first generation college students
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“First In My Family”
Characteristics and Issues Facing First Generation College Students
Michelle Allen, Kinsely Baker, Christianne Beavers, Rebecca Avant
First-Generation College Students: A Definition
For this presentation, a first-generation college student refers to one who neither
parent has attended college. (Demetriou & Mann, 2011)
First-Gen Students within Racial /Ethnic Groups
I(
Since 1975, African Americans show the greatest decline; Hispanics are the most likely first-gen’s. (Higher Education
Research Institute, 2007)
Parents=A Very Important Reason to go to College
• Parents’ encouragement is a very important reason for both non-first-gen and first-gen students to attend college.
• In 2005, the trend had reversed and showed first-gen students (47%) had reversed a trend over non-first-gen students (43%) for parental encouragement being very important in the choice to attend college.
(Higher Education Research Institute, 2007)
Family Influence
• Hsiao (1992) stated that “parents, siblings, and friends who have no experience of college or its rewards may be non-supportive or even obstructionist.”
• May begin journey alone.– First-generation students face the risk of alienation from
family if they decide to attend college (Striplin, 1999).
• Balancing two cultures: – Family and friends who have no college experience vs.
being immersed in culture of attending college
Family Influence
Bryan & Simmons (2009), found that first-generation college students do not
receive the same levels of support from their families as continuing-generation
students, largely because of the family’s lack of knowledge about postsecondary
education.
Family Influence • Support– Unconditional, Direct, and Indirect
• Understanding– Lack of Knowledge from Parents
• Motivation– Personal vs. Family
• Goal Achievement – Personal vs. Family
• Expectations– Either Higher or Lower Expectations
Study conducted by Alexa Hodge, supervised by Dr. Elizabeth Mellin
Work Experiences and Expectations
• Over half (55%) of first-generation college students expect to get a job to pay for college expenses.
• First-generation students considered financial factors very important to college choice.
• They were also more likely to have worked while in high school than non-first-generation students.
(Higher Education Research Institute, 2007)
I
Perc
ent
Figure 3. Work Experiences & Expectations 60 5 5 .1
5 0 First-Generation
Non-First-Generation
4 0
41.5
36.7
4 5 .0
3 0 26.0
2 0
20.8
2 2 .2
1 5 .0
1 0
0
1987 2005 1987 2005 Worked 20+ hours per week in
last year of HS Very good chance: Expect to get a job to pay for colle
Home: An Important Influence
• First-gen’s are likely to attend institutions within 50 miles from home• Close proximity an
important reason for choice
• Less likely to live on campus
• Potentially less academic and social integration• Decision for close
proximity driven by financial reasons
(Higher Education Research Institute, 2007)
First-Generation College Students are more likely to:
• be older• have lower incomes• be married• have dependents• enroll part-time• choose a two-year
institution• choose a private, for-profit
school• take remedial classes• say that they wanted to
become more well-off and able to provide for their children
• persisted and earned degrees at a lower rate
• earned as much if a degree is obtained…….
as compared to non-first generation students.• (National Center for
Education Statistics, 1998)
Financial Obligations and Barriers
Compared to traditional students, Terenzini’s
(2005) findings indicated that first-generation
students were more likely to:
Come from low income families
Have more dependent children
Have weaker reading, math, and critical thinking
skills
Expected to take longer to complete their degree
programs
Financial obligations and barriersStudents often feel guilty that they cannot contribute financially to their homes because of their commitment to their education
• FAFSA process:– Families are often confused about the process
of applying for federal financial aid, which opens the door to grant and scholarship availability
– Application is extensive and convoluted, and requires sensitive data
Financial Obligations and BarriersHow do these challenges affect the college
experience?
