Thesis advisor: Ana Martínez-Alemán / The past thirty years have seen an unprecedented expansion of access to higher education among traditionally disadvantaged groups. Along with increased opportunity, this access brings new challenges, including student preparation and social and academic integration of college campuses (Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak, & Terenzini, 2004). One area of academic integration that requires further examination is how first-generation students acquire the written academic language they will need to succeed in college courses. Because language is closely tied to identity, acquiring academic language can have personal and social effects (White & Lowenthal, 2011). In addition to the struggles that these students have in acquiring academic language, they also bring alternate forms of cultural capital (Yosso, 2005) that are not captured in traditional assessment. This qualitative study considered the academic language acquisition of ten first-generation college students who completed a transitional bridge program. Writing samples from four different time points were assessed with an operationalized definition of academic language to capture how these skills were acquired during the first year. The samples were then analyzed using Critical Discourse Analysis to identify alternate forms of cultural capital. Finally, the same ten students were interviewed about their experiences of academic language during their first year of college. The results of this study show that students benefitted from direct instruction of academic conventions and other assumed expectations of academic discourse, and they were most successful with assignments that drew on lived experience. The writing samples also revealed critical forms of alternate cultural capital that must be recognized and leveraged in academic settings. Finally, students saw the process of academic language acquisition as voluntary, conscious, and ultimately worthwhile. Understanding the challenges these students face, as well as their unique strengths, is vital to their full inclusion within the university and for meaningful diversity in higher education. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Recent research suggests a lack of information about the experiences of first-generation doctoral men who have moved from ground-based education to online education, which can negatively impact program completion for this group. This collective case study investigated the experiences of a group of first-generation doctoral male students attempting doctoral-level online education for the first time, in particular, to identify and develop a deep understanding of their experiences in interacting, participating, communicating, and relating with colleagues and instructors. The conceptual frameworks of the study were connectivism, experiential learning, symbolic interactionism, and constructionism. Data were collected through participant questionnaires, Skype interviews, and blogs, and analyzed using Microsoft Excel, Quicktime software, and NVivo to develop themes and codes that were intuitively constructed by the researcher. The study results provided evidence of limited interaction, participation, communication, group work or collaboration, and personal relationships with colleagues and instructors in online education at the university. Study findings suggest needed areas of improvement for universities, especially as they relate to students feeling more connected to their colleagues and instructors. The study findings can inform the design of practice that impacts retention and degree completion of first-generation doctoral male students who have transitioned from ground-based education to online education.

This research project explores the Tri-mentoring Program’s impact on enhancing the student experience, specifically for the new emerging population of racialized and first generation undergraduate students in a Canadian urban university. The study examines how the TMP model attempts to address these students’ unique challenges by creating a holistic student experience, that acknowledges and addresses their lived experiences; encourages them to retain their racial/cultural identities (and values) and external community commitments and beliefs; and facilitates them becoming more empowered and engaged on campus. This research also contributes to the production of knowledge in the area of student engagement. This study introduces and validates the voices and lived experiences of racialized students into the literature, which will be valuable in the future development of new models of student engagement where power is shared and indigenous knowledge and epistemologies are valued- leading to a more engaged and successful student experience.

This research project explores the Tri-mentoring Program’s impact on enhancing the student experience, specifically for the new emerging population of racialized and first generation undergraduate students in a Canadian urban university. The study examines how the TMP model attempts to address these students’ unique challenges by creating a holistic student experience, that acknowledges and addresses their lived experiences; encourages them to retain their racial/cultural identities (and values) and external community commitments and beliefs; and facilitates them becoming more empowered and engaged on campus. This research also contributes to the production of knowledge in the area of student engagement. This study introduces and validates the voices and lived experiences of racialized students into the literature, which will be valuable in the future development of new models of student engagement where power is shared and indigenous knowledge and epistemologies are valued- leading to a more engaged and successful student experience.

This thesis focuses on first generation college students and their unique social positions in social and institutional networks. First generation students are less likely to attend college than non-first generation students. I examine what factors make a student more likely to self-report student success by considering formation of a new identity, “college student,” as well as looking at networks and role behaviors consistent with the new identity. It was predicted that those that were consistent with behaviors and identity would self-report academic success at a higher rate. I also predicted that overall, first generation students would be at a disadvantage compared to non-first generation students. Survey data collected from a large university in the southwest was utilized for analysis. First generation students are less likely to report academic success compared to their non-first generation peers. However, when more variables are considered within a binomial regression analysis, first generation status is no longer a significant influence on success. Other factors such as hours per week engaged in homework, involvement in learning communities, and ethnicity had an effect on self-reported success. Those who spent more hours per week doing homework or were involved in learning communities were more likely to self-report academic success. Whites were also more likely to report academic success than non-whites. Several policy implications are discussed.

