First-Generation College Students & Campus Resources

The purpose of this research was to analyze how campus resources at Valparaiso University affect first-generation college students. Specifically, this study looked at the effect campus resources have on feelings of belonging on campus and academic success. First generation college students are defined as students whose parents have not obtained a four-year degree. This study used a questionnaire that was emailed to every known first-generation college student at Valparaiso University. This consisted of five sections: demographics, campus resource use, the campus community, academic preparedness, and experience. The use of campus resources section used a Likert scale to see how often students used different campus resources. The campus community and academic preparedness sections also used a Likert scale to see how much students related to questions such as, “I feel like I fit in at Valpo”. Finally, the experience section allowed for students to write in specific challenges they have faced on Valparaiso University\u27s campus. These results can help further develop the Persistence and Success Program (PSP), a first-generation college student program on campus

Moving from Access to Success: How First-Generation Students of Color Can Build Resilience in Higher Education through Mentorship

In recent years, the enrollment of first-generation students of color in higher education has increased across the nation, reflecting a slight improvement in college access for them. However, first-generation students of color continue to face a variety of challenges which impede their social and academic success and contribute to low retention rates at the university. In this article, I propose a holistic approach to mentorship to support first-generation students of color in their transition to college. I start this article with my scholarly narrative as a first-generation student of color and how my mentors played an important role in helping me build resilience in higher education. I also discuss guidelines to model an ethic of care and build resilience through mentorship

Challenging the Model Minority Myth as a First-Generation College Student

First-generation Asian American college students must be resilient to overcome the many challenges they face in their college experience. Because these students are first-generation students of color and are also Asian American, they experience unique challenges and complexities. First-generation students of color often navigate the college experience with families who have little to no context surrounding higher education, may have varying levels of college readiness upon entry, and frequently encounter financial challenges and other barriers to education. At the same time, Asian American students must grapple with high expectations set by society because of the model minority myth. How are these students expected to meet the high standards set by others while facing so many barriers to their success in higher education? In this article, I explore the challenges that students who hold these intersecting identities face, and I provide recommendations for institutions to better support these students

The Net Generation enters university: What are the implications for Technology Enhanced Learning?

The term Net generation suggests that the generation of young people born after 1983 are different from any preceding generation because they have been exposed to digital technology in their day-to-day existence, and that this is has a profound impact on their attitudes and approach to learning. Examining the use of the terms Net generation and Digital Natives this paper reports a survey of first year undergraduate students in the UK. This paper, based on research conducted in the spring of 2008 examines whether there is a distinct Net generation amongst first year UK university students and if there are significant differences attributable to age, gender or disciplinary differences. It concludes that whilst there are significant changes taking place amongst first year undergraduate students in the UK they are far more complex than the idea of a single new generation would suggest

Getting Educated : Working Class and First-Generation Students and the Extra-Curriculum

Previous research shows that participation in the extra-curriculum supports college students\u27 integration, but participation varies based on students\u27 background: working class students and first-generation college students tend to participate less. I contribute to this literature by analyzing interview data. I find students differ in how they participate in activities and integrate into college based on their likelihood of attending an elite institution. Working-class and first-generation students participate in activities as an extension of academics, while other students participate for social reasons, resulting in different experiences of campus life. This difference can restrict students\u27 gains in social and cultural capital, potentially limiting any decrease in inequality that results from elite college access

On the Borders of the Academy: Challenges and Strategies for First-Generation Graduate Students and Faculty

One of the most significant achievements in US higher education during the latter half of the twentieth century was the increasing access enjoyed by historically marginalized populations, including women, people of color, and the poor and working class. With this achievement, however, has come a growing population of first generation students, including first-generation graduate students and faculty members, who struggle at times to navigate unfamiliar territory. This book offers insight into the challenges of first-generation status, as well as practical tools for navigating the halls of the academy for both academics and their institutional allies.https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/books/1140/thumbnail.jp

Is first-gen an identity? How first-generation college students make meaning of institutional and familial constructs of self

Institutions increasingly use first-generation categorizations to provide support to students. In this study, we sought to understand how students make meaning of their first-generation status by conducting a series of focus groups with 54 participants. Our findings reveal that students saw first-generation status as an organizational and familial identity rather than a social identities. This status was connected to alterity and social distance that was most salient in comparison to continuing-generation peers. Our recommendations include re-examining the role of first- generation specific programming on campus, creating opportunities for meaning-making, supporting students within changing family dynamics, and exploring the interaction between first-generation status and other marginalized identities

Advancements in Higher Education for Latino(a)/Chicano(a) Doctorates

Latinos(as)/Chicanos(as) are one of the minorities least represented in graduate school (Ramirez, 2016). Although there are few studies that primarily focus on the limitations Latinos(as)/Chicanos(as) students encounter in undergraduate and graduate studies, the overall goal of this study was to focus on the strategies Latinos(as)/Chicanos(as) use to counteract these limitations. These areas of limitations fall into seven categories: educational programs, family support, stress, financial support, mentors, school involvement, and exclusion. A 70-question online survey was administered to those who met the following eligibility requirements: completed a PhD, reside in California, and identify as Latino(a) and/or Chicano(a). This survey analyzes the impact educational programs have on first-generation students in undergraduate and graduate school. The questions on family support compare first-generation and non-first-generation college students who completed a PhD program. The questions on stress analyze how the PhD holders overcame stressful situations. For financial support, the survey asks one to comment on the financial resources they utilized. The questions in the section about mentors analyze a mentor’s moral, academic, personal, and financial support. For school involvement, the questions analyze the campus resources utilized by respondents and the benefits of utilizing those resources. The questions on exclusion addressed three concepts: discrimination, feelings of not belonging, and gender disparity. In family support questions, results suggest that both first-generation and non-first-generation Latino(a)/Chicano(a) PhD holders received parental support during their undergraduate and graduate studies; however, first-generation PhD holders mentioned that parents would listen but not understand academic context, while non-first-generation PhD holders had academic conversations with parents

First Generation Students in Higher Education

For many individuals getting a college education is considered a privilege since it leads to their desired career, various life changing opportunities and experiences. For some, they are the first in their family to graduate from college with a four year degree. There is an increase in the number of first generation (FG) students attending college compared to the past ten to fifteen years. However, a significant percentage of these students are not graduating within the four year period because of the many challenges they have had to endure by being a first generation student

Collaboration and the Net generation: The changing characteristics of first year university students

This paper reports on the first phase of research that investigates the Net generation entering university. The paper focuses on claims about the Net generation’s relationship to collaboration and cooperation and the ways that this relationship is associated with technological rather than social processes. Based on a survey of first year students in five universities across a range of subjects and disciplinary areas, the paper concludes that we should be cautious about the claims that have been made about Net generation learners. It suggests that broad brush approaches to generational changes obscure the subtle but important differences between students. It also suggests that claims that there has been a step change in attitudes takes attention away from the kinds of choices that might be necessary in relation to variations that are indeed taking place amongst new cohorts of students