The impact of peer mentoring on the mentors

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Connolly
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Peer Mentoring ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of first generation peer mentoring experiences on retention, grade point average and students’ perception of their academic and leadership development. Design/methodology/approach This study utilized a mixed methods approach. Focus groups and interviews were utilized to determine the reported leadership experiences of the mentors. Descriptive statistics were used to compare grade point averages and retention rates. Findings The study found peer mentors in residential life perceived an increase in leadership skills; including role modeling, time management, personal confidence, and problem solving. The peers were challenged in their roles, and perceived these challenges to help them to grow as leaders. When compared to their peers, the peer mentors experienced increased retention and similar grade point averages. The results indicated that peer mentoring experiences can be beneficial for the mentors who are first generation college students, even experiences that are particularly challenging. Research limitations/implications The biggest limitation to this study is the fact that this was a small sample, without a control group. A further limitation is that it was difficult to get students to participate in the study. Future research might examine peer mentoring experiences of first generation students on larger campuses or on multiple campuses to allow for a control group of first generation peers without a peer mentoring experience. Practical implications The results indicated that peer mentoring experiences can be beneficial for the mentors who are first generation college students, even experiences that are particularly challenging. Social implications Due to the potential for their success, these types of experiences should be expanded for first generation students, a group that is at a higher risk for drop out. Special attention should be paid to ongoing training in peer mentoring experiences, given the level of commitment by the mentors. Originality/value While other studies have examined the impact of peer mentoring on those that have been mentored, and a few have examined the impact of the experience on the mentors themselves this study extends the research by looking at first generation college students. This is valuable because first generation students continue to lag in their success in college and practical research on what can improve the student experience for this group is necessary.

Staying Close or Going Away: How Distance to College Impacts the Educational Attainment and Academic Performance of First-generation College Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alma Nidia Garza ◽  
Andrew S. Fullerton
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Bachelor's Degrees

It is widely documented that first-generation college students attain bachelor’s degrees at lower rates than their peers. First-generation students also consistently prioritize distance to college in their school decision-making process. How distance impacts their educational performance, however, is an issue that has not received sufficient research attention. This study uses the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09) to investigate whether the distance between the permanent residence of first-generation students enrolled in four-year degree programs and their attending college impacts their educational attainment and grade point average (GPA). We find that first-generation students who attend colleges at a greater distance from home are more likely to graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree. We do not find strong support for the relationship between distance and a student’s GPA in most years of enrollment. We discuss the way college accessibility reinforces inequality within higher education along with the theoretical implications of our findings.

Pushing the Boulder Uphill: The Persistence of First-Generation College Students

NASPA Journal ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Somers ◽  
Shawn R Woodhouse ◽  
James E. Cofer
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Student Loans ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Student Aid ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
High Test Score ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

This study examined the impact of background, aspirations, achievement, college experiences, and price on the persistence of first-generation (F-gen) and continuing generation (C-gen) college students at 4-year institutions using the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study of 1995–96 (n = 24,262). We found differences between the two groups on the effect size for almost all of the significant variables. F-gen students were more sensitive to financial aid and averse to student loans than their peers. However, even variables such as high income, high test score, and high grade point average, which similar studies have found to be significant and positively associated with persistence, did not influence the persistence of F-gen students in this study.

“Listen to the Feedback of Students”: First-Generation College Students Voice Inequalities in Schooling Brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 152102512110663
Author(s):  
Cassandra R. Davis ◽  
Harriet Hartman ◽  
Milanika Turner ◽  
Terri Norton ◽  
Julie Sexton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Students First ◽  
Return To College ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

In March 2020, the higher-education community faced one of its largest disruptions to date with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing campuses to close their doors to thousands of students. The university-wide closures prompted a collaboration between researchers and college administrators to assess the impact of COVID-19 on First-Generation College Students (FGCS). The team surveyed 659 FGCS across five U.S. universities to assess the ways in which the pandemic exacerbated already existing inequalities students faced in their persistence to graduate from college. The team used the social cognitive career theory as a conceptual framework for analysis. Our findings revealed that when respondents compared their life before COVID-19 with their present state, FGCS were less likely to perceive they had enough money to return to college, felt overwhelmed and lonely by added stress, and were more likely to see an increase in family responsibilities.

Reducing Gaps in First-Year Outcomes Between Hispanic First-Generation College Students and Their Peers: The Role of Accelerated Learning and Financial Aid

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-463
Author(s):  
Christian A. Latino ◽  
Gabriela Stegmann ◽  
Justine Radunzel ◽  
Jason D. Way ◽  
Edgar Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Financial Aid ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Achievement Gaps ◽  
Accelerated Learning ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
First Year ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
First Generation College

Hispanic students are the most likely out of all racial or ethnic groups to be first-generation college students (FGCS). Hispanic FGCS have been shown to be the least likely to persist out of all racial or ethnic backgrounds. However, there is little literature on this population. To address this, the present study investigated the association of accelerated learning in high school (e.g., Advanced Placement courses and dual enrollment) and financial aid on academic outcomes for Hispanic FGCS and Hispanic non-FGCS at a 4-year postsecondary institution ( n = 2,499). Hispanic FGCS fared worse in first-year grade point average (GPA) and first- to second-year retention than Hispanic non-FGCS. After controlling for academic, nonacademic, and demographic variables, results suggested that accelerated learning reduced achievement gaps in first-year GPA and financial aid reduced achievement gaps in retention rates for Hispanic FGCS. These results suggest that environmental supports (i.e., accelerated learning and financial aid) may be able to improve GPA and retention for Hispanic FGCS.