First generation students (FGS) are twice as likely as their non-first generation peers to drop out of college (Chen, 2005). FGS experience a host of challenges related to their generational status including poor academic preparation, limited familial support, nonstrategic college learning behaviors, and problematic coping with academic disappointment. When FGS earn low grades, they often attribute their outcomes to an uncontrollable factor such low intelligence (Dweck & Leggett, 1998) rather than poor preparation for success or misunderstanding, more controllable factors. Some FGS, however, matriculate through college successfully despite their risk status. One reason might be that the FGS who are resilient to their risk status exhibit more self-compassion in the face of perceived or actual low grades. The proposed study investigates relations between self-compassion for poor academic performance and college outcomes (i.e., motivation, self-efficacy, anxiety, fear of failure, goal orientation, and theory of intelligence) for FGS using hierarchical regression. The implications for this proposed study result in an intervention: a self-compassion training program designed to supplement a college learning skills course. Ultimately, this intervention will increase students’ self-compassion as well as the previously stated college outcomes. Finally, increases in self-compassion will improve college students’ retention and achievement. / text

The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of first-generation Hispanic students who have obtained a doctorate degree (EdD or PhD). The Hispanic population continues to increase in the United States, particularly in the state of Texas. However, the level of Hispanics' educational attainment lags behind that of the U.S. and Texas populations in general. The overall economic impact of low Hispanic educational attainment, coupled with continuing growth of this group, presents a pressing issue for future workforce educators and human resource development professionals. It is critical to understand educational experiences of first-generation Hispanic students to address the lack of educational achievement among this group of people. Within the naturalistic inquiry research paradigm, I adopted a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to collect rich and thick data that could shed light on the "lived experiences" of six doctoral recipients who are first-generation Hispanic students. Through multiple rounds of in-depth interviews, supplemented by personal observations and multiple email exchanges with participants, I generated extensive personal stories, developed a meaningful relationship with the participants, and discovered the essence of the participants' experiences. Four themes emerged from an in-depth analysis of interview, pictorial, and observational data: (a) support systems, (b) personal attributes, (c) identity struggles, and (d) socialization struggles. These themes led to discovery of three components that shaped participants' experiences: a journey of support, a journey of self-discovery and self-development, and a journey of identity development. The findings not only have implications for Hispanic students who aspire to higher educational goals; they point to areas for improvement for educators, human resource development practitioners, and policy makers. Directions for future research were proposed to encourage further research on the topic and issues related to first-generation Hispanic students.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University of Pennsylvania. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2006. / "April 19, 2006"--T.p. Title taken from PDF title screen (viewed September 10, 2007). Includes bibliographical references and appendices.

Background and Purpose In 2010, 20.5 million were students enrolled in bachelor's degree programs in four-year public universities in the United States 1. Approximately, 60% of these were first-generation students (students whose parents did not earn a four year college degree)2. However, what has been largely overlooked in research on first-generation students in the United States is the issue of post-degree employability or the transferability of education into graduate level employment opportunities. The primary purpose of this research, therefore, was to explore if and how the educational biography of first-generation students impacted their transition into graduate level positions in the corporate sector. Research Methodology The study was guided by three research questions: how first-generation graduates described the process of navigation into the corporate world; how they perceived their transition into graduate level employment; and what role they envisaged for educational institutions in supporting this transition. The researcher conducted a qualitative inquiry of the transition experiences of 14 first-generation graduates employed in the financial industry in a metropolitan city in the United States and collected data through semi-structured interviews. Using a phenomenological approach, the researcher described and interpreted the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of these 14 individuals with regard to their transition from education to employment. Findings This study indicated that the education level of parents seemed to be a more serious determinant and driver of the immediate occupational outcomes of first-generation students, more so than their racial, social or economic background. The study found that restricted access to cultural and social capital within the families resulted in first-generation graduates being disadvantaged on four grounds: ineffective career decision making skills; lack of familiarity with corporate culture and expectations; inadequate preparation for the world of work; and lack of access to professional networks. Conclusions The four disadvantages resulted in first-generation graduates starting at entry level positions in the corporate sector, having to invest time and effort to learn corporate culture and expectations, experiencing delayed growth within the organization, along with facing a possibility of being discriminated against during recruitment process. This study clearly indicated the need for policy and programs that could support transition of first-generation graduates into graduate level employment. The study also found the need for faculty to play a proactive role in enhancing the career orientation of first-generation students, the importance of lobbying for more inclusive recruitment practices in the corporate sector, and the significance of creating graduate level positions to match the increasing supply of graduates. 1U. S. Census Bureau (2012). The 2012 statistical abstract: The national data book. 2. U.S. Department of Education, NCES (2010, September). Web tables: Profile of undergraduate Students 2007-2008.