First-Generation College Students

1
First-Generation College Students

• Issues and Solutions
• A Comprehensive Analysis
• Amy Weaver, Ashley Edwards,
• Astraea Thigpen, Holli Goodwin

2
What is a First-Generation College Student?

• There are multiple definitions for the
  termFirst-Generation College Student.
• Students without a parent/guardian who has
  completed a four-year degree (Collier Morgan,
  2008).
• Students whose parents did not attend college
  (Ramos-Sanchez Nichols, 2007).
• Students whose parents had little, if any,
  education beyond high school (Rood, 2009).

3
Why First-Generation Students are Important

• At two-year institutions First-Generation
  Students comprise 53 of the student population
  (Engle, Bermeo, OBrien, 2006).
• At four-year institutions First-Generation
  Students comprise 35 of the student population
  (Chronicle of higher education almanac, 2007).

4
Why First-Generation Students are Important

• Realistic Student population
• Dawsonville Community College (Two-Year)Total
  Student population 6,000 studentsFirst-Generati
  on Students 3,180
• Hill State University (Four-Year)Total Student
  population 25,000 studentsFirst-Generation
  Students 6,250

5
Additional Information

• First-Generation college students are less likely
  to attend college than non-first-generation
  college students.
• Once First-Generation College students attend
  college they are much less likely to persist and
  complete a degree in a timely manner (Orbe,
  2008).

6
According to Choy (2001)First-Generation
College Students are over half as likely to
drop-out prior to their 2nd year as
non-first-generation students.
First-Generation Students Non-First-Generation Students
23 likely to drop-out prior to 2nd year of college 10 likely to drop-out prior to 2nd year of college
7
Statistics Matter
First-GenerationStudents Parents Have Some College Parents Have a College Degree
Only 36 offirst-generation students completed a bachelors degree within six years of enrollment 43 of students completed a bachelors degree within six years of enrollment 60 of student completed a bachelors degree within six years of enrollment
8
Issues for First-Generation Students

• Academic Issues
• Social Issues
• Personal Issues

9
Academic Issues

• Less Academic Preparedness (Engle et al., 2006)
• Lower Educational Aspirations (Engle et al.,
  2006)
• More likely to transfer while in college
  (Mehta,Newbold, ORourke, 2011)

10
Academic Issues Revealed

• First-Generation college students perceive
  themselves as less prepared for college, than
  non-First-Generation students (Warburton,
  Burgarin, Nunez, 2001).
• First-Generation College Students are more likely
  to have a lower GPA (Ramos-Sanchez Nichols,
  2007).

11
Social Issues

• First-Generation College Students are more likely
  to come from a lower socioeconomic status (Rood,
  2009).
• First-Generation College Students are more likely
  to be from an underrepresented ethnic group (Bui,
  2002).

12
Social Issues Revealed

• First-Generation Students were found to have
  significantly lower familial incomes, than their
  non-first-generation peers (Mehta, Newbold,
  ORourke, 2011).
• Hispanics were more likely to score lower on
  standardized college-admissions tests.

13
Personal Issues

• Less knowledge about college
• Less access to Financial Aid
• More likely to work more hours per week
• Typically less involved in student life
• Less support from family
• More likely to have difficulties adjusting to the
  academic, social, and cultural norms of academia

(Rood, 2009) (Engle et al., 2006)
14
Personal Issues Revealed

• First-Generation College Students are more likely
  to have less college-going knowledge.
• First-Generation students are more likely to have
  less familial support, less academic confidence,
  be less involved with the campus community.

15
Characteristics of First-Generation College
Students
16
Characteristics of First-Generation Students

• Students whose parents did not attend college
  received less help with the college application
  process, but were also less likely to receive
  help from their high schools (Thayer, 2000).
• First-Generation Students are typically older
  31 of First-Generation students are 24 years
  old or older, compared with 5 of those whose
  parents have a bachelors degree.
• More likely to be female 57 versus 51 of
  non-first-generation students.