The Impact of Family and Friends Social Support on Latino/a First-Generation College Students’ Perceived Stress, Depression, and Social Isolation

2020 ◽  
pp. 153819272096492
Author(s):  
Tara Suwinyattichaiporn ◽  
Zac D. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Family Social Support ◽  
Study Results ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
The Impact

This study highlights Latino/a first-generation students by investigating the associations of stress, depression, and social isolation with family and friend social support in their college experiences. Using random sampling, nine-hundred and seven ( N = 907) Latino/a first-generation students participated in this study. Results indicated family social support is negatively associated with stress and depression, social support from friends is negatively associated with social isolation, and family social support is a moderator of stress and depression.

Community cultural wealth and literacy capital in Latin American communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-19
Author(s):  
Lina Trigos-Carrillo
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Latin American ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Academic Literacies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Wealth ◽  
First Generation College

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the literacy practices of the families and communities of first-generation college students in Latin America, and how community and family literacies can inform the understanding of first-generation college students’ identity and cultural values. Design/methodology/approach This transnational ethnography was conducted in local communities around three public universities in Mexico, Colombia and Costa Rica. Participants included nine fist-generation college students and more than 50 people in their families and communities (i.e. relatives, parents and friends). Data gathering occurred at the university outside the formal space of the classroom, at home, and in the community. Data were interpreted through the lens of the community cultural wealth framework. Findings The author found that first-generation college students and their families and communities engaged in rich literacy practices that have been overlooked in policy, research, and media. It is argued that the concept literacy capital is necessary to acknowledge the critical literacy practices communities engage in. Literacy capital was manifested in these communities to preserve cultural traditions, to sponsor literacy practices and to question and resist unjust sociopolitical circumstances. Practical implications The findings of this study should inform a culturally sustaining pedagogy of academic literacies in higher education. Beyond asset-based approaches to academic literacies in Latin America, critical perspectives to academic literacies teaching and learning are needed that acknowledge the Latin American complexities. Originality/value These findings are significant because they unveiled how people in local communities were informed about the sociopolitical dynamics at the national and international scale that affected or even threatened their local culture, and how they used their literacy capital to react critically to those situations.

scholarly journals Information Seeking Anxiety and Preferred Information Sources of First-Generation College Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-24
Author(s):  
Josefine Smith ◽  
Stacy Brinkman
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Generational Status ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Parental Experience ◽  
First Generation College

Objective – To determine whether information seeking anxieties and preferred information sources differ between first-generation college students and their continuing-generation peers. Methods – An online survey was disseminated at two public college campuses. A total of 490 respondents were included in the results. Independent variables included institution, year in college, and generational status. Instead of using a binary variable, this study used three groups for the independent variable of generational status, with two first-generation groups and one continuing-generation group based on parental experience with college. Dependent variables included 4 measures of information seeking anxiety and 22 measures of preferred information sources. Responses were analyzed using SPSS. One-way independent ANOVA tests were used to compare groups by generational status, and two- and three-way factorial ANOVA tests were conducted to explore interaction effects of generational status with institution and year in college. Results – No significant differences in overall information seeking anxiety were found between students whose parents had differing levels of experience with college. However, when exploring the specific variable of experiencing anxiety about “navigating the system in college,” a two-way interaction involving generational status and year in school was found, with first-generation students with the least direct experience with college reporting higher levels of anxiety at different years in college than their peers. Two categories of first-generation students were found to consult with their parents far less than continuing-generation peers. The study also found that institutional or generational differences may also influence whether students ask for information from their peers, librarians, tutoring centers, professors, or advisors. Conclusion – This study is one of the first to directly compare the information seeking preferences and anxieties of first-generation and continuing-generation students using a non-binary approach. While previous research suggests that first-generation students experience heightened anxiety about information seeking, this study found no significant overall differences between students based on their generational status. The study reinforced previous research about first-generation college students relying less on their parents than their continuing-generation peers. However, this study complicates previous research about first-generation students and their utilization of peers, librarians, tutoring centers, professors, or advisors as information sources, and suggests that institutional context plays an important role in shaping first-generation information seeking.

scholarly journals First generation college students and non-first-generation college students: Perceptions of belonging

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Costello ◽  
Amy Ballin ◽  
Miriam Rosalyn Diamond ◽  
Lan Gao
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Academic Degree ◽  
First Generation College

Background and objective: First generation college students (FGS), are emerging as an important demographic group for colleges and universities. Having a ‘sense of belonging’ or belonging is important to the success of all college students, especially for the retention of students who may be at risk of not completing their academic degree. The purpose of this study is to analyze differences between first generation and non-first-generation college students based on a mattering survey.Methods: Two hundred and thirty undergraduate students in one New England College participated in a study designed to uncover differences between FGS and non-first-generation college students based on responses to a mattering survey. The study utilized a questionnaire designed to capture students’ opinions on mattering. Open questions were included to inform and enrich the data.Results: First-generation student perceived a greater number of obstacles in their college experience than non-first-generation students. Obstacles to academic success for first generation students included lack of time to study due to work and family responsibilities, financial struggles, and unhelpful faculty relationships. Facilitators were helpful faculty and peer relationships. Lack of mental health support was cited as a barrier to both cohorts of students.Conclusions: Having a sense of belonging or mattering can help the student feel a connection to the college. This may aid the student in persisting towards graduation. Persistence toward graduation is important for all students including nursing students.

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