This dissertation was a case study of four community college women who were first in their families to attend college. Through this study, the first-generation construct was analyzed in regard to its uses and limits. The researcher found the label as an identifier becomes problematic through social discourse. These results confirm Londons (1996) finding that students themselves do not necessarily find anything unique about their situations or anything in common with other students simply based on their being the first in their families to attend college. Therefore, the first-generation construct may be viewed primarily as a higher education versus an individual construct.
This study further explored the ways in which the participants constructed their own identities and challenges related to participation and persistence. A significant finding was participants distinctions of their career and academic identities. Another significant finding was the students expressions of personal control over their finances and life choices in general. All four of the students held positive outlooks for their futures regarding gaining more independence, achieving their personal or professional goals, and becoming smarter. None of the four students viewed themselves as powerless or at risk.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-04052007-102159 |
| Date | 11 April 2007 |
| Creators | Lee, Crystal Deer |
| Contributors | Laura Hensley Choate, Becky Ropers-Huilman, Donna Redmann, Nina Asher, Charles Teddlie |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04052007-102159/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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