This study identifies the factors that help doctoral students cope with difficulties in their studies, based on social reproduction theory and the anti-deficit approach. A thematic analysis of 23 semi-structured interviews of doctoral students at six universities revealed that first-generation and continuing generation doctoral students had to…

Diversifying the STEM workforce is a national priority, yet white males continue to dominate the ranks of professional scientists and engineers in the United States. This is partly due to disparities in academic success for women and minoritized students in prerequisite introductory STEM courses, leading to higher attrition from B.S. degree…

Historically, much of the Library and Information Science (LIS) literature on first-generation students (FGS) framed them using deficit thinking, emphasising what they lacked to be successful in higher education. In contrast, recent scholarship has turned to asset-based pedagogies, shifting the focus onto the strengths that FGS bring to college.…

Consistent with national trends, only about ½ of students who intend to major in STEM disciplines at Maryville College (MC) complete bachelor's degrees in these fields. The Scots Science Scholars (S[superscript 3] ) program was funded through the National Science Foundation's STEM Talent Extension Program to increase the number of students…

Using data from the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) Senior Survey, I compared first-generation students' self-reported levels of engagement and outcomes with those of continuing-generation students at 16 private liberal arts colleges (N = 7,611). Membership in the first-generation group demonstrated significant, positive main…

Adult professionals enroll in online graduate programs and rely on social support and on their ability to self-regulate to be successful. The literature on academic self-regulation among emerging adults (traditional college age) is ample, but we do not know how social support interacts with academic self-regulation among adult graduate students at…

Traditionally, higher education institutions have not been easily accessible to low income, first-generation college students. However, higher education is quickly becoming more desirable for economic independence and a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. Federal college preparation programs were created to create diversity among college campuses…

This report summarizes findings from research conducted as part of the "Changing the Narrative" pilot project, which aims to make the college transition easier by developing messaging, media and interactive tools that resonate with prospective students and their families. The project is especially targeted at underrepresented groups in…

The authors reflect on their work in designing, executing, and evaluating undergraduate research experiences (UREs) that serve students of color, first-generation students, and low-income students. They assert that additional support is needed to prepare students as their cultures and identities intersect with their disciplinary learning and the…

For new-majority students (traditionally underrepresented minority, first-generation, and low-income students) who are less likely to have access to support systems, learning how to navigate the often hidden facets of academia can be a challenge. Providing programming that helps students learn how to navigate the academic landscape as they…

By expanding admissions processes to carefully consider students from first-generation and low-income backgrounds, honors programs and colleges not only increase the diversity of their programs and add richness and depth to their classes, but they also make a significant difference in the individual lives of the students who enroll. Recruiting…

In India, the inequality in education from the perspective of first-generation learners has drawn little attention. So there is an urgent need to pay attention on the issue of how robust is the effect of first generation in causing educational inequality as the first-generation students are typically confronted with the dynamics of caste-based…

New England has a rich history of innovation and economic prosperity due, in part, to the fact that the region is home to some of the nation's most prestigious higher education institutions as well as a wide array of other postsecondary offerings. Nearly 60% of the students that Thomas College, Maine, serves are "first-generation"…

Mothers are a significant but overlooked subpopulation of college students. One-fourth of all undergraduate students are parents raising children, and the vast majority of these parents are women, yet very few research studies have been conducted on parents or mothers in higher education. This narrative inquiry study looks at how mother-students…

The purpose of this study was to complete a mixed-methods comparative analysis of first-generation and non-first-generation students in the Midwest to determine potential differences between students' college satisfaction, retention factors, college selection, college experience, and deciding factors on attending college at private, public, and…