First-generation Student Status Research Articles

Academic self-handicapping as a mediator of the relation between imposterism and academic goal orientation: testing invariance by gender and underrepresented status

Objective: Imposterism and academic self-handicapping (ASH) are related to negative outcomes in college students. We examined whether the relationship between imposterism and academic goal orientations is mediated by ASH across men and women and for students who are underrepresented on campus. Participants: Participants were 852 undergraduates (29.1% men, 26.1% first-generation, and 22.1% from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups at the predominantly white institution (PWI) where data was gathered). Methods: Participants completed self-report scales assessing imposterism, ASH, and academic goal orientation. Results: ASH partially mediated the relationship of imposterism to mastery and performance approach academic goal orientations. High imposterism was directly related to high performance-avoidance orientation. Our model was invariant to gender; while it did not appear to be invariant to underrepresented status, this was accounted for by first-generation student status. Conclusions: Results have implications for the classroom and creation of interventions to minimize ASH and imposterism and their impact on student success.

Psychological reactions to COVID-19: Ambiguous loss, posttraumatic growth, and coronavirus impact among college students.

As social distancing and mask requirements lift, young adults may experience continued impacts from the pandemic. For example, college students may be particularly vulnerable to negative impact of COVID-19 due to social isolation, disruption to education, and lost personal and economic opportunity. In order to investigate how psychological reactions (e.g., ambiguous loss, psychological growth) predict current COVID-19 impact, 224 students (Mage = 20.21, SD = 2.64) from a private liberal arts college completed a cross-sectional survey during February or March 2022. Several demographic findings emerged, including increased impact among older students (B = .25, p = .01) and caregiving students (B = 2.14, p < .001), while ambiguous loss (B = .24, p < .001) appeared to be the strongest predictor after controlling for demographic factors and COVID awareness. Finally, the relationship between posttraumatic psychological growth and COVID impact was moderated by first-generation student status, B = .15, p = .04. First-generation students reported elevated levels of COVID impact even when reporting high levels of growth, while posttraumatic growth buffered impact among non-first-generation students. Results support the need for targeted college-based resources and services for students who may need long-term social support and trauma-informed intervention following the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Attitudes of undergraduate medical students toward patients’ safety in Jordan: a multi-center cross-sectional study

BackgroundPatient safety practices are crucial in healthcare as they aim to reduce harm, medical errors, and ensure favorable outcomes for patients. Therefore, this study aims to examine the attitudes towards patient safety among undergraduate medical students in Jordanian medical schools.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students. Participants completed the Attitudes to Patient Safety Questionnaire- III (APSQ-III), which examines students’ attitudes in 26 items distributed in nine domains. Results are represented as mean ± standard deviation for all participants and subgroups.ResultsOur study included 1226 medical students. They reported positive attitudes toward patient safety with a mean score of 4.9 (SD ± 0.65). Participants scored the highest score in “Working hours as error cause” followed by “Team functioning”. Gender, academic-year, and first-generation student status had a significant association with certain patient safety domains. Females scored significantly higher than males in four domains, while males scored higher in one domain. First-generation medical students had a significantly lower score for “Professional incompetence as error cause”. Interestingly, pre-clinical students recorded more positive attitudes in “Patient safety training received” and “Disclosure responsibility” domains.ConclusionUndergraduate medical students in Jordan demonstrated positive attitudes towards patient safety concepts. Our study provides baseline data to improve current educational programs and enhance the patient safety culture among medical students. Additional studies are needed to delve into actual attitudes toward patient safety and to assess how educational programs contribute to the cultivation of this culture.

Food insecurity and academic function among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A moderating role of the first-generation college student status

Objective To examine food insecurity (FI) prevalence among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2021) using cross-sectional design, and the moderating role of the first-generation student status in the relationship between FI and grade point average (GPA). Participants Three-hundred sixty students recruited mostly from upper-level kinesiology courses Methods General linear model was used to predict GPA based on food security status, psychological health, and bodily pain, with subgroup analysis performed by first-generation student status. Results Approximately 19% were classified as having FI. Those with FI showed lower GPA and poor health compared to those without FI. The link between FI and GPA was moderated by first-generation student status, with the negative impact of FI on GPA more clearly observed among non-first-generation students. Conclusion First-generation student status could play a role in determining the impact of FI on academic performance.

