How Perceptions of Campus Information Resources Motivate First-Generation and Continuing-Generation Students' Use of Nonexpert Sources in the First Year of College

Advisors and instructors can play important roles in leveling the playing field for first-generation college students, who often have limited support networks compared to their continuing-generation peers. However, out-of-class communication with these resources remains infrequent. In this study, the authors investigate the factors that deter students from consulting with campus resources and motivate their use of external sources. Through interviews and focus groups with 20 first-year students at a midsized public university, the authors identify how students' perceptions of various resources inform their use of those resources during the transition to college. They argue that students' reluctance to meet with expert sources intensifies their motivation to seek out nonexpert sources in their networks, a pattern of behavior that could intensify information disparities between first-generation and continuing-generation students. The authors recommend strategies for increasing student use of campus resources based on their findings.

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