2. First-Generation College Students: A
Definition
For this presentation, a first-generation college
student refers to one who neither parent has attended
college. (Demetriou & Mann, 2011)
3. First-Gen Students within
Racial /Ethnic Groups
I(
Since 1975, African Americans show the greatest decline; Hispanics
are the most likely first-gen’s. (Higher Education Research
Institute, 2007)
4. Parents=A Very Important Reason
to go to College
• Parents’ encouragement is a
very important reason for both
non-first-gen and first-gen
students to attend college.
• In 2005, the trend had reversed
and showed first-gen students
(47%) had reversed a trend
over non-first-gen students
(43%) for parental
encouragement being very
important in the choice to
attend college.
(Higher Education Research
Institute,
2007)
5. Family Influence
• Hsiao (1992) stated that ―parents, siblings, and friends
who have no experience of college or its rewards may
be non-supportive or even obstructionist.‖
• May begin journey alone.
– First-generation students face the risk of alienation from
family if they decide to attend college (Striplin, 1999).
• Balancing two cultures:
– Family and friends who have no college experience vs.
being immersed in culture of attending college
6. Bryan & Simmons (2009), found that first-
generation college students do not receive
the same levels of support from their
families as continuing-generation students,
largely because of the family’s lack of
knowledge about postsecondary education.
7. Family Influence
• Support
– Unconditional, Direct, and Indirect
• Understanding
– Lack of Knowledge from Parents
• Motivation
– Personal vs. Family
• Goal Achievement
– Personal vs. Family
• Expectations
– Either Higher or Lower Expectations
Study conducted by Alexa Hodge, supervised by Dr. Elizabeth Mellin
8. Work Experiences and Expectations
• Over half (55%) of first-
generation college students
expect to get a job to pay for
college expenses.
• First-generation students
considered financial factors
very important to college
choice.
• They were also more likely to
have worked while in high
school than non-first-
generation students.
(Higher Education Research Institute, 2007)
I
Percent
Figure 3. Work Experiences & Expectations
60 55.1
50
First-Generation
Non-First-Generation
40
41.5
36.7
45.0
30 26.0
20
20.8
22.2
15.0
10
0
1987 2005 1987 2005
Worked 20+ hours per week in
last year of HS
Very good chance: Expect to get
a job to pay for colle
9. Home: An Important Influence
• First-gen’s are likely to
attend institutions within
50 miles from home
• Close proximity an
important reason for choice
• Less likely to live on
campus
• Potentially less academic
and social integration
• Decision for close proximity
driven by financial reasons
(Higher Education Research
Institute, 2007)
10. First-Generation College Students
are more likely to:
• be older
• have lower incomes
• be married
• have dependents
• enroll part-time
• choose a two-year institution
• choose a private, for-profit school
• take remedial classes
• say that they wanted to become
more well-off and able to provide
for their children
• persisted and earned degrees at a
lower rate
• earned as much if a degree is
obtained…….
as compared to non-first
generation students.
• (National Center for Education
Statistics, 1998)
11. Financial Obligations and Barriers
Compared to traditional students, Terenzini’s (2005)
findings indicated that first-generation students were
more likely to:
Come from low income families
Have more dependent children
Have weaker reading, math, and critical thinking skills
Expected to take longer to complete their degree
programs
12. Financial obligations and barriers
Students often feel guilty that they cannot
contribute financially to their homes because of
their commitment to their education
• FAFSA process:
– Families are often confused about the process of
applying for federal financial aid, which opens the
door to grant and scholarship availability
– Application is extensive and convoluted,
and requires sensitive data
13. Financial Obligations and Barriers
How do these challenges affect the college
experience?
– Low-income families have less to contribute to
their student’s college costs
Less family financial support leads to an increased likelihood of
working while in school
More time working = less time in the classroom or for
studying
14. Academic skills
First-generation students are often less prepared
academically than non-first-generation students
and have an elevated risk for academic failure
(Terenzini, 1995)
15. Academic skills
Compared to traditional students, Terenzini’s (2005) findings indicated
that first-generation students were:
Had received less encouragement from their parents to attend college
Tended to take fewer courses in the traditional fields and more courses
in technical and pre-professional courses
Spent fewer hours studying and more hours working
Were less likely to perceive faculty members as concerned with student
development and teaching
Had less involvement with peers and teachers in high school
Have lower degree aspirations
More likely to require developmental coursework (Hodges, 1999)
16. Academic Skills
How do these challenges affect the
college experience?
