The impact of learning community enrollment on first-generation students' first-year academic achievement and retention rates

Graduating college is an important milestone, but, for first-generation students (FGS), this can be more of a challenge than continuing-generation students. First-year seminars (FYS) aim to integrate students academically and socially to university life. The literature has not measured how social capital may differ based on parental education or in different types of FYS. No evidence was found for considering FGS-none (students where neither parent has had any education beyond high school) and FGS-some (students where at least one parent has had some education beyond high school, but did not complete a four-year degree) distinct populations. Social capital at the end of the semester for FGS-none was significantly smaller than continuing-generation students. There were significant increases in total social capital for FGS-none and continuing-generation students but not FGS-some. Factor analysis revealed five dimensions of social capital in the survey instrument: advisor, faculty, institutional, family, and peer. All FGS groups increased advisor social capital; FGS-some and continuing-generation students increased faculty social capital; FGS-some increased peer social capital; and continuing-generation students increased institutional social capital.

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Developing Faculty Communities of Practice to Expand the Use of Effective Pedagogical Techniques

Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning ◽

10.14434/josotl.v19i1.26775 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mark Hoyert ◽

Cynthia O'Dell

Keyword(s):

Student Success ◽

Communities Of Practice ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Faculty Members ◽

Retention Rates ◽

First Year ◽

Scholarship Of Teaching ◽

Pedagogical Techniques ◽

The Impact ◽

Faculty Group

The scholarship of teaching and learning literature is replete with examples of pedagogical techniques that have been demonstrated to be effective in improving learning, motivation, and student success. The extension of these techniques beyond the original context has tended to be slow, difficult, and incomplete. The following paper examines an intervention designed to encourage the exploration and use of a variety of pedagogical techniques by faculty in a traditional, four-year college faculty within the context of the AASCU Re-imagining the First Year Initiative. Small groups of six to eight faculty, joined and created communities of practice. The groups were known as Pedagogical Interest Groups, or PIGs for short. The faculty read about and analyzed a series of pedagogical techniques and committed to introducing at least one technique into their courses to further explore the techniques. When the techniques were successful, the faculty members redesigned entire classes to expand the impact. The communities of practice were successful in encouraging faculty to explore a wide variety of techniques. The average faculty group explored eight different pedagogical techniques. Faculty were able to use the opportunity to experiment with techniques with the support from their colleagues in their PIG. A dozen techniques were explored across the PIGs and dozens of class sections have been completely redesigned. To date, over 2000 students have experienced redesigned courses. Measures of student success, satisfaction, and interest in those sections have increased. The effort has been accompanied by a robust increase in the campus-wide retention rates.

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Do Students of Noncollege-Educated Parents Achieve Less Academically Than Students of College-Educated Parents?

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1999.85.2.417 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 85 (2) ◽

pp. 417-421 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Carlos P. Zalaquett

Keyword(s):

Grade Point Average ◽

Minority Students ◽

First Generation ◽

College Experience ◽

The Other ◽

Retention Rates ◽

First Generation Students ◽

Grade Point ◽

Retention Characteristics ◽

College Educated

The ethnicity, grade point average (GPA), and retention characteristics of 202 students whose parents never attended college, 244 students whose parents had some college experience, and 394 students whose parents graduated from college were examined. Analysis showed that a significantly higher percentage of minority students were first-generation students. No significant differences were found between the GPA and retention rates of first-generation students and those of the other two.

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

Journal of College Student Retention Research Theory & Practice ◽

10.1177/15210251211066302 ◽

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.

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

Journal of College Student Retention Research Theory & Practice ◽

10.1177/1521025118768055 ◽

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.

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A social identity perspective on the social-class achievement gap: Academic and social adjustment in the transition to university

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations ◽

10.1177/1368430218813442 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 403-418 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jenny Veldman ◽

Loes Meeussen ◽

Colette van Laar

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Achievement Gap ◽

Social Class ◽

Social Identity ◽

University Students ◽

Social Adjustment ◽

First Generation ◽

First Year ◽

The Social ◽

First Year University

First-generation students show lower academic performance at university compared to continuing-generation students. Previous research established the value in taking a social identity perspective on this social-class achievement gap, and showed that the gap can partly be explained by lower compatibility between social background and university identities that first- compared to continuing-generation students experience. The present paper aimed to increase insight into the processes through which this low identity compatibility leads to lower academic achievement by examining first-year university students’ adjustment to university in two key domains: the academic and the social domain. These were examined as two routes through which the social-class achievement gap may arise, and hence perpetuate this group-based inequality. Adjustment was examined both through students’ actual integration in the academic and social domains, and their internally experienced concerns about these domains at university. A longitudinal study among 674 first-year university students (13.6% first-generation) showed that first-generation students experienced lower identity compatibility in their first semester, which was in turn related to lower social, but not academic, integration. Lower identity compatibility was also related to more concerns about the social and academic domains at university. Low identity compatibility was directly related to lower academic achievement 1 year later, and this relationship was mediated only by lower social integration at university. These findings show that to understand, and hence reduce, the social-class achievement gap, it is important to examine how low identity compatibility can create difficulties in academic and particularly social adjustment at university with consequences for achievement.

