The Impact of Self-Perception of Academic Ability on Academic Performance in African American, Male, First Generation College Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brock Anthony Joseph Mayers
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
African American ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
African American Male ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Academic Ability ◽  
Self Perception ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
The Impact

“Listen to the Feedback of Students”: First-Generation College Students Voice Inequalities in Schooling Brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 152102512110663
Author(s):  
Cassandra R. Davis ◽  
Harriet Hartman ◽  
Milanika Turner ◽  
Terri Norton ◽  
Julie Sexton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Students First ◽  
Return To College ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

In March 2020, the higher-education community faced one of its largest disruptions to date with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing campuses to close their doors to thousands of students. The university-wide closures prompted a collaboration between researchers and college administrators to assess the impact of COVID-19 on First-Generation College Students (FGCS). The team surveyed 659 FGCS across five U.S. universities to assess the ways in which the pandemic exacerbated already existing inequalities students faced in their persistence to graduate from college. The team used the social cognitive career theory as a conceptual framework for analysis. Our findings revealed that when respondents compared their life before COVID-19 with their present state, FGCS were less likely to perceive they had enough money to return to college, felt overwhelmed and lonely by added stress, and were more likely to see an increase in family responsibilities.

Pushing the Boulder Uphill: The Persistence of First-Generation College Students

NASPA Journal ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Somers ◽  
Shawn R Woodhouse ◽  
James E. Cofer
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Student Loans ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Student Aid ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
High Test Score ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

This study examined the impact of background, aspirations, achievement, college experiences, and price on the persistence of first-generation (F-gen) and continuing generation (C-gen) college students at 4-year institutions using the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study of 1995–96 (n = 24,262). We found differences between the two groups on the effect size for almost all of the significant variables. F-gen students were more sensitive to financial aid and averse to student loans than their peers. However, even variables such as high income, high test score, and high grade point average, which similar studies have found to be significant and positively associated with persistence, did not influence the persistence of F-gen students in this study.

The impact of peer mentoring on the mentors

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Connolly
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Peer Mentoring ◽  
First Generation ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of first generation peer mentoring experiences on retention, grade point average and students’ perception of their academic and leadership development. Design/methodology/approach This study utilized a mixed methods approach. Focus groups and interviews were utilized to determine the reported leadership experiences of the mentors. Descriptive statistics were used to compare grade point averages and retention rates. Findings The study found peer mentors in residential life perceived an increase in leadership skills; including role modeling, time management, personal confidence, and problem solving. The peers were challenged in their roles, and perceived these challenges to help them to grow as leaders. When compared to their peers, the peer mentors experienced increased retention and similar grade point averages. The results indicated that peer mentoring experiences can be beneficial for the mentors who are first generation college students, even experiences that are particularly challenging. Research limitations/implications The biggest limitation to this study is the fact that this was a small sample, without a control group. A further limitation is that it was difficult to get students to participate in the study. Future research might examine peer mentoring experiences of first generation students on larger campuses or on multiple campuses to allow for a control group of first generation peers without a peer mentoring experience. Practical implications The results indicated that peer mentoring experiences can be beneficial for the mentors who are first generation college students, even experiences that are particularly challenging. Social implications Due to the potential for their success, these types of experiences should be expanded for first generation students, a group that is at a higher risk for drop out. Special attention should be paid to ongoing training in peer mentoring experiences, given the level of commitment by the mentors. Originality/value While other studies have examined the impact of peer mentoring on those that have been mentored, and a few have examined the impact of the experience on the mentors themselves this study extends the research by looking at first generation college students. This is valuable because first generation students continue to lag in their success in college and practical research on what can improve the student experience for this group is necessary.

Active Learning and Interpersonal Skills Development among First-Generation College Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Acevedo ◽  
Alexandra J Lazar
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Active Learning ◽  
Interpersonal Skills ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Evaluative Thinking

Abstract Scholars have detailed the benefits of active learning, particularly the impact that simulations can have on promoting engagement and evaluative thinking. Scholars have discussed the positive effects of active learning on first-generation college students, but there is minimal research on how simulations contribute to developing interpersonal skills, especially among first-generation college students. Interpersonal skills, often referred to as soft skills, are challenging to quantify since they focus on how individuals relate and interact with others. These skills include oral and written communication, teamwork, confidence, and leadership skills. This article examines whether stimulations taught within an active learning environment contributed to developing interpersonal skills among first-generation college students. In a retrospective survey administered at a single campus, our findings suggest that active learning contributes to the building of cultural capital for first-generation college students and also contributes developing interpersonal skills for both first-generation and second-generation college students.

Making History Matter: Teaching Comparative African American and Latina/o Histories in an Age of Neoliberal Crisis

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Ortiz
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
First Generation College Students ◽  
Law And Order ◽  
Comparative Ethnic Studies ◽  
First Generation College ◽  
Community Organizers ◽  
Working Class Students ◽  
The Impact

<p class="p1">This article critically evaluates a comparative ethnic studies course that I have taught at three different universities during the past fifteen years, called “African American and Latina/o Histories.” I am especially interested in the impact this form of education has on participants, many of whom are first-generation college students of color, as well as the ways that course alumni have taken what they have learned in the classroom into their work as community organizers, teachers, prison educators, art workers, parents, and other roles. An overarching concern here is how we can design courses that address the challenges that working-class students face in an era of mass incarceration, anti-immigrant hysteria, and anti-Black racism. As one of my students notes, “The agents of law and order encourage us to live in the shadows and their bulky flashlights keep us hiding.” In the current climate of fear, and in the shadow of family incarceration and deportations that so many of our students live under, how can educators create spaces where students are encouraged to critically examine the world they (we) live in? Equally important, how can students move from rigorous analysis to effective action and civic engagement? </p>

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