17
Characteristics of First-Generation Students

• More likely to be African-American or Hispanic
  20 versus 13 of non-first-gen
• More likely to be married 18 versus 5 of
  non-first-gen
• More likely to attend college part-time 30
  versus 13 of non-first-gen
• More likely to live off-campus with family 84
  versus 60 of non-first-gen
• More likely to delay after high school
  graduation 46 versus 19 of non-first-gen

18
Theory of Explanation

• Two noted theories will assist in the explanation
  of First-Generation College Students
• Social Cognitive Theory
• Tintos Theory of Student Persistence

19
Social Cognitive Theory

• This theory asserts that self-efficacy (the
  belief in ones ability to succeed), is a strong
  predictor of successful college graduation
  (Bandura, 1986).
• Chemers et al. (2001) found that self-efficacy
  was directly tied to a students first year
  success rate.

20
Tintos Theory of Student Persistence

• Tintos theory is used as a model for
  generalizations about what it takes to succeed in
  college.
• Tintos theory distinguishes not only the
  academic success of a student, but also the
  success tied to student life and integration into
  the college campus community.

21
Support for Programs

• Folger, Carter, and Chase (2004) determined that
  often traditional programs offered by a college
  do not meet the needs of first-generation
  students hence special programs should be
  created for the population.

22
A Brief OverviewPrograms and Resources
Available to Assist First-Generation College
Students
23
Resources

• TRIO
• Summer Bridge Programs
• Additional Recommendations for First-Generation
  Students

24
TRIO

• A set of federally-funded college opportunity
  programs aimed to motivate and support students
  from disadvantaged backgrounds, including
  first-generation students, in their pursuit of a
  college degree (Council of Opportunity in
  Education, 2010).

25
TRIO

• Created as a portion of President Lyndon B.
  Johnsons War on Poverty.
• Initially included 3 Programs thus the title,
  TRIO.
• 2/3 of students served must come from families
  with incomes at 150 or less of the federal
  poverty level and in which neither parent
  graduated from college.

26
TRIO

• More than 1,000 colleges, universities, community
  colleges, and agencies now offer TRIO programs.
• Currently assists approximately 850,000 students.
• Consists of approximately 2,800 different
  programs.
• (Council of Opportunity in Education, 2010)

27
Initial TRIO Programs and Statistics Eluding to
Success Rates
28
First Programs Included Upward Bound,
Talent Search, and Student Support Services

• Upward Bound is a program that prepares primarily
  high school students for post-secondary education
  through providing instruction in literature,
  composition, math, sciences, and study and
  problem-solving skills. Upward Bound is
  conducted mainly on college campuses.
• Talent Search focuses on college information and
  awareness for students in grades 6-12.
• Student Support Services provide college
  retention services. (Gullatt and Jan, 2003).

29
A Few Stats

• Longitudinal survey data indicates (Upward Bound)
  participants were more likely to remain in school
  than non-participants (35 percent versus 28
  percent) (Gullatt and Jan, 2003) and are four
  times more likely than students from similar
  back-grounds who do not participate in the
  program (Carl, 2010)
• Over 93 of Talent Search participants enrolled
  in postsecondary education. This compares to an
  enrollment rate of 42.2 for members of a control
  group of students who were eligible for Talent
  Search services but did not participate (Brewer
  and Landers, 2005).
• In all the freshman cohorts examined, and across
  both two-year and four-year institutions,
  participants who received more years of (student
  support) services had a higher degree completion
  rate than participants who received services for
  fewer years (Zhang and Chan, 2007).

30
Small Sample of Programs at Southern Colleges and
Universities

• University of South Carolina
• http//www.sc.edu/trio/
• University of Georgia
• http//www.uga.edu/trio/
• University of Alabama
• http//www.ctl.ua.edu/sss/
• Georgia Southern University
• http//students.georgiasouthern.edu/eop/
• Florida AM
• http//www.famu.edu/index.cfm?sss

31
Summer Bridge Programs

• Summer Bridge Programs allow incoming college
  students from historically underrepresented
  backgrounds to begin their graduate education
  summer semester rather than fall. They are
  designed to provide graduating high school
  seniors with the academic and college-readiness
  skills needed to be successful in postsecondary
  education.