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

Journal of Hispanic Higher Education ◽

10.1177/1538192720964922 ◽

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.

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A social-belonging intervention improves STEM outcomes for students who speak English as a second language

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.abb6543 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (40) ◽

pp. eabb6543

Author(s):

Jennifer LaCosse ◽

Elizabeth A. Canning ◽

Nicholas A. Bowman ◽

Mary C. Murphy ◽

Christine Logel

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Academic Outcomes ◽

First Year ◽

Esl Students ◽

First Semester ◽

Social Belonging ◽

Students First ◽

Using Data ◽

Postsecondary Science ◽

The Impact

Students who speak English as a second language (ESL) are underserved and underrepresented in postsecondary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. To date, most existing research with ESL students in higher education is qualitative. Drawing from this important body of work, we investigate the impact of a social-belonging intervention on anticipated changes in belonging, STEM GPA, and proportion of STEM credits obtained in students’ first semester and first year of college. Using data from more than 12,000 STEM-interested students at 19 universities, results revealed that the intervention increased ESL students’ anticipated sense of belonging and three of the four academic outcomes. Moreover, anticipated changes in belonging mediated the intervention’s effects on these academic outcomes. Robustness checks revealed that ESL effects persisted even when controlling for other identities correlated with ESL status. Overall, results suggest that anticipated belonging is an understudied barrier to creating a multilingual and diverse STEM workforce.

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Investigating the Relationship between Residence Learning Community Participation and Student Academic Outcomes in a Canadian Institution

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning ◽

10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2018.2.7 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Justine O Hobbins ◽

Mildred Eisenbach ◽

Kerry L Ritchie ◽

Shoshanah Jacobs

Keyword(s):

Learning Community ◽

Graduation Rates ◽

Academic Outcomes ◽

The United States ◽

Retention Rates ◽

First Year ◽

Comprehensive University ◽

Post Secondary ◽

Residential Living ◽

The Relationship

This study investigated the relationship between residential living scenario and first year grades, second year retention, and 5-year graduation rates of students at a Canadian comprehensive university. We compared the academic outcomes of students living in residence learning communities (RLCs) to those in other living scenarios (traditional residences and off-campus). RLCs have been shown to be positively associated with student academic outcomes in the United States; however, the data to support RLCs in Canada is non-existent. A longitudinal observational study was conducted to analyse the academic outcomes of a complete cohort of students (n=4805) who lived in RLCs (18%) and non-RLCs (82%). Results indicated that RLC students, on average, achieved higher first year averages, 2nd year retention rates, and 5-year graduation rates relative to non-RLC students, thereby contributing to the goals of post-secondary institutions to attract and retain their students through to graduation. Cette étude examine la relation qui existe entre le scénario où les étudiants vivent en résidence et les notes obtenues en première année d’études, la rétention en deuxième année et l’obtention des diplômes en cinquième année dans une université canadienne polyvalente. Nous avons comparé les résultats académiques d’étudiants qui vivaient dans des communautés d’apprentissage en résidence (CAR) et ceux des étudiants qui vivaient selon d’autres scénarios (résidence traditionnelle et hors campus). Il a été prouvé qu’aux États-Unis, les CAR sont associées favorablement aux résultats académiques des étudiants. Toutefois, les données pour soutenir les CAR au Canada sont inexistantes. Une étude d’observation longitudinale a été menée pour analyser les résultats académiques d’une cohorte complète d’étudiants (n=4805) qui vivaient dans une CAR (18 %) et ceux d’étudiants qui vivaient autrement (82 %). Les résultats ont indiqué qu’en moyenne, les étudiants qui vivaient dans une CAR avaient obtenu de meilleures notes en première année, avaient réalisé un taux de rétention supérieur en deuxième année et un meilleur pourcentage d’obtention de diplômes en cinquième année, par rapport aux étudiants qui ne vivaient pas dans une CAR, ce qui contribue à répondre aux objectifs des établissements d’enseignement post-secondaire d’attirer et de retenir leurs étudiants jusqu’à que ceux-ci obtiennent leur diplôme.

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