Career Counselors Self-Disclosing to First-Generation College Students: A Grounded Theory Study

Journal of Career Development ◽

10.1177/0894845320941251 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 089484532094125

Author(s):

Pamela E. Krieger Cohen ◽

Ane Turner Johnson

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Grounded Theory ◽

First Generation ◽

Career Exploration ◽

First Generation College Students ◽

Bachelor's Degree ◽

College Experiences ◽

Student Life ◽

Grounded Theory Study ◽

First Generation College

Financial security is cited among reasons why first-generation college students (FGCS) pursue higher education, yet the literature advocating the pursuit of a bachelor’s degree for its perceived value in the employment marketplace fails to include the need for career exploration and planning during the college years. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to examine how career counselors who had been the first in their families to go to college use their personal experience to support current FGCS. The findings of the study suggest that career counselors who share personal, relevant stories from their own college experiences can counter students’ feelings of isolation and confusion regarding career exploration and planning. Further, findings suggest that career counselors who actively partner with academic and student life colleagues on their campuses help FGCS students form a network of contacts, subsequently creating equitable social capital opportunities for all students.

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A Psychosociocultural View of Hispanic First-Generation College Students’ Graduation Rates

Journal of College Student Retention Research Theory & Practice ◽

10.1177/15210251211056299 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 152102512110562

Author(s):

Christian A. Latino ◽

Justine Radunzel ◽

Jason D. Way ◽

Edgar Sanchez ◽

Alex Casillas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

First Generation ◽

Hispanic Students ◽

Degree Attainment ◽

First Generation College Students ◽

Bachelor's Degree ◽

First Generation College ◽

Bachelor's Degree Attainment ◽

Academic Self Efficacy

First-generation college students (FGCS), nearly 50% of which identify as Hispanic, are an underserved population. The psychosociocultural theoretical framework posits that individual, environmental, and cultural factors contribute to the academic success of Hispanic students. This study examined the relationship between these factors (i.e., demographics, academic self-efficacy, meeting with professors, and attending cultural programming) to 6-year bachelor’s degree attainment and time to bachelor’s degree attainment among Hispanic students at a Hispanic Serving Institution ( n = 358). Being better prepared academically, being female, and having greater academic self-efficacy were positively related to bachelor’s degree attainment; FGCS status was negatively related. Among students who graduated ( n = 208), entering college being better prepared academically, and having greater academic self-efficacy were related to quicker bachelor’s degree attainment; FGCS status was not significantly related. Practitioners may pay more attention to Hispanic students’ academic self-efficacy and the success of Hispanic male students.

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First-Generation College Students: Additional Evidence on College Experiences and Outcomes

The Journal of Higher Education ◽

10.1353/jhe.2004.0016 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 75 (3) ◽

pp. 249-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 216

Author(s):

Ernest T. Pascarella ◽

Christopher T. Pierson ◽

Gregory C. Wolniak ◽

Patrick T. Terenzini

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

First Generation ◽

First Generation College Students ◽

College Experiences ◽

First Generation College

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Addressing the Sophomore Slump: First-Generation College Students’ Completion of Year Two of Study in a Rural Bachelor’s Degree Granting College

Journal of College Student Retention Research Theory & Practice ◽

10.1177/15210251211014868 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 152102512110148

Author(s):

Davina Capik ◽

Matthew Shupp

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

First Generation ◽

First Generation College Students ◽

Bachelor's Degree ◽

Drop Out ◽

Sophomore Slump ◽

First Generation College ◽

Second Year ◽

The University ◽

Persistence Toward Graduation

There is limited research on the experiences of first-generation students who have completed their second year and enrolled for a third year in order to continue their studies even though this population of students are the most likely to drop out of college in their second year. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how current first-generation college students, who are enrolled or completed the second semester of their sophomore year, experience college as a first-generation student and made the decision to persist toward completing their bachelor’s degree. Through first-hand accounts of participants’ experiences of their time at the university, this study highlights what factors students contributed to their persistence toward graduation. The findings have the potential to facilitate a deeper understanding of what stakeholders working with first-generation college students can do to assist in retention efforts of this population.

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