First Generation College Students: What to Expect—How to HelpRegina Bobak- Academic Enrichment (SSC 026)

rbobak@bloomu.edu

Beth Rogowsky-Teaching and Learning (MCHS 2213)brogowsk@bloomu.edu

Two BU faculty members, who were both first generation college students themselves, will take their learnings from a recent Lilly conference as well as their own personal experiences and present one contributing factor to 1st generation college students’ reported lower levels of engagement and academic success in college—limitedinteraction with faculty members. They will examine 1st generation faculty-student interactions and the correlation with academic success. Strategies will be discussed to increase interaction and hopefully increase 1st generation students' success in college.

• Why do students come to office hours? • Why do we want them to come to office

hours?• What do we want students to get out of

office hours?• What kinds of students are most likely to

come to office hours?• What kinds of students do we want to

come to office hours?

Office Hours

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQq1-_ujXrM

First-generation college student (FGS):A student whose parents do not have a four-year college degree…

Or a student whose parents never attended college.

Faculty-student interaction:Office hours, answering or asking questions in class, informal out-of-class interaction, email contact, conversations after class…

Terminology

Faculty-student interaction is directly correlated with greater academic, intellectual and personal success in college (Soria & Stebleton, 2012; Lamport,

1993; Kuh & Hu, 2001; Astin, 1984; Kim and Sax, 2009; Lundberg and Schreiner, 2004).

First-generation college students have significantly lower levels of faculty-student interaction (Engle & Tinto, 2008; Kim & Sax, 2009; Soria & Stebleton, 2012).

Correlations

FGS DemographicsCompared to their non-FGS peers, FGS are:•Lower-income (Terenzini et al., 1996; Ishitani, 2006; Nuñez & Cucaro-Alamin, 1998);•More likely to be minority (Terenzini et al., 1996; Choy, 2001; Bui, 2005);•More likely to live at home (Saenz et al., 2007);•More likely to work full-time or have multiple part-time jobs (Engle & Tinto, 2008; Pascarella et al., 2008; Saenz et al., 2007);•Not as academically prepared for college (Choy, 2011; Davis, 2010; Engle & Tinto, 2008; Pascarella et al., 2004; Terenzini et al., 1996);

•Less likely to know their major (Davis, 2010);•More inclined to pick a major that they or parents view as “practical” (Snell, 2008);•Lower-scoring on critical thinking and self-efficacy assessments (Arum & Roksa, 2011).

Academic ExperienceCompared to their non-FGS peers, FGS are:•Less likely to enroll in college (Choy, 2001);•Less likely to complete a degree (Engle & Tinto, 2008);•Less engaged in college—socially, intellectually and academically (Arum & Roksa, 2011; Davis, 2010; Engle & Tinto, 2008; Pascarella, 2004; Terenzini, Springer, Yaeger, Pascarella & Nora, 1996);

•Less likely to interact with faculty, formally or informally, in class or out of class (Engle & Tinto, 2008; Kim & Sax,

2009; Soria & Stebleton, 2012);•Less successful in college, measured by GPA and graduation rate (Engle & Tinto, 2008; Terenzini et al., 1996; Choy, 2001; Engle &

Tinto, 2008; and Pascarella et al., 2004).

Parental Education Level (FGS status) and Informal Interactions with Faculty

Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS: 04/09) longitudinal study from NCES

Parental Education Level (FGS status) and Office Hours

Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS: 04/09) longitudinal study from NCES

Similarities between FGS and Non-FGS:

• Desire and intention to meet expectations;• Respect for professors;• Reasons for participating in class or seeking

out professors.

(Hutchison, 2015)

learn, share opinions, understand assignments, receive rec letters

All more likely to participate if they are • interested in subject, • prepared for class, • comfortable among peers, • sense that the professor welcomes opinions

Differences between FGS and non-FGS:

• Viewed professors differently;• FGS more motivated to be active in class by participation grade;• Non-FGS based perceptions on parents’modeling, attitudes, advice, while FGS based perceptions on outside models, were more likely to have gotten abstract advice (reaching goals, succeeding in life);• After intensive small-class experience, non-FGS do not report significant changes, while FGS report significant changes.

(Hutchison, 2015)

How do we increase first-generation college students’ comfort with faculty?

