Resilience Through Family: Family Support as an Academic and Psychological Protective Resource for Mexican Descent First-Generation College Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 153819272098710
Author(s):  
Amber Jimenez ◽  
Brandy Piña-Watson ◽  
Gabriela Manzo
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Family Support ◽  
First Generation ◽  
College Persistence ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Mexican Descent ◽  
Familial Support ◽  
First Generation College

The present study examines the potential protective effect of familial support among first-gen Mexican descent college students regarding GPA, college persistence, and depressive symptoms. Participants included 487 Mexican descent college students from across the United States (66.7% first-gen). Results indicated that being a first-gen student was not related to the outcomes; however, family support was related to better academic and psychological outcomes (lower depressive symptoms and higher college persistence) regardless of generation status.

scholarly journals First-Generation College Students and Family Support: A Critical Review of Empirical Research Literature

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 294
Author(s):  
Samantha LeBouef ◽  
Jodi Dworkin
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Research Narrative

The majority of empirical literature on first generation college students (FGCSs) in the U.S. asserts that because their parents did not attend college, FGCSs are lacking important resources to be successful in college. However, this results in a deficit-based approach to the study of FGCSs that tends to highlight the differences between first-generation and continuing-education students. However, FGCSs possess a wealth of resources from parents and families that make them successful, and that are often ignored in research. Asset-based approaches to the study of FGCSs are becoming more frequent in the form of books, book chapters, and white papers; however, published empirical research has yet to adopt this approach. As a result, a deeper understanding of FGCSs’ experiences is essential to advancing diversity and equity in higher education. To begin to address this gap, a systematic literature review of empirical studies following the PRISMA framework was conducted on first generation college students and family support; the literature was critically reviewed and future directions for the field were identified. Applying a critical, cultural, and familial lens to the study of first-generation college students will contribute to reframing the research narrative towards an asset-based narrative.

The Perspectives of Two First-Generation College Students Pursuing Doctoral Degrees in Music Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-81
Author(s):  
Martina Vasil ◽  
Joyce M. McCall
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Music Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Doctoral Degrees ◽  
Advanced Degree ◽  
Cultural Wealth ◽  
Familial Support ◽  
First Generation College

The purpose of this autoethnographic multiple case study was to compare experiences of two first-generation college students pursuing doctoral degrees in music education. Motivations for pursuing an advanced degree were to enact change in the field of music education and fulfill personal ambitions. Participants encountered two challenges, insufficient cognitive maps and inadequate familial support, which contributed to financial difficulties and health issues. Support networks inside and outside of their music education doctoral programs facilitated degree attainment. Participants lacked the cultural capital needed to navigate higher education because of their first-generation status. Instead, participants employed several forms of community cultural wealth: social, navigational, resistant, and familial capital. Through examining each other’s experiences, we offer suggestions for preparing and supporting a more diverse group of future music teacher educators.

scholarly journals Transitioning to College: Experiences of Successful First-Generation College Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan R Ricks ◽  
Jeffrey M Warren
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
First Generation ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
College Seniors ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Transition Experience ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Generic Qualitative ◽  
High School To College

This qualitative study explored the high school to college transition experiences of ten successful first-generation college students (FGCS). Participants were college seniors at an historically black university in the United States. A generic qualitative research design was used, including in-depth, semi-structured interviews to collect and analyze data. Participants reported that the transition experience led to confusion with academic and financial procedures, various emotions including anxiety and fear, the realization that they had deficits in academic skills, and the receipt of support from family members and others. Cultural and social capital appeared to play key roles in their success. Student affairs professionals are encouraged to explore targeted, individualized strategies that meet the needs of FGCS as they transition to college.

Stressed but not Depressed: A Longitudinal Analysis of First-Generation College Students, Stress, and Depressive Symptoms

Social Forces ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabitha G Wilbur
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
First Generation ◽  
College Attendance ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
National Longitudinal Study ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
First Generation College

Abstract Using The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), I examine stress exposure and depressive symptoms among first and continuing-generation college students before and during college. I find that first-generation college students experience more stressors during both adolescence and college attendance and higher levels of depressive symptoms during adolescence as compared to continuing-generation students. During college, however, first-generation students’ level of depressive symptoms is no different from their continuing-generation peers even before adjusting for stress exposure and adolescent depressive symptoms. The gap in symptoms closes because first-generation college students’ mental health improves while attending college, as they have significantly fewer depressive symptoms than they did during adolescence. Continuing-generation students, on the other hand, did not display a significant difference in their depressive symptoms between adolescence and college attendance. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.

A Typology of Supports for First Generation College Students in the U.S.

2017 ◽  
pp. 348-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke Midkiff ◽  
Leslie Grinage
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
First Generation ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
The U.S

First generation college students, students who are the first in their families to enroll in college, are a unique group, in that their parents' level of education in addition to their race, gender, or socioeconomic status, is an indicator of persistence to degree completion. While colleges and universities have historically created programs to assist this group, those initiatives have ranged in purpose, level of institutional and/or government support, and intended audience. This chapter develops a typology of the support programs that currently exist to serve first generation college students attending four-year colleges and universities in the United States. It begins by exploring the academic and financial challenges many first generation college students face, and concludes by offering recommendations that institutional policymakers can implement to expand the possibilities for improving the success of this distinctive group of students.

scholarly journals The First Ones: Three Studies on First-Generation College Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Longwell-Grice ◽  
Nicole Zervas Adsitt ◽  
Kathleen Mullins ◽  
William Serrata
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Student Identity ◽  
Private Institutions ◽  
Family Status ◽  
Familial Support ◽  
Final Study ◽  
First Generation College

The findings from 3 qualitative research studies related to first-generation college students show themes of strains in family relationships and lack of practical familial support. One study reveals sources of resiliency and persistence of graduate students; another explores sense of belonging for undergraduates attending 3 types of private institutions; the final study features concerns of Latinos at a 2-year college. Together these studies show that creation of a student identity creates unique challenges for those transitioning into bicultural persons. Advisors who understand students coping with changing family status while attending college can proactively guide them toward the degrees they seek. Furthermore, administrators should provide programs and professional development that help advisors address the complex issues facing first-generation students.

First-Generation College Students in an Undergraduate Social Welfare Program: Issues, Interventions, and Implications

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Q. Hodges
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
First Generation ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Social Welfare Program ◽  
Welfare Program ◽  
First Generation College

First-generation students are the first in their family to attend college. Prior research has found them to be academically at-risk. This case study examined a group of first-generation college students enrolled in an undergraduate social welfare program (N = 42). The results indicate that these first-generation students were more likely to be older, male, Hispanic, and to have parents who are non-citizens of the United States. However, this study did not find high rates of social isolation, or deficiencies in academic achievement or graduate school aspirations, as reported in the literature. Further research is needed to determine rates of first-generation students in social work undergraduate programs nationwide, their risk for freshman-year attrition, and the need for interventions to retain this diverse segment of the social work student body.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document