Have weaker reading, math, and
critical thinking skills
Poor performance due to lack of skill development
and lack of understanding/taking advantage of
campus resources
Loss of financial aid, feelings of frustration and
helplessness to the point of quitting
17. Academic skills
What can we do to academically support this population?
Institutions must provide an array of programs and services to
counteract the weaknesses and obstacles many of them face
(Hsiao, 1992)
– Methods and resources to navigate the bureaucratic nature of
higher education institutions
– Specialized outreach, tutoring, and mentoring programs
– Bridge programs (for example- high school to college)
– Effective orientation programs
18. Campus Programming
• Roughly 30% of entering freshmen in the
USA are first-generation college students
• 24% — 4.5 million — are both first-gens and
low income.
• Nationally, 89% of low-income first-gens
leave college within six years without a
degree.
• More than a quarter leave after their first
year — four times the dropout rate of higher-
income second-generation students.
19. First Generation College Students
• Universities implement programs aimed at
the Retention, Progression, and
Graduation (RPG) of FGCS
– Mentoring programs
– Tutoring
– Social Activities
– Cultural Immersion activities
20. Georgia Southern University’s
Minority Advisement Program
• The Minority Advisement Program (MAP) is a
unique college mentoring/success program for
minority incoming students (a.k.a. MAPees) that
match freshmen and transfer students with
upperclassmen to assist with their acclimation to
college life.
21. Campus Programming
The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are
Federal outreach and student services
programs designed to identify and provide
services for individuals from disadvantaged
backgrounds.
TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist:
• low-income individuals
• first-generation college students
• individuals with disabilities
to progress through the academic pipeline from middle
school to postbaccalaureate programs
22. Continued…
• ETS-The goal of Talent Search is to increase the
number of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds
who complete high school and enroll in and
complete their postsecondary education.
• Upward Bound- Serves high school students from
low-income families; and high school students from
families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's
degree.
• Most students transition from ETS and Upward
Bound into the Ronald McNair Post Baccalaureate
Achievement Program
23. “The educated differ from the
uneducated as much as the living
differ from the dead.”
― Aristotle
QUESTIONS???
24. ReferencesBryan, E., & Simmons, L.A. (2009). Family involvement: impacts on post-secondary educational success for first-generation
Appalachian college students. Journal of College Student Development, 50(4), 391-405.
Demetriou. C., & Mann, A. (2011). Encouraging first generation college
student success. Academic Advising Today, 34(2). Retrieved from
http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic -Advising-Today/View-
Articles
Hodge, A. E. (ND). First-generation college students: The influence of family on college experience. (Master's thesis)Retrieved from
http://forms.gradsch.psu.edu/diversity/mcnair/mcnair_jrnl2010/files/Hodge.pdf
Hsiao, K. P. (1992). First-generation college students. ERIC Digest, ED351079.
Higher Education Research Institute. (May 2007). First in my family. HERI
Research Brief. Retrieved from
http://academics.lmu.edu/media/lmuacademics/academicresourcecenter/documents/First%20
Generation%20Research%20Brief%20copy.pdf
Multicultural Student Center. Minority Advisement Program. Retrieved April 2013.
http://deanofstudents.georgiasouthern.edu/multicultural/mentoring/minority-advisement-program-map/
National Center for Education Statistics. (June 1998). First generation
students whose parents never enrolled in postsecondary education.
Retrieved from
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=98082
Terenzini, P. T. (1995). First-generation college students: Characteristics, experiences, and cognitive development. Proceedings
from Forum of the Association for Institutional Research. Washington, D.C.
Striplin, J. J. (1999). Facilitating transfer for first-generation community college students. ERIC Digest, ED430627.
U.S. Department of Education. Trio Programs. Retrieved April 2013 http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html