– Low-income families have less to contribute to their student’s college costs
Less family financial support leads to an increased likelihood of working while in school
More time working = less time in the classroom or for studying
Academic skills
First-generation students are often less prepared academically than non-first-
generation students and have an elevated risk for academic failure (Terenzini, 1995)
Academic skills
Compared to traditional students, Terenzini’s (2005) findings
indicated that first-generation students were:
Had received less encouragement from their parents to attend
college
Tended to take fewer courses in the traditional fields and more
courses in technical and pre-professional courses
Spent fewer hours studying and more hours working
Were less likely to perceive faculty members as concerned with
student development and teaching
Had less involvement with peers and teachers in high school
Have lower degree aspirations
More likely to require developmental coursework (Hodges, 1999)
Academic Skills
How do these challenges affect the college experience?
Have weaker reading, math, and
critical thinking skills
Poor performance due to lack of skill development and lack of understanding/taking advantage of campus resources
Loss of financial aid, feelings of frustration and helplessness to the point of quitting
Academic skills
What can we do to academically support this
population?
Institutions must provide an array of programs and
services to counteract the weaknesses and obstacles
many of them face (Hsiao, 1992)
– Methods and resources to navigate the bureaucratic
nature of higher education institutions
– Specialized outreach, tutoring, and mentoring programs
– Bridge programs (for example- high school to college)
– Effective orientation programs
Campus Programming
• Roughly 30% of entering freshmen in the USA are first-generation college students
• 24% — 4.5 million — are both first-gens and low income.
• Nationally, 89% of low-income first-gens leave college within six years without a degree.
• More than a quarter leave after their first year — four times the dropout rate of higher-income second-generation students.
First Generation College Students
• Universities implement programs aimed at the Retention, Progression, and Graduation (RPG) of FGCS–Mentoring programs– Tutoring– Social Activities– Cultural Immersion activities
Georgia Southern University’s Minority Advisement Program
• The Minority Advisement Program (MAP) is a unique college mentoring/success program for minority incoming students (a.k.a. MAPees) that match freshmen and transfer students with upperclassmen to assist with their acclimation to college life.
Campus Programming
The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are Federal outreach and student services programs
designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist:• low-income individuals• first-generation college students• individuals with disabilities
to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs
Continued…
• ETS-The goal of Talent Search is to increase the number of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who complete high school and enroll in and complete their postsecondary education.
• Upward Bound- Serves high school students from low-income families; and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree.
• Most students transition from ETS and Upward Bound into the Ronald McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program
“The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living differ from the dead.”
― Aristotle
QUESTIONS???
ReferencesBryan, E., & Simmons, L.A. (2009). Family involvement: impacts on post-secondary educational success for first-generation Appalachian college students. Journal of College Student Development, 50(4), 391-405.
Demetriou. C., & Mann, A. (2011). Encouraging first generation college student success. Academic Advising Today, 34(2). Retrieved from http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic -Advising-Today/View- Articles
Hodge, A. E. (ND). First-generation college students: The influence of family on college experience. (Master's thesis)Retrieved from http://forms.gradsch.psu.edu/diversity/mcnair/mcnair_jrnl2010/files/Hodge.pdf
Hsiao, K. P. (1992). First-generation college students. ERIC Digest, ED351079.
Higher Education Research Institute. (May 2007). First in my family. HERI Research Brief. Retrieved from http://academics.lmu.edu/media/lmuacademics/academicresourcecenter/documents/First%20
Generation%20Research%20Brief%20copy.pdfMulticultural Student Center. Minority Advisement Program. Retrieved April 2013. http://deanofstudents.georgiasouthern.edu/multicultural/mentoring/minority-advisement-program-map/
National Center for Education Statistics. (June 1998). First generationstudents whose parents never enrolled in postsecondary education.Retrieved fromhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=98082
Terenzini, P. T. (1995). First-generation college students: Characteristics, experiences, and cognitive development. Proceedings from Forum of the Association for Institutional Research. Washington, D.C.
Striplin, J. J. (1999). Facilitating transfer for first-generation community college students. ERIC Digest, ED430627.
U.S. Department of Education. Trio Programs. Retrieved April 2013 http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html