Abstract
The
research topic discussed is the success of first generation college
students. The target population is first generation-college students.
This article reviews three studies conducted about the overall
preparedness and support systems for first-generation college
students. The research analyzed is specifically in the areas of
financial literacy, parental support, correlated stress factors and
opportunities of self-disclosure or opportunities of sharing
experiences. First-generation college students do not have readily
available a familial support system that can empathize with their
transition. They generally also lack the same preparation as
continuing generation students, such as financial literacy which can
lead to potential issues with staying on track and college
completion. Due to the lack of parental support, first generation
college students often have fewer social outlets to share experiences
allowing them to decompress during the often stressful transition.
There are many factors that contribute to the success of a college
student. First time college students have unique and complex
obstacles. This critique will analyze research conducted to explore
the journey of first-generation college students and provide insight
on how future research can be improved.
The Success
and Outcomes of First Generation College Students
The topic
of this summary is the success of first generation college students.
The target group of this summary is first generation college
students. The success of college students is often researched and
investigated so that a plan of action can be put into place for
better outcomes. Within the college student population there are
certain groups that are more at risk for stress and obstacles,
therefore more predisposed to lower grades, higher drop-out rates,
and degree non-completion. One of these marginalized groups is
first-generation college students. These students are the first
within their families to go to college. To accurately assess what
programs and administration should be implemented, it is important to
understand how the college experience of a first-generation college
student is different and more complex than a continuing generation
student. It is imperative that the success of the first-generation
college student is researched, detailed and improved if possible. The
success of continuing generations of college students beyond this
initial group greatly depends on it. A critical analysis of three
published articles on the success of first-generation college
students will be discussed.
Summary
of the Literature
Main
Findings
The
overall findings of research completed on financial literacy,
parental support, stress factors and self-disclosure is that
first-generation college students do not have equal preparation or
support systems and therefore unequal opportunities for college
success (Eitel & Martin, 2009). The financial literacy study
showed that while it was only a small contributing factor to student
persistence and graduation outcomes, it is one of many areas that
first-generation college students lack in preparation for college.
This study also clearly showed that further marginalized within the
first generation population were students of color whom were younger
in age and were freshman or sophomore in school status. The majority
of students whom did well on the financial literacy assessment were
White students at junior or senior school status. 16% of the variance
in scoring was explained by ethnicity and 19% of the variance was
explained by school classification.
(Sy,
Fong, Boehme, & Alpert, 2011-2012) Research findings of the
effects of parental support and correlated stress found that
first-generation college students had lower levels of parental
support compared to continuing generation students. The stress of
transitioning into college was found to be equal among both
first-generation and continuing education college students, however
parental support as a predictor of this stress was only found in
first-generation college students.
Additionally,
research has been conducted to find the level of self-disclosure
within first- generation college students among their families,
friends, peers and school professionals (Barry, Hudley, Kelly &
Cho, 2009). Self-disclosure is described as the student’s ability
and opportunity to confide about their personal experiences in
college to their support system. It was hypothesized that
first-generation college students had less outlets to discuss their
experiences and therefore had higher levels of stress. They do in
fact have fewer opportunities of self-disclosure but the effect size
is small. This was found not to be a true indicator of stress levels.
Critique
One consistent limitation
throughout these studies is the lack of equal race and gender
representation for the participants of the studies. Without equal
representation, the findings of the research cannot be applied to a
broader audience of students. Race often culturally effects the way a
person views money such as, individualistic versus collective family
values. Gender must be equally assessed as well to conclude the
results as accurate for both men and women. Also, within the folds of
first generation student success is the added disadvantage of
socio-economics which none of the research accounted for.
In the financial literacy study,
it is not taken into account that culturally, financial literacy or
the understanding of money is completely different depending on
cultural background and socio-economics. The value of money and what
is considered financially literate can take on different meanings in
individualistic family norms versus collective family norms. The
researchers admitted to having no real standard measure of financial
literacy but even if there was, that measure would need to consider
additional variables including culture, those whom live at home,
those that live independently and if they have a family of their own.
A significant limitation within
the study on parental support and the correlation to stress is the
over simplified approach to measuring parental support or lack
thereof and stress. Students that are first-generation college
attendees are clearly at a disadvantage when it comes to parental and
familial support as they are the first to experience this transition.
No one in their immediate family would be able to relate or empathize
with their transition. However, it is overlooked that depending on a
student’s preparation, temperament for change and attitude this may
or may not directly affect their stress levels. A lot of students who
choose to embark on this experience find alternative support systems
within friends, school administration or counselors. For a better
assessment, stress levels should have been measured prior to the
transition; perhaps the junior or senior year of high school and then
again measured during the transition to college. This same assessment
should have been completed for continuing generation students.
Completing a within subject research design would have provided much
more accurate findings.
Within
all three studies, the general measures used for financial literacy,
parental support and self-disclosure are not standardized or thorough
enough to fully prove or support the hypothesized ideas. When
measuring abstract ideas such as success and stress, certain bench
marks should be firmly established in the beginning. These bench
marks or levels of measurement should be as broad and inclusive as
possible. Defining success or stress that caters to only one group of
people will not work to accurately measure the results of others that
do not fall within that particular group.
Future
Direction
Future research to be completed
should focus on the differences of financial literacy within cultural
context. Separate studies should be designed to measure financial
literacy within the context of individualistic versus collective
family values. Those results can then be more appropriately applied
to a larger audience. Gender and race also need to be treated as
important variables. Separate studies may not be necessary but men,
women and ethnic varieties should be represented equally in each
experimental design.
To properly measure the levels of
stress in any student, there must be measures of stress levels before
and after the predicted stressful event such as college transition.
This will more accurately assess the level of stress the event is
causing. Students should be monitored by their senior year in high
school and measured for stress levels and parental support. This same
data should be collected after the transition of college for both
first-generation and continuing generation college students. Parents
should also be interviewed separately for their level of support
provided and this data can be compared to the student self reporting.
Conclusion
In conclusion there were many
limitations found within these studies that address the experience
and success of first-generation college students. Equal
representation of gender and race proved to be an issue but can
solved with more attention to participants. The measure of financial
literacy, student success and parental support all have to be clearly
defined to obtain accurate results. Directions of future research
should include more attention to the detailed status, background, and
culture of the participants included in the studies. With more
accurate findings in this area of research, more improvements can be
made to the first-generation college experience. Hopefully this will
serve as an incentive for the success of continuing generations.
References
Eitel,
S. J., & Martin, J. (2009). First-generation female college
students' financial literacy : Real and perceived barriers to degree
completion. College
Student Journal (43)2,
616-630. Retrieved from
http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/42427187/first-generation- female-college-students-financial-literacy-real-perceived-barriers-degree-completion
Sy,
S. R., Fong, K., Carter, R., Boehme, J., & Alpert, A.
(2011-2012). Parent support and stress among first-generation and
continuing-generation female students during the transition to
college.
J College Student
Retention (13)3,
383-398. doi: 10.2190/CS.13.3.g
Barry,
L. M., Cho, S., Hudley, C., Kelly, M. (2009). Differences in
self-reported disclosure of college experiences by first generation
college student status. Adolescence
(44)173, 56- 68.