Students with Food Insecurity Are More Likely to Screen Positive for an Eating Disorder at a Large, Public University in the Midwest

BackgroundCollege students experience a disproportionately high prevalence of both food insecurity and eating disorders. Food insecurity is associated with stress, irregular eating patterns, weight change, depression, and body dissatisfaction, making it a possible risk factor for the onset of eating disorders. However, the association between food insecurity and eating disorders among college students is not well understood. ObjectiveThis study explored the relation between food insecurity and screening positive for an eating disorder among students attending a large, public Midwestern university. DesignCross-sectional data were collected using an online survey administered from March through June 2018. Participants/settingParticipants were recruited from a random sample of 2,000 students, with oversampling from the following groups: racial/ethnic minorities, first-generation students, and students from lower-income households. Of those sampled, 851 students (43%) responded. The final analytic sample comprised 804 students after excluding those with missing data. Main outcome measureThe validated 5-item Sick, Control, One stone, Fat, Food (SCOFF) questionnaire was used to screen for the presence of an eating disorder. Statistical analyses performedPoisson regression was used to model prevalence ratios for positive SCOFF screens (≥2 affirmative responses) by levels of food security (ie, high, marginal, low, or very low). Models were adjusted for sex, age, race/ethnicity, degree type, financial aid, and first-generation student status. ResultsCompared to students with high food security, a higher prevalence of positive SCOFF screens was found among students with marginal food security (prevalence ratio [PR], 1.83, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.65; P = 0.001), low food security (PR 1.72, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.54; P = 0.007), and very low food security (PR 2.83, 95% CI 2.01 to 3.97; P < .0001). ConclusionsStudents with food insecurity at any level were more likely to screen positive for an eating disorder via the SCOFF questionnaire. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether food insecurity is a risk factor for the onset of eating disorders among college students.

Trump, Obama, Bush: Impacts of Presidential Elections on College Student Mental Health

ABSTRACT Research, media sources, and polls have identified negative effects associated with presidential elections. The aim of this research was to investigate associations between US presidential election results and mental health outcomes in university students. This investigation consisted of two independent studies. Study 1 analyzed data collected between the years 2000 and 2016 from students who utilized counseling services (N = 32,506) at a large, private, conservative institution in the western United States. Study 2 analyzed data collected between the years 2010 and 2016 from over 100 university counseling centers across the United States. Upon analyzing the quantitative and qualitative data, the results did not support the findings that presidential elections negatively impact the mental health outcomes of students who receive university counseling services. Furthermore, there was no detectable increase in student distress regardless of election year, age, ethnicity, gender, religion, relationship status, sexual orientation, geographic region, citizenship, and first-generation student status.

Backgrounds and behaviors: Which students successfully identify online resources in the face of container collapse

In a digital environment, students have difficulty determining whether an information resource comes from a book, magazine, journal, blog, or other container, and lose the contextual information that these containers provide. This study of students from primary through graduate school looks at their ability to identify the containers of information resources, and how this ability is affected by their demographic traits, the resource features they attended to, and their behaviors during a task-based simulation. The results indicate that correct container identification requires deep engagement with a resource. Those who attended to cues such as genre and source were better able to identify container, while those who paid attention to heuristics such as its visual appearance and URL were not. Demographic characteristics, including educational cohort and first-generation student status, also had an effect.

Understanding the Transient Nature of STEM Doctoral Students' Research Self-Efficacy Across Time: Considering the Role of Gender, Race, and First-Generation College Status.

Developing research self-efficacy is an important part of doctoral student preparation. Despite the documented importance of research self-efficacy, little is known about the progression of doctoral students’ research self-efficacy over time in general and for students from minoritized groups. This study examined both within- and between-person stability of research self-efficacy from semester to semester over 4 years, focusing on doctoral students in biological sciences (N = 336). Using random intercept autoregressive analyses, we evaluated differences in stability across gender, racially minoritized student status, and first-generation student status. Results showed similar mean levels of self-efficacy across demographic groups and across time. However, there were notable differences in between-person and within-person stability over time, specifically showing higher between-person and lower within-person stability for racially minoritized and first-generation students. These findings indicate that racially minoritized and first-generation students’ research self-efficacy reports were less consistent from semester to semester. Such results may indicate that non-minoritized and continuing-generation students’ experiences from semester to semester typically reinforce their beliefs about their own abilities related to conducting research, while such is not the case for racially minoritized nor first-generation students. Future research should examine what types of experiences impact self-efficacy development across doctoral study to offer more precise insights about factors that influence these differences in within-person stability.

