Blockades, Barricades, and Barriers: Accessing and Navigating Academia from a Multi-Marginalized Positionality

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-119
Author(s):  
A.M. Foiles Sifuentes
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Student ◽  
Race And Class ◽  
Graduate Students Of Color ◽  
Racial Privilege ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
The Impact

This article is an autoethnographic account of a gender-queer, working-class, woman of color scholar’s venture into academia. Through an analysis of race and class violence compounded by gender and first-generation college student status, the author recounts the impact of intersectional identities on both their entry into higher education and their progression through graduate school. The author grapples with the isolation derived from engaging graduate students of color from economically privileged backgrounds. Similarly, they delve into finding community among white working-class academics and having to contend with whiteness and unexamined racial privilege. Further, definitions of work and productivity on the academic landscape are thoroughly examined as well as how a class-based consciousness shaped their professional trajectory.

Developing a Family Achievement Guilt Scale Grounded in First-Generation College Student Voices

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 1553-1566
Author(s):  
Rebecca Covarrubias ◽  
Isidro Landa ◽  
Ronald Gallimore
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Family Roles ◽  
Student Voices ◽  
First Generation College Student ◽  
The Family ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

As the first in their families to attend college, first-generation students plausibly experience family achievement guilt—socioemotional distress related to “leaving family members” to attend college. Family achievement guilt is little studied but a promising indicator of student outcomes. The present work used psychometric methods to develop the family achievement guilt scale. First-generation (46.6%) and continuing-generation (i.e., at least one parent has a 4-year degree, 53.4%) students completed a 41-item guilt measure online. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors, including guilt related to Leaving Family Behind, Having More Privileges, Becoming Different, and Experiencing Pressures about not being successful. The scale yielded good internal and test–retest reliability. Moreover, guilt predicted greater engagement in family roles and interdependent motives for college, even after controlling for general negative affect. In measuring guilt in psychometrically sound ways, we validate the voices of first-generation college students and alert institutions to adjust how they serve students.

scholarly journals Fighting for Equity and Community in an Urban Research University

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Ho ◽  
George Sanchez
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Research University ◽  
First Generation ◽  
College Success ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
University Of Southern California ◽  
Student Body ◽  
Predominantly White Universities ◽  
First Generation College

The equity lens evaluates institutional barriers that prevent students of color from gaining access to resources for college success (Bensimon, 2005). The first-generation college students at the University of Southern California are 16% of the total student body and students of color comprise two-thirds of this population. Since 2008, how to support first generation college students of color in their academic achievement and college success once in college has expanded the discussion beyond access.  By evaluating institutional structures through the equity lens, the response has been to create intentional academic and social programs for first generation college students of color that bridge the academic and student services divide.  Through descriptions of actual programs and stories from students affected by these programs, this essay will discuss innovative approaches to serving first-generation students of color at predominantly white universities.

First-Generation College Student Success

2018 ◽  
pp. 55-90
Author(s):  
Chen Zuo ◽  
Evan Mulfinger ◽  
Frederick L. Oswald ◽  
Alex Casillas
Keyword(s):  
College Student ◽  
Student Success ◽  
First Generation ◽  
College Student Success ◽  
First Generation College Student ◽  
First Generation College

“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.

Talking ‘Bout My Generation: Defining “First-Generation College Students” in Higher Education Research

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-38
Author(s):  
Robert K. Toutkoushian ◽  
Robert A. Stollberg ◽  
Kelly A. Slaton
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
College Students ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
College Entrance ◽  
College Entrance Exam ◽  
Entrance Exam ◽  
First Generation College Student ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
College Educated

Background/Context There have been numerous studies conducted in the higher education literature to determine whether parental education is related to the academic plans and success of their children. Within this literature, particular emphasis is often given to children who are “first-generation college students.” However, researchers and policy makers have not reached agreement on what constitutes a first-generation college student and whether the definition affects the findings from their studies. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study In this study, we examined whether the way in which first-generation college status was defined affected its association with the likelihood of a student going to college. We used data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:02), which is a nationally representative longitudinal sample of 10th-grade students in 2002 who were followed up in 2004, 2006, and 2012. Research Design We used binary and multinomial logistic regression analysis to examine how first-generation college status, as well as other personal, family, and school characteristics, were associated with whether a student took a college entrance exam, applied to college, and enrolled in college. For this study, we constructed eight different definitions of a first-generation college student. The definitions varied with regard to the level of education needed for a parent to be considered “college educated” and the number of parents meeting the education criteria. Conclusions/Recommendations Our results showed that the connection between first-generation college status and these three outcomes varied depending on how first-generation college status was defined. In general, we found larger deficits for first-generation college students when neither parent was college educated and when college educated was defined as earning a bachelor's degree or higher. First-generation college students faced the largest deficits for enrolling in college, and smaller (but often significant) deficits for taking a college entrance exam and applying to college. The results imply that researchers should be very specific about how they are defining first-generation college status and should determine whether their findings are sensitive to how the variable was defined.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document