This study examined factors that relate to the persistence of first-generation
undergraduate students in a 4-year public university in the Southeastern United States.
Results were analyzed from a 2011 two-part survey: CARES-I (College Assessment of
Readiness for Entering Students-Intent) and CARES-A (College Assessment of
Readiness for Entering Students-Actual/Achieved. Semistructured interviews were
conducted with first-generation undergraduate persisters, administrators, and professors.
There was no statistically significant difference in persistence between
continuing-generation and first-generation students. None of the factors, with the
exception of performance goals on CARES A, were found to relate to persistence.
Significant positive correlations were found between persistence and residential status, a
learning strategies course, gender, high school GPA, and first semester in college GPA.
The learning communities program was not found to significantly relate to persistence.
The CARES surveys were found to be weak for predicting persistence. There was no significant interaction between any of the factors, persistence, and first-generation and
continuing-generation, except for performance goals on CARES I and self-efficacy on
CARES A. Findings from the interviews indicated that self-efficacy was highly important to
graduation. The students had clear academic and professional, learning, monetary, and
social outcome expectations. Student performance goals varied in amount of time, use of
learning strategies, and organizational tools. Of the organizational variables, academic
and social integration positively impacted persistence. However, the participants wished
to have had higher grades as freshmen, found the STEM courses tough, had no informal
interaction with administrators or professors, and did not use office hours enough.
Students spoke positively of institutional programs, clubs, services, and organizations
such as Supplemental Instruction (SI), the Math Lab, and Writing Center. Administrators
and professors expressed a need for more information and responsiveness to persistence
factors. Persistence was not impeded by family, friends, or work, whereas financial issues
were prevalent. Although demographic variables did not negatively impact persistence,
exo and macrosystem factors beyond the doors of the university emerged.
Recommendations and options are provided for further research and for the university to
improve persistence. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_13111 |
| Contributors | Thachil, Shoba Anne (author), Zainuddin, Hanizah (Thesis advisor), College of Education (Degree grantor), Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry |
| Publisher | Florida Atlantic University |
| Source Sets | Florida Atlantic University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 285 p., Online Resource |
| Rights | All rights reserved by the source institution, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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