How do we increase first-generation college students’ comfort with faculty(without singling them out)

??

How do we increase first-generation college students’ comfort with faculty(without singling them out)

??

• Clear expectations• Participation grade and/or mandatory

office visits• Transparency (share relevant experiences)• Importance of social networking • Cultural capital (low vs. higher SES)• Resources (professional mentoring,

financial, psychological, and academic)

References

Arum, R., & Roksa, J. (2011). Academically adrift: Limited learning on college campuses. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Astin, A. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25, 297-308.

Bui, V. T. (2002). First-generation college students at a four-year university: Background characteristics, reasons for pursuing higher education, and first-year experiences. College Student Journal, 36(1), 3.

Choy, S. (2001). Students whose Parents Did not Go to College: Postsecondary Access, Persistence, and Attainment No. NCES Rep. No. 2001-126. Washington, DC: National Center for Educational Statistics.

Davis, J. (2010). The First Generation Student Experience: Implications for Campus Practice, and Strategies for Improving Persistence and Success. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Engle, J., & Tinto, V. (2008). Moving Beyond Access: College Success for Low-Income, First-Generation StudentsNo. ED504448). Washington, DC: Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education.

Hutchison, M. V. (2015, December) First-generation college students: A qualitative exploration of the relationship between Parental education level and perceptions of faculty-student interaction (Doctoral Dissertation) http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5073&context=etd

Ishitani, T. T. (2006). Studying attrition and degree completion behavior among first-generation college students in the United States. Journal of Higher Education, 77(5), 861-885.

Kim, Y., & Sax, L. (2009). Student–faculty interaction in research universities: Differences by student gender, race, social class, and first-generation status. Research in Higher Education, 50(5), 437-459. doi:10.1007/s11162-009-9127-x

Kuh, G. D., & Hu, S. (2001). The effects of student-faculty interaction in the 1990s. The Review of Higher Education, 24(3), 309-332.

Lamport, M. A. (1993). Student-faculty informal interaction and the effect on college student outcomes: A review. Adolescence, 28(112), 971. Lee, J. J., Sax, L. J., Kim, K. A., & Hagedorn, L. S. (2004). Understanding students' parental education beyond first-generation status. Community College Review, 32(1), 1-20.

References, cont.

Nuñez, A., & Cuccaro-Alamin, S. (1998). First-Generation Students: Undergraduates Whose Parents Never Enrolled in Postsecondary Education No. NCES 98082). Washington, DC: National Center or Educational Statistics.

Pascarella, E., & Terenzini, P. (1978). Student-faculty informal contact and college persistence: A further investigation. Journal of Educational Research, 72, 214-218.

Pascarella, E. T., Pierson, C. T., Wolniak, G. C., & Terenzini, P. T. (2004). First-generation college students. Journal of Higher Education, 75(3), 249-284.

Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (1977). Patterns of student-faculty informal interaction beyond the classroom and voluntary freshman attrition. The Journal of Higher Education, 48(5), 540-552.

Pike, G. R., & Kuh, G. D. (2005). First- and second-generation college students: A comparison of their engagement and intellectual development. Journal of Higher Education, 76(3), 276-300.

Saenz, V. B., Hurtado, S., Barrera, D., Wolf, D., & Yeung, F. (2007). First in My family: A Profile of First-Generation College Students at Four-Year Institutions Since 1971. Los Angeles: Regents of the University of California.

Snell, T. P. (2008). First-Generation Students, Social Class, and Literacy. American Association of University Professors.

Soria, K. M., & Stebleton, M. J. (2012). First-generation students' academic engagement and retention. Teaching in Higher Education, 17(6), 673-685. doi:10.1080/13562517.2012.666735

Stephens, N. M., Fryberg, S. A., Markus, H. R., Johnson, C. S., & Covarrubias, R. (2012). Unseen disadvantage: How American universities' focus on independence undermines the academic performance of first-generation college students. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(6), 1178-1197. doi:10.1037/a0027143

Terenzini, P. T., Springer, L., Yaeger, P. M., Pascarella, E. T., & Nora, A. (1996). First generation college students: Characteristics, experiences, and cognitive development. Research in Higher Education, 37(1), 1-22.

Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.