Continuing-Generation College Students Research Articles

진로준비행동과 대학 만족도, 첫 일자리 만족도의 구조적 관계: 부모 최종학력에 따른 세대 간 비교

This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of college satisfaction on the effect of career preparation behavior on first job satisfaction among college graduates, and to test for differences in this effect by the highest level of parental schooling attainment. Using data from 2019 Graduate Occupational Mobility Survey (2020), we conducted structural equation model analysis and multi-group analysis with the highest level of parental schooling for a total of 6,473 participants, and obtained the following results. First, college satisfaction fully mediated the effect of career preparation behaviors on first job satisfaction among college graduates. Differences in the relationship between college graduates’ career preparation behaviors and first job satisfaction were based on the highest level of parental schooling attainment. Specifically, college satisfaction did not mediate the effect of career preparation behaviors on first job satisfaction in the first-generation college students(FGCS) group, but fully mediated it in the continuing-generation college students(CGCS) group. In addition, the path difference between the two groups was significant only for the effect of career preparation behavior on college satisfaction. We concluded that higher education should be improved to enhance first job satisfaction in terms of career development based Labor Market Effectiveness, and empirical improvement measures and suggestions for follow-up studies were provided.

Revisiting College Access and Equity: Perspectives of Continuing-Generation College Students on Their First-Generation Peers

ABSTRACT Although researchers have primarily focused on the experiences of first-generation college students, it is crucial to understand the perspectives of students whose parents have also attended college. We conducted 21 individual interviews with such students to learn about their pre- and during-college perceptions of their first-generation peers. Our findings recommend that higher education professionals engage continuing-generation students in mentorship or ally programs for first-generation students, offer individualized counseling opportunities, and expand financial aid.

Achievement Goals, Imposter Syndrome, and Psychological Distress Among Female STEM Students: A Structural Equation Model

Psychological distress can influence a student's decision-making process regarding whether to persist in their academic journey. This study examined the influence of achievement goals and imposter syndrome on female STEM college students’ psychological distress. It involved 395 participants, with 37.72% identifying as minoritized and 44.05% as first-generation students, who completed an online survey. Findings of structural equation modeling indicated that higher imposter syndrome levels mediated the link between performance-avoidance and mastery-avoidance goals and psychological distress. Conversely, emphasizing mastery-approach goals was linked to lower imposter syndrome levels, reducing psychological distress. Multigroup analyses revealed these effects were consistent across different student groups, regardless of their minoritized status. But these effects are different between first-generation and continuing-generation college students. This suggests that educational institutions can implement strategies to support the mental wellbeing and retention of female STEM students.

Influence of CUREs on STEM retention depends on demographic identities.

Research has shown that undergraduate research experiences can have substantive effects on retaining students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). However, it is impossible to provide individual research experiences for every undergraduate student, especially at large universities. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have become a common approach to introduce large numbers of students to research. We investigated whether a one-semester CURE that replaced a traditional introductory biology laboratory course could increase retention in STEM as well as intention to remain in STEM, if the results differed according to demography, and investigated the possible motivational factors that might mediate such an effect. Under the umbrella of the Authentic Research Connection (ARC) program, we used institutional and survey data from nine semesters and compared ARC participants to non-participants, who applied to ARC but either were not randomly selected or were selected but chose not to enroll in an ARC section. We found that ARC had significant effects on demographic groups historically less likely to be retained in STEM: ARC participation resulted in narrowing the gaps in graduation rates in STEM (first vs continuing-generation college students) and in intention to major in STEM [females vs males, Persons Excluded because of Ethnicity or Race (PEERs) vs non-PEERs]. These disproportionate boosts in intending STEM majors among ARC students coincide with their reporting a greater sense of student cohesiveness, retaining more interest in biology, and commenting more frequently that the course provided a useful/valuable learning experience. Our results indicate that CUREs can be a valuable tool for eliminating inequities in STEM participation, and we make several recommendations for further research.

Stress overload in first-generation college students: Implications for intervention.