32
History of Pre-freshman Summer Bridge Programs

• Originated during the 1960s 1970s.
• Originally targeted at-risk students.
• Have since evolved into many types of programs
  with different missions that target different
  types of individuals.

33
Goals of Most Summer Bridge Programs

• The focus of Summer Bridge programs varies
  depending on the specific program mission but the
  general goal of SB programs is to assist and
  retain underrepresented populations of students
  within higher education institutions and to place
  them on an equal playing field with more
  advantaged traditional college students.

34
Provisions of Most Summer Bridge Programs

• Summer Bridge Programs may provide any or all of
  the following
• Courses (that usually count toward degree credit
  hours) designed to enhance academic performance
• Exposure to student support services that assist
  underrepresented populations
• Social and/or cultural activities that may
  include community outreach
• A mentoring component
• Academic advising
• Supplemental instruction

35
Summer Bridge Success

• Navarro (2007) found that the lowest performing
  cohort of students in the summer bridge program
  studied (Cabrillo College in Watsonville, CA)
  were 10 more likely than their nonparticipating
  peers to successfully pass their courses.
• Summer bridge participants, on average, attempted
  a greater number of college-level credits than
  the control group, suggesting that the program
  group had a reduced need for developmental
  courses because of their program participation
  (Wathington, Pretlow, and Mitchell, 2006).
• Results of a study completed by Hansen, Evenbeck,
  and Williams (2008) suggest that student
  participation in a summer bridge program does
  positively impact academic performance and
  success levels of participants.

36
Additional Recommendations for First-Generation
College Students
37
The Importance of Mentoring

• Families of first-generation students sometimes
  discourage them from going to college and this
  can lead to alienation from family support.
  First-generation students are also susceptible to
  doubts about their academic and motivational
  abilities they may think they are not college
  material. Overcoming these personal challenges
  is crucial to a successful transfer to a
  four-year college (Striplin, 1999).
• Effective programs affirm and help students
  understand that academic success is not attained
  through individual achievement alone, but through
  an axis of support (Gullatt and Jan, 2003).

38
The Importance of Mentoring PT. 2

• A study of first-generation students conducted by
  Fentress and Collopy (2006) found that personal
  attention seemed to be a key factor in retaining
  first-generation students.
• Fentress and Collopy (2006) recommend a peer or
  faculty mentoring program stating that they (the
  mentoring program) allow universities to offer
  first-Generation students individualized
  assistance, support, and advocacy.
• Mentors should be trained to address
  self-efficacy and stress management. The option
  of a mentoring program may benefit students who
  need a guiding hand in the beginning and may help
  reduce initial isolation.

39
The Importance of Involvement

• Astins Theory of Student Involvement (1985)
• Anything we can do to increase the amount of time
  that new college students spend on campus in
  study groups, in the library, in co-curricular
  activities, and especially in living and working
  on campus will enhance their probability of
  success (Gardner, 1996).
• Students who join groups stay in college longer
  and are more academically successful, and
  organized forms of campus involvement provide
  first-generation students with role models who
  understand and are committed to the academy
  (Gardner, 1996).

40
The Importance of Involvement PT.2

• When researching college experiences and
  outcomes, Pascarella et. Al. (2004) found that
  first-generation students who participated in
  extracurricular involvement experienced stronger
  positive effects on critical thinking, degree
  plans, sense of control over their own academic
  success, and preference for higher-order
  cognitive tasks.
• Pan and colleagues (2008) found that student
  involvement in social and intellectual life of a
  college helps learning and persistence in
  college.
• The more students invest physical and
  psychological energy to get involved in the
  academic and social culture of the college, the
  greater the potential for student success.

41
References

• Astin, A.W. (1984). Student involvement A
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• Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations for
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• Brewer, E. and Landers, J. (2005). A Longitudinal
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42
References

• Chemers, M. M., Hu, L., Garcia, B.F. (2001).
  Academic self-efficacy and first-year college
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• Choy, S. P., (2001). Students whose parents did
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43
References

• Engle, J., Bermeo, A., OBrien, C. (2006).
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44
References

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45
References

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• Pascarella, E. T., Pierson, C. T., Wolniak, G.
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• Rood, R., (2009). Driven to achieve
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46
References

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47
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