Literature Review #5

(1) Visual

(2) Citation            

• Engle, Jennifer, Adolfo Bermeo, and Colleen O’Brien Straight from the Source: What Works for First-Generation Students Pell Institute: 2012. Print.

(3) Summary

•  The report like my other sources, define the characteristics of first-generation students. However, it offers a different take on the effects of these characteristics. Also, it offers strategies that can be used to help these students. Most importantly, it supports the idea of survivor guilt during family and college culture struggles.

(4) Author(s)

• Jennifer Engle Research Analyst at Pell Institute
• Adolfo Bermeo Senior Scholar at Pell Institute
• Colleen O’Brien Director at Pell Institute

(5) Key terms

•  “leap of faith”- many first-generation students take this risk of attending college, without much knowledge about the process
• lack of “college knowledge”- students and their parents lack access to information about the process of preparing, applying, and paying for postsecondary education.

(6) Quotes

• “As Rendon (1992) describes, first-generation students often experience problems ‘that arise from [living] simultaneously in two vastly different worlds while being fully accepted in neither’” (18).
• “…the lower performance and persistence rates of first-generation students are more likely attributable to the fact that they are less likely to engage in the academic and social experiences associated with success in college (Pike & Kuh, 2005) such as studying in groups, interacting with faculty and other students, participating in extracurricular activities, and using support services” (17).
• “Many first-generation students had no or low aspirations for going to college prior to participating in pre-college programs. They did not think a college education was necessary to get a job and/or they did not think going to college was possible because they could not pay for it or could not get in” (5).

 (7) Value

• The report provides a different take on cultural differences that first generation students deal with. It helps my study about competing family and college responsibilities.

Research Blog #9: Counter-Argument

         Students with different characteristics can fall into social isolation and academic downfall during their college years. Therefore, these students may not only be first-generation students. They may simply be low-income, shy, and/or socially introverted students. As well, students who struggled academically in high school would also face lower academic aspirations in college.  
         Paying for the Party by Armstrong and Hamilton offers research relating low-income students and downward mobility in college. Though some of the low-income women were first-generation students as well, others were not. So, are first-generation students less likely to succeed simply because they are for the most part, poor, or do they have characteristics found only in first-generation students? Are these first-generation students really that different from non-first-generation, low-income students? I am still continuing research on this argument, but there seems to be a focus on the fact that parents are unable to provide social and academic advice.

Research Blog #8: Interview

       I had the opportunity to interview a few first-generation college students from various colleges. The students were current students or recent graduates. Discussions were performed through in-person, e-mail, and phone interviews.

       First, I interviewed Kevin H., alumnus of NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. He majored in Electrical Engineering. His career goals were to earn a professional electrical engineering license. He is now working as an engineer. I chose to interview him because though he was the first to attend college in his immediate family, he showed attempts to neutralize the challenge. Kevin reflected upon how his parents contributed to his college years, "my parents could not support me academically as they did not have the opportunity to achieve a higher education; however they did provided me with financial support throughout college." In response to whether he was socially active on campus, he offered an answer that is prevalent among commuter students. "Because the university I attended is located in my hometown, much of my social life did not revolve around the school’s campus. However, most of the time that I do spend on campus outside of class, I was studying with friends and classmates." For the remainder of the interview, we talked about level of academic aspirations and family/outside commitments. Such responses will very likely be integrated into my final research paper.

       For simplicity, I am posting the interview of one student. However, many of my other interviews provided great feedback. I anticipate to incorporate the interviews of the other students into my final research paper. I found it interesting that for the most part, the students I interviewed responded that their parents did not guide them or provide advice toward their chosen career goals. Rather, their parents usually just advised them to pursue any career that was financially stable. This was the case for five out of six students. The interviews are definitely helpful; they bring a more interesting, personal perspective on the otherwise distant research journals.

Research Blog #7: Your Case

 My argument is that first-generation students are confronted by unique circumstances that bar them from full academic and social integration, which greatly reduces chances of success in college. The case represented by Jennifer Engle and Vincent Tinto studies the background of first-generation students. As well, they propose methods the government can implement to boost retention and graduation rates. The case they make greatly supports that first-generation students have unique circumstances. Along with Engle and Tinto's research, I am also analyzing Lee Ward's research in First-Generation College Students: Understanding and Improving the Experience from Recruitment to Commencement. His work delves into deeper detail; it provides supportive facts to Tinto's more generalized research. Some additional material include stories on the I'm First! website. The organization documents the stories of many individuals who are the first in their families to attend college. The short videos provide a more personal perspective on the topic of first-generation students.

Links
Moving Beyond Access: College Success for Low-Income, First-Generation Students
Engle, Jennifer, Vincent Tinto 
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504448.pdf 

I'm First!
http://www.imfirst.org/stories/#top

Research Blog #6: Visual

• Engle, Jennifer, Vincent Tinto, and Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in,Higher   Education. Moving Beyond Access: College Success for Low-Income, First-Generation Students. Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, 2008. Print.

The visual illustrates a few factors that challenge first-generation college students. The study focused on multiple variables including delayed enrollment, average distance from home, off-campus residency, and part-time or full-time work. The groups studied were low-income first-generation, low-income or first-generation only, and not low-income and not first-generation students. According  to the research, most low-income, first-generation students live on average, closer to home and/or off-campus. As well, they are more likely to work at least part-time. The visual is significant because it supports the idea that first-generation students are easily isolated from campus life because they work or commute. Most importantly, it supports the existence of statistical difference between first-generation and non-first-generation students.