First-generation college students (FGCS), those whose parents never obtained a baccalaureate, are disadvantaged relative to continuing generation college students (CGCS) in regard to academic performance and health status. The literature documents myriad challenges facing FGCS, in the form of both adjustment demands and limited resources. Stress overload, the pathogenic form of stress, occurs when demands overwhelm coping resources. Its relevance to the plight of FGCS, as well as its established link to dysfunction in other college populations, prompted the present hypotheses: Stress overload (a) would be more prevalent among FGCS than CGCS and (b) could thereby explain their academic and health disparities. Public-university students (n = 593) completed an anonymous online survey assessing stress overload, somatic symptoms, and grades. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) showed FGCS (n = 366) to report more stress overload than CGCS, even after controlling for specific confounds, as well as lower grades and marginally more symptoms. Path analyses yielded a best-fitting model that showed stress overload to mediate the association between generational status (FGCS vs. CGCS) and grade and symptom levels. In sum, stress-overload maps onto the circumstances of FGCS, provides a common denominator to their myriad challenges, and offers a mechanism to explain their academic performance and health issues. This suggests the utility of stress overload as a screening tool and as a primary focus for therapeutic intervention with FGCS. These implications, the study's limitations, and the need for future research to probe the role of stress overload in the FGCS college experience are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Profiles of First-Generation College Students: Social, Financial, Academic, and Cultural Barriers to College Lives

First-generation college students (FGCSs) are known to experience more difficulty in the college education environment compared to continuing-generation college students. The current study used a person-centered approach to investigate subgroups of FGCSs that have had similar experiences of social, financial, academic, and cultural barriers in their college lives. A total of 382 undergraduate students in the U.S. participated in the study. A latent profile analysis revealed there may be two particular profiles for FGCSs including these four barriers. FGCSs in Profile 2 reported more social, financial, academic, and cultural barriers. In addition, these students also reported lower levels of self-esteem and higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and drop-out intention than those in Profile 1. Students’ gender, their parent's marital status, and the estimated debt after graduation significantly predicted profile membership. Interventions to support FGCSs will also be discussed.

Blended Pedagogy in Social Statistics Courses: Prelecture Strategies for Encouraging Learning among First-Generation College Students

In this article, I ask to what extent first-generation college students experience statistics anxiety and what are effective pedagogical strategies for building student confidence and encouraging learning. To answer these questions, I draw on the wide-ranging and developing literature on blended teaching methods—most commonly defined as the integration of web-based activities and traditional face-to-face instruction—to design and implement an experiment measuring the effectiveness of providing varying supports in social statistics courses. Evidence from the experiment and learning reflections demonstrates that regardless of whether students experience statistics anxiety, at a minimum, reading comprehension supports have a statistically significant positive effect on first-generation college students’ learning (N = 46), and blended learning supports have a statistically significant positive effect for both first-generation and continuing-generation college students (N = 59). The positive and statistically significant effect of providing students with blended learning prelecture supports can counteract the negative and statistically significant effect of being a first-generation college student. These findings suggest that simple and effective pedagogical strategies can help better prepare students for exposure to new material, thereby encouraging greater overall learning in social statistics courses.

First-Generation College Students: Goals and Challenges of Community College

Objective: This study examines whether there are differences among first-generation and continuing-generation community college students in the importance they place on achieving college-related goals and difficulties they face from college- and other life-related challenges. Methods: Data were drawn from the Community College Libraries and Academic Support for Student Success student survey. Results: Results from MANCOVA show that, after adjusting for age, gender identity, U.S. birth status, and race/ethnicity, first-generation college students (FGCSs) place more importance on achieving college-related goals and face greater difficulties from college- and other life-related challenges than continuing-generation college students (CGCSs). Contributions: These findings indicate that community colleges should offer more support to FGCSs pertaining to students’ goals and challenges so that all community college students may be successful in their academic pursuits. Future research should explore interaction effects among student demographics and their goals and challenges as well as interventions to support community college students. This is because community colleges enroll the largest number of FGCSs compared to other institutions of higher education, and FGCSs and community college students share challenges when it comes to obtaining a college degree.

First-Generation College Students’ Motives to Start University Education: An Investment in Self- Development, One’s Economic Prospects or to Become a Role Model?

