Students who are first in their families to pursue higher education are often less likely to receive the academic, social, and financial support needed to experience success when compared to students from college-educated families. This study examined the perceived differences among salient factors influencing the pursuit of higher education…

This paper focuses on a little known Bernstein concept of "gender codes" developed in the study of schooling, suggesting that schools transmit hidden gender messages though a range of semiotic devices. Initially, the paper shows how Bernstein's 1970s' research provided a novel way of looking at some critical issues current in educational…

First-generation female college students (FGFCS) make up a large portion of the diversity in higher education. Unfortunately "access" to education does not translate to success. Persistence and degree completion for these students is often undermined by seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The purposes of this study were to identify the financial…

In this multi-stage mixed analysis study, the views of 437 Hispanic students enrolled at two Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the Southwest were obtained concerning characteristics of effective elementary school teachers. Through the method of constant comparison (qualitative phase), 20 dominant themes were determined to be present in respondents'…

Higher education continues to wrestle with the challenge of engaging and retaining traditionally marginalized populations, particularly first-generation college students of color from low-income backgrounds. The typical North American campus, as a privileged space, has failed to successfully address or dismantle systems of power and difference…

In this study, the authors examined the views of 171 college students concerning their best and poorest college professors. In a multi-stage conversion mixed analysis design, students' stories of their best and poorest college professors were thematically analysed, resulting in 15 dominant themes for their best college professors and 12 dominant…

Students of color (in particular, those who are first-generation Chicano/a as well as first-generation college students), form a discourse community with a tendency to rely on dominant color-blind ideology concerning freedom of choice and equal opportunity to explain their positions within the academy. In this article, the author analyzes the…

This paper reports on the findings of a formative evaluation of the mentorship support programme run by the Maskh'iSizwe Centre of Excellence for recipients of its bursaries. Learning theory traditions have typically been divided into those that prioritise individual cognition versus those that prioritise the context in which learning occurs. In…

Individuals who attain a higher education, whereas both their parents did not, embody the realization of social mobility. They are referred to as first-generation higher education students. Previous analyses had often portrayed them as succeeding despite their family background. This research suggests that although they face many challenges, their…

Presented at the College Board New England Regional Office (NERO) Forum in Boston in February 2008. This presentation explores first generation SAT test takers in various areas. Focusing on academic preparation, educational plans, work plans and college preferences differ between this group of students and the non-first generation students.

The author does not think of himself as a logical candidate to help first-generation college athletes graduate. He is 59 and middle class, not a former athlete or a first-generation college graduate, and obviously not hip. More to the point, he is white and Texas-born, and he attended segregated schools his whole student life. He was even at the…

This monograph focuses on the main populations and topics in the college readiness literature. The population of U.S. youth who are traditionally aged high school and college students dominates research; for the most part, the authors concentrate on literature about this population. Within this broad parameter, the review is centrally concerned…

This study examined the educational trajectories of academically resilient first-generation Latinas in college. More specifically, the study focused on the factors that led them to become academically successful. The researcher of this study conducted a narrative inquiry analysis of the K-16 educational trajectories of five academically resilient…

In correspondence to an overall decline in the Japanese population, the number of young students in Japan has been dramatically decreasing to the extent that the Japanese government has predicted a situation in which as of 2009 admissions places in Japanese universities will be equal to the number of applicants. Currently, approximately fifty…

This study involved assessing the professional and personal opinions of Mississippi community college students, faculty and administrators regarding the need for community college baccalaureate degree programs in Mississippi. The goal of this study was to determine if students, faculty and administrators at Mississippi community colleges believed…