Research & Policy

Dedicated first-generation research allows for evidence-based decision-making that is critical to student success. This section highlights both foundational research and recent scholarship that informs understanding of the student experience, institutional approaches to programming, and identification of supports and barriers for first-generation students. Timely updates on public policy discussions shaping first-generation student success are also provided. In addition to the filters below, please utilize the “search” bar in the top, right corner to search by keyword, author name, or publication title.

Creating a College-Going Partnership with Latina/o Parents of Elementary School Students

This study aims to show how a more inclusive parental engagement framework will push research forward in understanding the experiences of an educational leader and Latina/o/x parents within the school site as they collaboratively develop and implement strategies to support a college-going culture.

OSR Journal of Student Research / May 2019

The Tenure-Track Process for Chicana and Latina Faculty: Experiences of Resisting and Persisting in the Academy

This anthology addresses the role of postsecondary institutional structures and policy in shaping the tenure-track process for Chicana and Latina faculty in higher education.

Peréz / May 2019

(Un)Fulfilling Requirements: Satisfactory Academic Progress and its impact on first-generation, low-income, Asian American students

This study explored how Asian American students experienced the financial aid process, including the ways in which the federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy that establishes eligibility criteria for continued student financial aid impacts their experiences in college.

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs / May 2019

Facing and Overcoming Academic Challenges: Perspectives From Deaf Latino/a First-Generation College Students

The author examined the experiences of first-generation Latino/a college students who graduated from college and those who did not graduate.

American Annals of the Deaf / May 2019

Qualitative Research on Barriers to Workplace Inclusion for First Generation Professionals

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether socio-economic status (SES) may also be a diversity characteristic for which there are barriers to inclusion for employees from low SES backgrounds.

Center for Behavioral Science Methods Research and Methodology Directorate, U.S. Census Bureau / May 2019

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Retention in First-Generation College Students

The current project uses our university’s new student survey to compare previously reported trends in first-generation college student (FGCS) retention with those found on our campus and discusses potential directions for future research and intervention programs.

Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice / May 2019

First-generation college students and cultural intelligence

This study takes a unique approach to the investigation of first-generation college students by looking at the intersection of two areas of research, firstly first-generation students and secondly cultural intelligence (CQ).

Journal of Further and Higher Education / April 2019

Straddling Class in the Academy

This book brings social class identity to the forefront of our consciousness, conversations, and behaviors and compels those in the academy to recognize classism and reimagine higher education.

Ardoin & martinez / April 2019

Barriers to College and Health Care Careers Among US Students From a Rural Community

The aim of this study was to identify rural high school students’ perceived barriers to college and health-related careers and compare whether perceptions were similar based on gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and parental education.

PRiMER / March 2019

Communication With Friends and the Academic Adjustment in the First Year of College

This study examines the role of communication with on-campus friends on first-year students’ college adjustment, measured by academic self-efficacy, among first- and non-first-generation students.

Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice / March 2019

Teaching STEM to First Generation College Students

This book provides an excellent description of dealing with immigrant and first generation college STEM students whose socioeconomic backgrounds often hinder them from reaching their full potential.

Horowitz, 2019 / March 2019

Employing Student Success: A Comprehensive Examination of On-Campus Student Employment

Throughout the years, institutions of higher education have advanced the use of the Federal Work-Study program and institutionally funded campus-based employment opportunities to provide students supporting campus operations with modest financial support.

NASPA / March 2019

Employing Resistance and Resilience in Pursuing K-12 Schooling and Higher Education: Lived Experiences of Successful Female First-Generation Students of Color

This study chronicles the lived experiences of 16 successful female first-generation students of color as they pursued K-12 schooling and accessed higher education.

Urban Education / March 2019

Supporting the Mental Health Needs of First Generation College Students

This study assessed whether differences in mental health variables, social support, academics, and financial distress exist between FGCS and NFGCS seeking services at a university counseling center.

Journal of College Student Psychotherapy / February 2019

First-Generation College Students’ Perceived Barriers and Career Outcome Expectations

This study explores contextual factors that contribute to the linkage between perceived barriers and career outcome expectations of first-generation college students (FGCS).

Journal of Career Devleopment / February 2019

THE IMPACT OF INTERNSHIPS AND STUDY ABROAD ON THE CAREER READINESS OF FIRST-GEN STUDENTS

This article examines data from NACE’s 2018 Student Survey to compare and contrast the effects of these activities on first-generation students with those of their non-first-generation peers.

National Association of Colleges and Employers / February 2019

A Critical Cultural Wealth Model of First-Generation and Economically Marginalized College Students’ Academic and Career Development

This article outlines a new model from which to conceptualize FGEM college students’ academic and career development with a focus on structural, environmental, and intrapersonal factors previously shown to predict their academic and career success.

Journal of Career Devleopment / January 2019

From “First in Family” to “First to Finish”: Does College Graduation Vary by How First-Generation College Status Is Defined?

The purpose of our study was to examine the relationship between alternative definitions of first-generation college students (FGCSs) and graduation from 2- and 4-year colleges.

Educational Policy / January 2019