In this article, we engage with the emerging literature that studies the increased enrolment of first-generation college students (FGCS), that is, students from households where neither parent has obtained a bachelor’s /master’s degree. Our article answers two research questions. First, data from 2,338 first-year students are used to investigate the extent to which FGCS differ from continuing-generation college students (CGCS) concerning the reason why one enrols in university education. Second, to what degree do these motives explain differences in study choice? Our results show that FCGS, compared to CGCS, more strongly endorsed the economic investment motive and what we call the social investment motive, that is, the motivation to become a role model for one’s community. In addition, our findings reveal that the choice for more economically rewarding fields of study is related to these motives to start a university education. In the conclusion, we discuss the implications of our findings.

Differential relations among expectancy, task value, engagement, and academic performance: The role of generation status

IntroductionWe investigated differences in domain-general expectancy, value, and engagement in school by generation status and how the relationship among these constructs and academic performance differ by generation status.MethodsA total of 573 college students enrolled in introductory psychology courses participated in the study. We collected data on generation status, expectancy-value beliefs, school engagement, and official GPA data from participants, tested measurement invariance of expectancy-value beliefs and engagement between first-generation college students (FGCS) and continuing generation college students (CGCS), and conducted multigroup modeling to understand the differential relations of expectancy-value, engagement, and GPA between the two groups.ResultsWe discovered that the latent mean of expectancy beliefs differed significantly by generation status, with FGCS reporting higher expectancy than CGCS. There were no differences in the latent mean of task value. Multigroup structural equation modeling revealed that the effect of expectancy-value motivation on behavioral engagement was similar across groups, but its effect on cognitive engagement was greater for the FGCS than for the CGCS. For both groups, expectancy impacted academic performance via behavioral engagement. Finally, neither expectancy-value motivation nor cognitive engagement directly predicted academic performance for either group.DiscussionThe findings have important theoretical implications for understanding motivation and achievement of FGCS and CGCS and critical practical implications regarding undergraduate education.

Mexican origin First-generation College Students Activating Funds of Knowledge to Navigate Basic Needs Insecurity

The present study examines the presence of Basic Needs Insecurity (BNI) among Mexican origin first-generation college students. Specifically, this transformative mixed methods study explores BNI in access to healthcare, housing, employment, and transportation among study participants. Most importantly, this research illuminates students’ Funds of Knowledge (FK) as assets and strategies that Mexican origin first-generation college students activate to navigate BNI. Findings reveal higher levels of BNI present among first-generation compared to continuing-generation college students and highlight familial, community, and institutional supports as sources of FK for Mexican origin first-generation college students to address BNI. Implications for research and practice are provided.

First-Generation College Students, Emotional Support, and Systemic Inflammation Following the College Transition

PurposeTo examine whether emotional support moderates the association between college generation status and concurrent and prospective levels of systemic inflammation during the college transition among a sample of older U.S. adolescents. MethodsAt an undergraduate tertiary institution, 41 first-generation college students (first-gens) and 46 continuing-generation college students (continuing-gens) in their first semester of college reported on basic demographic information and perceived emotional support. They also had their blood drawn midway through both the first and second semester to measure C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. An inflammatory composite for each semester was created by averaging the standardized scores for log-transformed C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. ResultsCompared to continuing-gens, first-gens had greater systemic inflammation in the first semester regardless of their level of emotional support (B = 0.515, p = .003). However, emotional support moderated the association between college generation status and prospective systemic inflammation in the second semester (B = −0.525, p = .007) such that first-gens had greater systemic inflammation compared to continuing-gens, but only if they reported lower levels of emotional support (B = 0.826, p = .002). This moderation effect held after further adjusting for systemic inflammation in the first semester (B = −0.374, p = .022). Also discussed are results of secondary analyses examining sources of support. DiscussionCompared to continuing-gens, first-gens had greater systemic inflammation in the first semester irrespective of emotional support, suggesting all first-gens may stand to benefit from college resources provided early in the college transition. Furthermore, first-gens who reported lower levels of emotional support may benefit from additional college resources provided beyond the first semester.

