Transitions of First Generation Students to Higher Education in the UK

2018 ◽  
pp. 121-142
Author(s):  
Claire Hamshire ◽  
Rachel Forsyth ◽  
Catherine Player
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
The Uk

scholarly journals Shape-shifting and pushing against the odds: staff perceptions of the experiences of first generation students in South Africa and the UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Forsyth ◽  
Claire Hamshire ◽  
Danny Fontaine-Rainen ◽  
Leza Soldaat
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Staff Perceptions ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
University Life ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe principles of diversity and inclusion are valued across the higher education sector, but the ways in which these principles are translated into pedagogic practice are not always evident. Students who are first in their family to attend university continue to report barriers to full participation in university life. They are more likely to leave their studies early, and to achieve lower grades in their final qualifications, than students whose families have previous experience of higher education. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a mismatch between staff perceptions and students’ experiences might be a possible contributor to these disparities. The study explored and compared staff discourses about the experiences of first generation students at two universities, one in the United Kingdom (UK), and the other in South Africa (SA). One-to-one interviews were carried out with 40 staff members (20 at each institution) to explore their views about first generation students. The results showed that staff were well aware of challenges faced by first generation students; however, they were unsure of their roles in relation to shaping an inclusive environment, and tended not to consider how to use the assets that they believed first generation students bring with them to higher education. This paper explores these staff discourses; and considers proposals for challenging commonly-voiced assumptions about students and university life in a broader context of diversity and inclusive teaching practice.

scholarly journals Experiences of first-generation scholars at a highly selective UK university

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Caitlin Hindle ◽  
Vikki Boliver ◽  
Ann Maclarnon ◽  
Cheryl McEwan ◽  
Bob Simpson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Academic Progress ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Academic Preparedness ◽  
University Culture ◽  
Elite University ◽  
The Uk

Targets set by the UK Office for Students require highly academically selective UK universities to enrol a greater percentage of students identified as least likely to participate in higher education. Such students are typically at a disadvantage in terms of levels of academic preparedness and economic, cultural and social capital. Drawing on eighteen interviews with first-generation students at Durham University, we identify five sites of pressure: developing a sense of belonging within the terms of an elite university culture, engagement in student social activities, financial worries, concerns about academic progress, and self-transformation. Based on these insights, we argue that support for first-generation scholars will require that universities recognise and redress elitist cultures that discourage applications from prospective first-generation scholars and prevent those who do enrol from having the best educational and all-round experience.

scholarly journals First-generation students’ information literacy in everyday contexts

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Darren Ilett
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Funds Of Knowledge ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Deficit Thinking ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
The Us

Historically, much of the Library and Information Science (LIS) literature on first-generation students (FGS) framed them using deficit thinking, emphasising what they lacked to be successful in higher education. In contrast, recent scholarship has turned to asset-based pedagogies, shifting the focus onto the strengths that FGS bring to college. Further, LIS research on FGS has examined how students engage with information solely in academic contexts, such as completing research papers or navigating higher education procedures. The current study contributes to the discussion of asset-based pedagogies by using a funds of knowledge approach to explore the ways in which FGS at a mid-sized university in the US engage with information, and it expands the scope of inquiry to several everyday contexts, including students’ households, workplaces, and communities. The findings reveal a variety of funds of knowledge concerning participants’ information literacy (IL) and lay the foundation for IL instruction that meets FGS where they are, thus serving them more equitably.

scholarly journals The Big Read Collaboration between Kingston University, the University of Wolverhampton, Edge Hill University, and the University of the West of Scotland, 2018–2019

LOGOS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 34-65
Author(s):  
Alison Baverstock ◽  
Jackie Steinitz ◽  
Tanuja Shelar ◽  
Kelly Squires ◽  
Nazira Karodia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Shared Reading ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
The West ◽  
Selling Point ◽  
The University

This paper outlines the experience of four universities that collaborated on a pre-arrival shared reading project, the Big Read, in 2018/2019. They did so primarily to promote student engagement and retention and also to ease the transition into higher education, particularly for first-generation students, to promote staff connectedness, and to provide a USP (unique selling point) for their institution. The paper covers all the associated processes, from isolating the respective aims of the collaborators to the choosing and sharing of a single agreed title. In analysing the outcomes, recommendations are made for future cross-institutional projects of this kind.

scholarly journals Xan Arch and Isaac Gilman. Academic Library Services for First Generation Students. New York, NY: Libraries Unlimited, 2020. 149p. Paper.

2021 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
New York ◽  
White Students ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Library Services ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Actual Problem ◽  
The Social

Xan Arch and Isaac Gilman create a necessary, at times difficult to discuss, piece of writing that should be used by academic libraries across the nation. Academic Library Services for First Generation Students brings forth the question of how to address best librarian practices for first-generation students. They argue that current practices cater to middle-class white students. The academic setting is shaped in such a way that first-generation students are viewed as needing “assistance” when the actual problem lies within the institution and its support systems. This book’s structure facilitates a rich understanding of the problems within these institutions while also offering concrete examples for academic libraries that want to do better. The book begins by describing the social context of first-generation students in higher education generally and then addresses academic libraries in particular. It finishes with examples of how to adapt institutions to better support these students.

scholarly journals Inside The Gates: First-Generation Students Finding Their Way

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Barry Checkoway
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
First Time

This paper examines what first-generation students face when coming inside the gates of higher education for the first time, an experience which, without preparation by them and their institution, can disorient them to a level of anxiety which affects their learning. The paper identifies issues arising when they are trying to find their way, such as choosing courses whose content feels foreign, and finding professors who can communicate with them in ways which they understand. It draws upon a review of the literature, and the experiences of the author as a first-generation student and, subsequently, a professor.

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