Contextual Factors in the Career Development of Prospective First-Generation College Students

Abstract

Sociocultural influences may affect the academic and vocational development of first-generation college students; however, research in this area remains limited. The purpose of this study was to examine how contextual influences predicted academic and vocational outcomes for prospective first-generation college students. Participants included 142 (62 males and 80 females) high school students from low-income backgrounds enrolled in a college preparatory program. Path analyses tested the fit of a social cognitive career model examining how distal (e.g., ethnic identity) and proximal (e.g., parental support, perceptions of barriers) factors predicted vocational outcome expectations (VOE), vocational/educational self-efficacy, and student engagement. Results found an adequate fit for the social cognitive career model. Ethnic identity predicted VOEs and self-efficacy. Father support and perceived barriers predicted vocational/educational self-efficacy, whereas mother support (MS) predicted VOEs. Additionally, VOEs and MS predicted student engagement.