Social Support, Coping, Life Satisfaction, and Academic Success Among College Students

Although more students are enrolling in college than ever before, far too many fail to complete their degrees. The financial, personal, and societal costs of leaving college can be high. The current study explored the relationship between 2 key psychosocial factors, social support and coping, and 2 measures of psychological well-being; specifically, life satisfaction and perceptions of the campus environment, both of which have been related to grade point average (GPA) and student retention. Path analysis results indicated that social support (B = .31, p &lt; .001) and life satisfaction (B = .36, p = .005) were positively related to perception of university environment, whereas the use of problematic coping strategies (B = −.42, p = .003) was negatively related to perception of university environment. In addition, higher class year (B = −.11, p = .004) and first-generation student status (B = −.25, p = .013) were negatively related to GPA. These findings suggest that university efforts to help students develop positive social support resources and effective coping strategies have the potential to increase both psychological well-being and academic success.

Sexually Transmitted Infections among First-Generation College Students

Background Because of the social and systemic barriers encountered by first-generation college students, this population is at risk for poorer health outcomes. However, there is no identified research investigating whether this includes sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The aim of the study was to identify whether first-generation students were more likely than non-first-generation students to report a history of STIs. Methods Participants (n = 634) were undergraduate university students at a public institution in the Southeast United States. Using secondary data analysis, this study assessed the relationship between first-generation student status and reported a history of STIs. Participants completed a Qualtrics survey including demographics, first-generation student status, and history of STI(s). Results First-generation college students are over twice as likely as non-first-generation college students to report a history of STIs after controlling for relevant background variables. Discussion First-generation college students represent a population that colleges, universities, and high schools can prioritize for STI education, prevention, and testing.

An Analysis of the Educational Testing Service Major Field Test for Business Performance: Further Evidence

Assurance of learning is the key to students’ academic success. To this end, one of the largest historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States administers the Educational Testing Service Major Field Test for Business (ETS MFT-B) to assess student learning of business concepts. This study used a set of predictor variables to explain the ETS MFT-B performance at the subject HBCU. The results of the study are expected to close the gap between student performance and expected outcomes in the subject institution, as well as contribute to the broader issue of improving curriculum and teaching effectiveness in business schools in the United States. Using data from fall 2012 to fall 2018, the findings of the regressions indicated that new variables, namely, English language proficiency, hours attempted to hours earned, first-generation student status, and desire to pursue higher studies were important predictors of the ETS MFT-B total score and sub-scores. Among the traditional variables, the cumulative GPA and student’s major area were important predictors. These findings point toward several corrective actions in the assurance-of-learning process for the subject school. The subject school can add a business English class to the curriculum, improve teaching effectiveness, provide advising assistance when students retake classes, and adopt measures that will motivate students to prepare for the ETS MFT-B.

Financial Anxiety Among College Students: The Role of Generational Status

Both financial anxiety and first-generation student status have been linked to negative academic outcomes, mental health issues, and poor social adjustment among college students; however, each factor has been studied in isolation. This article examines the predictors of financial anxiety, including generational status, using the Roy Adaptation Model and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis on data from a large, Midwestern public university. First-generation student status was positively associated with financial anxiety in multivariate modeling. Proxies for students' self-concepts, including financial comparisons to peers and perceived mastery, had the largest contribution to the model. Financial counseling programs geared toward first-generation college students may impact their self-concepts and reduce financial anxiety.

