-  There are a range of studies that have provided knowledge about first-generation college students in regards to their academic preparation and transition to postsecondary education. However, not much is known about their college experiences or their cognitive and psychosocial development. 
- One study done by Terenzini et al. is the only one at this point that has addressed this specifically and they found that first-generation students: 
     -  completed fewer credit hours, 
     -  took fewer humanities and fine arts courses,
     -  studied fewer hours,
     -  worked more hours per week,
     -  were less likely to participate in an honors program,
     -  and made smaller first-year gains in reading comprehension
-  However this study was limited since it only looked at students during their first year of college and only looked at cognitive outcomes. 

Experiences and Outcomes of First-Generation Students in Community Colleges: Background

-  The present research analyzes first generation college students’ experiences and outcomes from five different community colleges. 
- Two purposes:
    - 1) "...to estimate the net differences between first-generation and other college students in their academic and nonacademic experiences of college."
    - 2) "...to estimate the net differences between first generation students and their peers after two years of college in select cognitive, psychosocial, and status attainment outcomes" 

Experiences and Outcomes of First-Generation Students in Community Colleges: Purpose

- The sample came from five community colleges in five different states. They randomly selected 144 students from the community colleges. 
- Independent variables: comparing first-generation students with all other college students.  “Other students” were only those who had both parents with college degrees (not those with just one parent with a degree). 
- In this “other college student” category, they further divided it into levels of “high” and “moderate” levels of postsecondary education. 
- Therefore, the independent variable "other college students" was split into 2 groups— one with students whose parents had both completed a bachelor’s or above (high education level) , and the second with one or more parents having completed at least some college, but no more than one parent with a bachelor’s degree or above (moderate education level). 
-  The other variable was students with parents having no more than a high school degree (first-generation). 

Experiences and Outcomes of First-Generation Students in Community Colleges: Methods

-  Considered 21 individual measures of students’ academic and nonacademic experiences during the first two years of college. 
-  National Study of Student Learning (NSSL) was a federally funded longitudinal investigation of the factors influencing learning, cognitive growth, psychosocial growth, and other college outcomes — data from the NSSL was used for measures of the academic and nonacademic experience of college. 

Experiences and Outcomes of First-Generation Students in Community Colleges: Measures

- Multiple regression was used in two stages
    - 1st to analyze net differences between first generation and other college students in the 21 academic and nonacademic experiences of college 
    - 2nd analyzed net differences between first generation and other students based on the seven outcome variables 

Experiences and Outcomes of First-Generation Students in Community Colleges: Analyses

-  Even with the controlled variables, first generation students in community colleges have different experiences, especially in comparison to students who have parents with high parental postsecondary education (both parents completed a bachelors degree or higher). 
-  Specifically, first generation students across the two years of this study “completed fewer credit hours; studied less; took fewer courses in the natural sciences, mathematics, and the arts and humanities; had lower college grades; were less likely to join a Greek organization; and worked more hours per week than their classmates whose parents had both completed a bachelor’s degree or above.” These results were statistically reliable and substantial in magnitude. 

Experiences and Outcomes of First-Generation Students in Community Colleges: Results

I chose this paper because the last paper I summarized, “Closing the social class achievement gap” had the purpose of determining ways to close the achievement gap that exists between first generation students and other college students. However, it is important to learn about the actual gap that exists and find the papers that establish the parent education level achievement gap, which this paper does. 

Why "Experiences and Outcomes of First-Generation Students in Community Colleges" is helpful

-  Seven outcome variables — all assessed at the end of the second year of college. Selected sources from the NSSL (limitation). 
     -  2 outcome variables were standardized measures of learning or cognitive development. For this the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) was used, which assessed science reasoning and writing skills. 
     - 4 outcome variables looked at orientations to learning- measured using four factorially derived scales. 
     - 1 outcome variable looked at students educational plans- this was measured by one question: “What is the highest academic degree that you intend to obtain in your lifetime” ranked 1 (none) to 6 (doctoral degree or professional equivalent). 
- Pre-college variables were also controlled for— including sex, ethnicity, age, combined parental income, secondary school grades, a measure of academic motivation, volunteer work in high school, openness to diversity and challenge, self-understanding, internal locus of attribution for academic success, preference for higher order cognitive tasks, and educational plans. 

Experiences and Outcomes of First-Generation Students in Community Colleges: Outcome Variables

-  Background 
-  Purpose
-  Methods
-  Measures
-  Outcome Variables
-  Analyses
-  Results

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Persistent and significant gaps in academic performance and/or educational attainment between students with parents with high educational attainment and students with parents with low educational attainment. 

Parent Education Level Achievement Gap

Pascarella, Ernest T, Wolniak, Gregory C, Pierson, Christopher T, & Terenzini, Patrick T. (2003). Experiences and Outcomes of First-Generation Students in Community Colleges. Journal of college student development, 44(3), 420–429. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Experiences and Outcomes of First-Generation Students in Community Colleges

Although earning a 4-year college degree is the most reliable way to end up with a higher socioeconomic status, college students without parents who attended 4-year colleges get lower grades and are more likely to drop out than students who have at least one parent with a 4 year degree. 
-  First -generation students are those that do not have parents with a 4-year college degree 
-  Continuing generation students are those that have at least one parent with a 4 year degree

A paradox exists in social mobility in the United States 

-  Background & Purpose
-  Research Questions
-  Methods
-  Findings
-  Conclusion

Understanding Students’ Parental Education Beyond First-Generation Status

One of the two main backgrounds that disadvantaged students in STEM courses tend to have, potentially leading to an achievement gap compared to the majority students:

- first-generation students (FG): a student who is the first in their family to attend college or receive higher education, since neither of their parents had a 4-year college degree
- in contrast with continuing-generation students (CG), FG students are of a sizable minority in college but tend to quit college compared to CG students
- the URM and FG backgrounds for disadvantaged students tend to overlap, as students can be of both identities, which is what the research study addresses

Closing Gaps with a Utility-Value Intervention- First-Generation Students

- A study on the effects of parental involvement on educational aspirations of first-generation (FG) vs. non-first-generations students (NFG).
   - Studied if there is a difference between educational aspirations and the actual level of education FG students obtained.
   - Studied the level of education among FG students using gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
- The researchers obtained longitudinal data from two samples of 1,879 students from the National Educational Educational Longitudinal Study 1988 - 2000.

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