Research has demonstrated that the low-income, first-generation, and/or working-class (LIFGWC) student experience of higher education can be alienating and isolating. Because social class status is not often visible, LIFGWC students, who are the minority on 4-year college campuses, may have difficulty finding others with whom they share similar…

The double burden of spiraling costs and limited financial aid has prompted more college students to work more hours than ever. Yet, working more hours can be detrimental to students' academic success and persistence, and first-generation college students are at even higher risk. While institutions cannot control off campus employment students…

This study examines how successful Latino first-generation college students (LFGCS), all seniors at a large, highly-selective research university, integrated into chosen communities and built unique social networks to support their persistence in college. Utilizing integration and social capital frameworks, and analyzing the college life histories…

Using a qualitative approach, we sought to understand the social networks and decision-making strategies of minority males as they choose to attend a postsecondary institution. Data were obtained from interviews where students self-report perceptions of their college transition process. Our findings suggest that students' social networks are…

The number of military-connected students enrolling in community colleges has increased dramatically in the past decade, and this trend is expected to continue. This research focused on examining factors that contribute to the academic success of community college students. Specifically, the purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the…

Students in CUNY Guttman's Ethnographies of Work course become researchers, observing and analyzing workplace culture, expectations, racial norms, and other dynamics. In this report, student and employer participants share their perspectives on this unique learning experience.

This report is an in-depth case study of the No Excuses Poverty Initiative at Amarillo College (AC), a midsize community college in the Texas Panhandle. Nearly a decade ago, AC's leadership initiated a reflective and intentional series of steps to help alleviate the conditions of poverty affecting their students and promote the chances those…

Educational and political leaders across the nation seek to create a more educated population in order to compete in a global technology-oriented society and to increase earning potential of workers. Colleges and universities are currently seeking ways to increase persistence and achievement in order to produce more college graduates. Georgia's…

Louis V. Macias reminds us that educators' attitudes toward first-generation students have a great impact on their eventual success … or failure. Are you serving the best interests of your students with an inspirational, success-oriented mind-set that considers all of their capabilities?

This study explores how participation in a first-generation college student sophomore seminar course, a high impact practice, influences students' perceptions of campus climate, access to forms of capital and involvement behaviors. Utilizing a mixed methods approach of quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to explore the experience of…

First generation college students (FGCS) of all racial/ethnic backgrounds graduate from college at lower rates than their non-first generation peers. However, FGCS who are also Black or Hispanic graduate at even lower rates than FGCS who are White or Asian/Pacific Islander. Out of all racial/ethnic groups, students of Hispanic background are…

This study examined the career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) and career maturity of 268 first-generation baccalaureate and community college student participants. Three independent variables were analyzed, including generational status (first generation and nonfirst generation), college type (baccalaureate, community college), and socioeconomic…

Studies suggest that individuals with a parent who attended college or a university are more likely to attend themselves. Scholars have also argued that academic success at the highest levels requires the acquisition of a large vocabulary and fluency in multiple discourses, and that forming habits of reading various kinds of texts outside of…

Researchers and policymakers argue that expanding college access is one way to increase opportunities for students who would become the first in their families to enroll in a postsecondary institution. This article uses measures of educational attainment in the previous two generations to consider whether parents' own histories of educational…

The study examines the educational and counseling experiences of low-income, first-generation Latino/a community college students. The overarching research question of the study asks: what are the educational and counseling experiences of low-income, first-generation Latino/a community college students? Additionally, four sub-questions are…