Interesting Patterns Found When Academic and Public Library Use by Foreign-born Students Is Assessed Using ‘Super-Diversity’ Variables

A Review of:&#x0D; Albarillo, F. (2018). Super-diversity and foreign-born students in academic libraries: A survey study. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 18(1), 59-91. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2018.0004&#x0D; Abstract&#x0D; Objective – To evaluate the relationship between academic and public library usage and various characteristics of foreign-born students.&#x0D; Design – Survey questionnaire.&#x0D; Setting – Medium-sized public liberal arts college in the northeastern United States.&#x0D; Subjects – 123 foreign-born students enrolled at the institution in fall 2014.&#x0D; Methods – The researcher emailed a five-part survey to participants who indicated on a screening survey that they were foreign-born students currently enrolled at the college. Of the participants emailed, 94 completed the survey. The survey used a super-diversity lens to assess academic and public library use by foreign-born students in relationship to multiple variables, including student status, race and ethnicity, immigration status, first-generation student status, gender, age, age of arrival in the United States (US), years living in the US, and ZIP Code (used to approximate median income based on the US Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey). Respondents reported frequency of use on a Likert-type scale of 1=Never to 6=Always. The author adapted items from the In Library Use Survey Instrument (University of Washington Libraries, 2011). Usage types included: computer, Wi-Fi, staff assistance, electronic resources, physical resources, printing/scanning/photocopying, program attendance, and physical space. Independent sample t-tests were used to evaluate mean differences in reported library usage based on demographic variables. The author used Somers’ d statistical tests to explore the relationship between library use and age, age on arrival in the US, years lived in the US, and median income. The survey asked participants to describe both academic and public libraries in five words. To show term frequency, the author used word clouds as a visualization technique.&#x0D; Main Results – The study reported on the results of the library use survey section. Overall, foreign-born students used college libraries more frequently than public libraries. The author reported on findings that were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.5), focusing on those with mean differences ≥ 0.5. Key findings included: undergraduate students used public libraries and Wi-Fi/e-resources onsite at college libraries more often than graduate students; first-generation students gathered at the library with friends more frequently; no significant difference was reported in library resource use by gender; and non-white students used the college library more frequently as a study space and for printing. The author was surprised no significant differences in usage were found between participants with permanent vs. temporary immigration status. Somers’ d associations showed an inverse relationship between age and Wi-Fi use and age of arrival in the United States and likelihood of eating in the library. Overall, both library types were positively described in open-ended responses as places with social and academic value.&#x0D; Conclusion – The author suggested the concept of super-diversity equips librarians with a more inclusive approach to studying library user perspectives and behaviors. The author used survey data and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Diversity Standards (2012) to highlight library service considerations for foreign-born students. Examples of suggested service improvements included supporting printing in Unicode non-English fonts, cultivating a diverse library staff, and providing culturally appropriate library orientations and outreach. The author recommended that more research with foreign-born students was needed to assess culturally appropriate areas for eating and socializing, unique information needs, and expectations and awareness of library services. The author suggested first-generation students’ use of the library for socializing and non-white students’ higher use of libraries for studying as two areas for further qualitative study. The author also suggested creating services and partnerships between public and academic libraries could support foreign-born students, even recommending cross-training of library staff.

Investigating the Impact of Online Classes on Undergraduate Degree Completion

This study expands on current research that examines the impact of online courses on retention, degree completion, and student success. The researchers investigated the impact of online courses on degree completion by using existing graduation rate data, course enrollment data, and student grades for undergraduate students at a multi-campus 4-year institution. The researchers aimed to provide advisors, faculty, and administrators with a better understanding of how online classes fit into an undergraduate student’s program of study while completing their degrees within the desired timeframe. The researchers additionally sought to understand the impact of taking online classes on degree completion while controlling for student demographic and academic factors (e.g. age, first-generation student status, socioeconomic status, SAT/ACT scores, and 1st semester GPA) and campus type (traditional flagship, urban research, and regional). Results indicated that regardless of campus type taking one or more online classes during their program of study increased undergraduate students’ likelihood of successful degree completion. Lastly, to provide further insight, this study compared student performance in online and on campus classes. Results for this comparison were mixed; slightly higher or slightly lower online course grades were obtained by students compared to face-to-face course grades depending on type of campus.

First-Generation Student Status Is Not Enough: How Acknowledging Students with Working-Class Identities Can Help Us Better Serve Students

First-Generation Student Status Is Not Enough: How Acknowledging Students with Working-Class Identities Can Help Us Better Serve Students

Satisfaction Does not Equal Success: College Alcohol Use and Basic Psychological Needs

From the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) perspective, this study identified significant relationships between basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and alcohol-related attitudes and behaviors among college students. Also related to basic needs and alcohol use were GPA, university satisfaction, self-efficacy, and perceived academic support. Group differences were explored by gender, first-generation student status, and Greek affiliation. Implications for higher education institutions are discussed.

