Exploring the First-generation College-going Experience

Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 2004

This article documents the experiences of a group of first-generation Latino college students who enrolled in 4-year institutions immediately after high school graduation. Students form part of a research intervention program that focuses on disrupting social reproduction by increasing college access and persistence for underrepresented youth. In particular, this article explores the long-term effects of a college access/intervention program by examining how a group of first-generation Latino college students navigate the transition from high school to college, maintain a capacity to access academic and social support while in college, and sustain a college-going identity. The experiences of these first-generation Latino college students are situated within social/cultural capital theory, social reproduction theory, and critical theory. Analysis of a longitudinal database focuses on students’ proclivity to mobilize support around academic, financial, personal, and family issues whil...

2021

First-generation college student (FGCS) can be defined as students from families in which their parents did not earn a four-year degree. An increasing number of FGCS enroll in college each year. However, first-generation African American and Latinx students are faced with challenges attending a four-year institution of higher learning. For this reason, pre-college programs like the Upward Bound program provide support, resources, and guidance to help prepare FGCS for college. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how African American and Latinx FGCS in the Upward Bound program describe their college experiences and factors contributing to their academic goals. The theoretical framework for this study was Lent, Brown, and Hackett’s social cognitive career theory. Purposeful sampling was used to select 10 FGCS who participated in an Upward Bound program. Virtual one-on-one interviews were used to gather data for open and axial coding data analysis. Themes we...

2012

This qualitative study explores the college choice process and first-year experiences of first-generation college Latino students. Case study analysis was used with one-on-one interviews, revealing five emerging themes: (1) Latino identity expression; (2) first in the family; (3) desire for sense of community; (4) embracing Latino identity in college; and (5) personal responsibility for education. Findings revealed how the importance of cultural identity and responsibilities regarding first-generation college attendance were important to participants' experiences.

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

Background/Context Literatures on college-going cultures offer patterns and lists of practices that promote schoolwide attention to college-going for nondominant youth, often with organization-level analyses of policies and procedures. Other literature identifies promising practices and challenges to conventional instruction, often examining pedagogical discourse. Seldom are ideas from these two literatures brought together to examine promises and tensions of effectively preparing youth of color for higher education. Our study examined both school and classroom levels to develop such understanding. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The purpose was to learn how high schools committed to reversing historic underrepresentation of low-SES students of color in higher education may leverage two dimensions of schooling to hit this goal: development of a school-wide college-going culture with norms and roles that articulate high expectations and provide extensive supports t...

2019

The purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study was to discover how community college students from first-generation immigrant backgrounds made sense of their experiences as the first in their family to go to college. The need for this study is highlighted by research that finds that almost one-quarter of college students come from immigrant backgrounds, and this number is projected to rise for some time into the future. While open access community college education offers first-generation students from immigrant backgrounds opportunities to earn degrees, first-year students are twice as likely as their peers to leave college before their sophomore year . The problem of practice examined was that college systems designed for traditional students do not consider first-generation students with immigrant backgrounds and their unique personal experiences, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and values, which amounts to a lack of support that can contribute to isolation and high dropout rates for this population. The tenants of academic resilience theory and critical race theory were applied to gather insight into how students make sense of experiences in education and specifically navigating the community college system. This qualitative study with six students enrolled in two community colleges in Washington State revealed that students viewed adverse experiences as the foundation of personal strengths that they use to overcome obstacles as community college students. Students identified relationships with individuals at school, at home, and in the community as impacting their perceptions of their academic achievement. The study also revealed that perceptions about on-going academic achievement and value of a college degree were linked to having a clear sense of purpose and the opportunity to make a difference for others who share aspects of their history and background experiences. This study serves to move beyond a descriptive model that categorizes students to a prescriptive strength-based approach based on the particularities of individual linguistic and cultural background experience. The recommendations in this study could be used to provide educational leaders and policymakers with information to guide decisions about how community college systems support first-generation community college students in persisting in their post-secondary experience.

The purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study was to discover how community college students from first-generation immigrant backgrounds made sense of their experiences as the first in their family to go to college. The need for this study is highlighted by research that finds that almost one-quarter of college students come from immigrant backgrounds, and this number is projected to rise for some time into the future. While open access community college education offers first-generation students from immigrant backgrounds opportunities to earn degrees, first-year students are twice as likely as their peers to leave college before their sophomore year . The problem of practice examined was that college systems designed for traditional students do not consider first-generation students with immigrant backgrounds and their unique personal experiences, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and values, which amounts to a lack of support that can contribute to isolation and high dropout rates for this population. The tenants of academic resilience theory and critical race theory were applied to gather insight into how students make sense of experiences in education and specifically navigating the community college system. This qualitative study with six students enrolled in two community colleges in Washington State revealed that students viewed adverse experiences as the foundation of personal strengths that they use to overcome obstacles as community college students. Students identified relationships with individuals at school, at home, and in the community as impacting their perceptions of their academic achievement. The study also revealed that perceptions about on-going academic achievement and value of a college degree were linked to having a clear sense of purpose and the opportunity to make a difference for others who share aspects of their history and background experiences. This study serves to move beyond a descriptive model that categorizes students to a prescriptive strength-based 3 approach based on the particularities of individual linguistic and cultural background experience.

Multicultural Education, 2011

This qualitative, phenomenological study investigated the college choice process of Latina/o students enrolled in two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Texas. The current study uniquely examines Latina/o parents' words of advice (consejos) on higher education and perceptions of HBCUs. Through two one-on-one, semi-structured interviews, 17 Latina/o participants shared their college going experiences. Using familismo as the guiding theoretical framework, the findings suggest that parents highly valued college and encouraged participants to pursue a college degree. Upon matriculation in an HBCU, however, participants perceived varying levels of parental support. While some participants' parents were enthused about their child's enrollment in higher education, others were skeptical of the value and quality of an HBCU. Recommendations for practice are offered.