First-generation College Students Have Greater Systemic Inflammation than Continuing-Generation College Students Following the Initial College Transition: A Brief Report.

First-generation college students ("first-gens") are often at a disadvantage socially and academically; whether they are at risk physiologically is unknown despite the well-established link between greater education and better long-term health. To examine whether first-gens have higher levels of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk markers relative to continuing-generation college students ("continuing-gens"). A panel of CVD risk markers was assessed among 87 emerging adults (41 first-gens) twice over their first year of college. Compared to continuing-gens, first-gens had greater systemic inflammation (composite of averaged z-scores for C-reactive protein and interleukin-6; B = 0.515, SE = 0.171, p = .003) during the fall but not spring semester (p > .05). Associations were independent of family home ownership and childhood adversity, even though first-gens were more likely to live in rental homes and reported riskier home environments. Lower childhood subjective social status (SSS) accounted for greater systemic inflammation among first-gens as evidenced by an indirect effect of college generation status on systemic inflammation through childhood SSS (a1b1 = 0.261, bootstrapped SE = 0.103, 95% boot CI [0.078, 0.482]). There were no differences in metabolic risk and latent virus regulation by college generation status in either semester (p > .10). This is the first study to find that first-gens have higher levels of systemic inflammation than continuing-gens following the college transition and that childhood SSS may be one explanatory pathway. First-gens may benefit from university resources that address social class differences, which should be provided early on so that first-gens can reap the health-relevant benefits of higher education, at least in the short term.

The Formation and Role of Social Belonging in On-Campus Integration of Diverse First-Generation College Students

First-generation college students (FGCS) experience high rates of attrition compared to continuing generation college students. FGCS frequently identify with several other historically marginalized identities on college campuses. The development of a sense of belonging on-campus is one of the main drivers of retention. The current study examines how sense of belonging on-campus develops during the first-year of college for different FGCS and how attitudes about on-campus relationships evolve over time. Thirteen participants were interviewed at three time points during their first year of college. Grounded theory analysis revealed four themes: 1) higher education provides a cultural learning environment; 2) multiple factors create challenges to relationship building; 3) extreme value differences create hard limits around friendships; and 4) within group friendships provide social and psychological value. Findings extend the current literature on the importance of social belonging for retention of diverse FGCS and highlight the importance of intersectionality in this work.

College as a Great Equalizer? Marriage and Assortative Mating Among First- and Continuing-Generation College Students

College has been hailed as a "great equalizer" that can substantially reduce the influence of parents' socioeconomic status on their children's subsequent life chances. Do the equalizing effects of college extend beyond the well-studied economic outcomes to other dimensions, in particular, marriage? When and whom one marries have important implications for economic and family stability, with marriage acting as a social safety net, encouraging joint long-term investments, and potentially producing dual-earner families. I focus on the marriage timing and assortative mating patterns of first- and continuing-generation college graduates to test whether college acts as an equalizer for marriage against alternative hypotheses. Using discrete-time event-history methods and data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, I find small differences between first- and continuing-generation graduates in marriage timing, but larger differences in assortative mating, particularly for women. First-generation women have a substantially lower likelihood of marrying another college graduate than do continuing-generation women, and a higher likelihood of marrying a noncollege graduate. These findings highlight the importance of examining noneconomic outcomes when studying social mobility and offer insight into how inequality may persist across generations, especially for women, despite apparent upward mobility.

Illuminating Differences in The Psychological Predictors of Academic Performance for First- And Continuing-Generation Students

First-generation college students experience a disproportionate rate of challenges on college campuses, reflected by lower academic performance. Research has identified academic self-efficacy, optimism, goal orientation, and academic stress all as psychological factors associated with academic performance. However, this research rarely distinguishes between first- and continuing-generation students, and there may be unique effects for each group. We investigated whether the previously identified psychological factors associated with academic performance hold the same relationships for firstand continuing-generation college students. A sample of 143 undergraduate students self-reported levels of academic self-efficacy, optimism, goal orientation, and academic stress. Academic performance was measured using their midterm exam grade. There were differences found in the mean levels of psychological factors and their associations with academic performance for first- and continuing-generation students. Overall, the psychological factors explained a very small portion of the variance in academic performance among first-generation students (13.4%) with none of the psychological factors holding an independent association with academic performance. Conversely, psychological factors explained considerably more of the variance in academic performance for continuing-generation students (60.5%), with domains of goal orientation and academic stress being independently associated with academic performance. Our findings suggest that new pathways to improving first-generation students’ academic performance should be identified, and that