Academic Preparedness of First-Generation College Students: Different Perspectives

As student populations continue to become more diversified, institutions must understand students’ academic preparedness to better serve them. A significant amount of research and literature focuses on experiences of students whose parents had little or no college education. Although these first-generation students have much in common with other disadvantaged student groups, their situation presents unique conditions and obstacles to their college experience. This research project seeks to focus on the topic of academic preparedness of first-generation students. More specifically, this project builds on previous research on academic preparedness of first-generation students by exploring differences in students’ attitudes about preparedness compared with traditional academic measures. This study investigates whether first-generation student status affects self-assessment of academic preparedness in the same way it affects traditional measures of academic preparedness.

The First-Generation College Student Experience: Implications for Campus Practice, and Strategies for Improving Persistence and Success (review)

Reviewed by: The First-Generation College Student Experience: Implications for Campus Practice, and Strategies for Improving Persistence and Success Rachelle Winkle-Wagner The First-Generation College Student Experience: Implications for Campus Practice, and Strategies for Improving Persistence and Success. Jeff Davis. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2010, 221 pages, $29.95 (softcover) First-generation student status, signifying those students whose parents do not have college degrees, is a reasonably new area of inquiry in higher education research. Jeff Davis' new book highlights first-generation students as a growing population of students with unique challenges and needs. Davis desires to emphasize the diversity of first-generation student status as an important category on its own, one that may or may not relate to socioeconomic, immigrant, race, or gender categories. The first three chapters of the book review research about first-generation students. Chapter one provides a call to arms to take first-generation students seriously alongside some recommendations for ways to better account for these students from numerical and policy perspectives. Chapter two reviews learning and campus presence, illustrating that first-generation students may have [End Page 763] unique needs that are often not met on college campuses and that more empirical work on first-generation students is needed. Chapter three provides an overview of the struggles of first-generation students. The heart of this book is in chapter four, a collection of reflective essays, or narratives as Davis refers to them, written by first-generation students from Sonoma State University. These student accounts of their experiences about gaining college access and attempting to persist through their degree are candid and sometimes heart-wrenching. Scholars and practitioners could gain valuable insight from these students' essays. First-generation students may see themselves in these stories. Or, they may at least feel less alone for having read them. Following these narratives, Davis offers his interpretation, relating it to previous literature and practice in chapter five. The final chapter provides recommendations for practice that faculty and student affairs administrators in particular could implement on their campuses. While these narratives and Davis' reflections upon them are thoughtful and valuable, the book's lack of a research methodology and theoretical grounding with respect to the consideration of intersections between race, class, and gender categories were not as satisfying. The book contains no description of the research design or methodology used in regards to sampling or data analysis, for example. The students who wrote the narrative accounts were primarily a convenience sample of 14 students at Sonoma State University who were involved in a federally funded project during the past decade. This is not problematic in and of itself, but, there are significant variations in the students who were included in the book, representing combinations of the following characteristics: first- and second- generation immigrants to the U.S., students of color, Whites, men, women, nontraditional college students, and traditional aged college students. Although this demonstrates the diversity in first-generation students' experiences, because the book includes only 14 students' essays over a 10-year period, it is difficult to decide how to analyze, and especially interpret, these experiences. Also missing from the book was a description of how the data/narratives were analyzed. Davis indicates that he does not intend for these narratives to be social science case histories but chapter five of the book does offer some interpretation. If the interpretation is not from a social science perspective, it is difficult to assess the rigor or quality of the findings and subsequent interpretations and policy recommendations. This is potentially detrimental to the very heartfelt, important, and compelling student narratives present in the text. That is, without demonstrating the way in which one arrives at the interpretations from data, the findings are less meaningful. Additionally, and related to data analysis and interpretation, there was no indication of how trustworthiness or validation of the analysis was ensured (Patton, 2001). Although the students did meet with a faculty member about their narratives, it is unclear if the students had the opportunity to voice concerns about how their stories were used or interpreted. This could disfavor the noble intentions of the book, which are undoubtedly to advocate for first-generation students...