also need to evaluate and consider revising how they offer services on campus in order to address FGCS\u27 schedules. One of the most critical steps colleges and universities need to take is to identify students who may need assistance

Career Planning and Curriculum Integration: millennials on the ‘lost’ coast

Career preparation during college is increasingly an area of interest and concern not only for the parents, family and friends of prospective students, but administrators, politicians, and even the average taxpayer. As costs continue to rise, the ‘value’ of higher education is no longer based primarily on the goal of preparing a future generation to participate in, and to lead a democratic civil society, but on how competitive students will be in the global marketplace as a result. Humboldt State University is located approximately 300 miles north of San Francisco in a relatively isolated region known as the ‘lost coast’, famous for old growth redwoods and a dramatic coastline. Over the past five years, HSU has started to take seriously the challenge of connecting the ideals of a relatively small, liberal arts school to the changing goals and aspirations of an increasingly diverse student body in the context of an ever more connected world. This paper seeks to do two things. First, to briefly outline current questions in the field of career development with a view to better understanding how the stated goals of the millennial generation affect their ideas of ‘career’ and ‘success’. Second, to offer Humboldt State University as a case study by examining the way these issues have influenced the development of career education in the HSU’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS), specifically the International Studies Program. The argument is that while the overarching goals of millennials are not so very unusual or different from their predecessors, career education needs to adapt to meet specific needs of our students. Further, that this is best done through a strategy that combines traditional ‘user activated’ services, with intentional ‘scaffolding’ designed by each college – ideally by each department or program. The objective is to offer other and/or similar institutions a framework that includes a range of approaches to embedding career education into the academic curriculum in a way that not only meets the range of needs of our students, but also connects the liberal arts education campus to the classroom of the world