Characteristics and Counseling Needs of Prospective First-Generation College Students: Implications for School Counseling

This study examined the personal characteristics and counseling needs of high school seniors who were strongly committed to attending a 4-year university. The results of this comparison study revealed that prospective first-generation college students reported lower perceived academic ability and a higher need for counseling in academic planning and career preparation than prospective continuing-generation college students. Subsequent analysis for the first-generation group by race revealed significant group differences in the perceptions and needs of school counseling.

Imposter Syndrome Among First- and Continuing-Generation College Students: The Roles of Perfectionism and Stress

More research is needed to understand the relationships between imposter syndrome, perfection, and stress, as well as how they might be similar or different among first- and continuing-generation college students. This research study examines the relationships among imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and stress among first- and continuing-generation college students. Participants included 388 college students, including 184 (47.4%) first-generation students. Results indicate levels of imposter syndrome and stress are similar between first- and continuing-generation students. Levels of socially prescribed perfectionism are significantly correlated with imposter syndrome and stress for both groups; however, imposter syndrome is more strongly associated with stress among first-generation students. Implications for college student mental health and retention are discussed.

Stressed but not Depressed: A Longitudinal Analysis of First-Generation College Students, Stress, and Depressive Symptoms

Abstract Using The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), I examine stress exposure and depressive symptoms among first and continuing-generation college students before and during college. I find that first-generation college students experience more stressors during both adolescence and college attendance and higher levels of depressive symptoms during adolescence as compared to continuing-generation students. During college, however, first-generation students’ level of depressive symptoms is no different from their continuing-generation peers even before adjusting for stress exposure and adolescent depressive symptoms. The gap in symptoms closes because first-generation college students’ mental health improves while attending college, as they have significantly fewer depressive symptoms than they did during adolescence. Continuing-generation students, on the other hand, did not display a significant difference in their depressive symptoms between adolescence and college attendance. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.

Understanding first-generation undergraduate engineering students\u2019 entry and persistence through social capital theory

BackgroundThe higher education literature is replete with deficit-based studies of first-generation college students. By thinking of students’ social relationships as embedded assets, our research adds to an anti-deficit, or asset-based, framing of first-generation students majoring in engineering. Our multi-institution study qualitatively characterizes how the various people (alters) in students’ social networks provide expressive and instrumental social capital that helps students decide to enter and then to persist in undergraduate engineering majors. Our work compares and contrasts social capital assets described by first-generation college students and those described by continuing-generation college students.ResultsBoth first-generation college students and continuing-generation college students described how they leveraged the social capital inherent in their social relationships. In our comparison of the two groups, we found far more similarities than differences in the way participants described their social capital. For example, the network compositions (the specific alters providing resources) were similar for both groups. Both groups reported how parents, family members, peers, middle and high school teachers, individuals associated with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs, university professors, academic advisors and other personnel, employers and coworkers, professional organization contacts, and graduate students provided social capital related to major choice and persistence. One difference between the two groups relates to the type of social capital provided by parents and intergenerational family members. First-generation college students described their familial relationships as assets that provided robust emotional support (expressive social capital) while the students decided upon a college major and vigorous encouragement to persist once the students enrolled in undergraduate studies. Continuing-generation college students described their families as providing engineering-specific instrumental actions and information during their selection of a college major, and then familial support changing to that of an expressive nature while the students were enrolled in engineering studies.ConclusionsOur findings illustrate that engineering undergraduates’ social relationships and networks are critical to their success in engineering. The relational assets first-generation college students possess support an anti-deficit framing of this group. Our work helps us understand specifically how students gain support from a variety of alters, and it provides implications for how to better support all students’ engineering educational pathways.