Learning How to Tailor Programmatic Offerings to Support Low-income, First-generation, and Racially Minoritized Student Success

Abstract

This study focused on the process of how the staff at the Thompson Scholars Learning Community (TSLC), a comprehensive college transition program, tailored the programmatic offerings to meet the needs of low-income, first generation and racialized minority students. Because college students are complex individuals, each of whom faces a unique set of challenges and opportunities, it is reasonable to hypothesize that tailoring support services to the multiple needs of each student may make them more effective. The research identifies a four-part iterative and cyclical process to tailor the programmatic offerings for students – beginning with the individual student and then using information about individual needs to scale to broader group level tailoring. This broadening or scaling process is a new contribution to the literature that has not previously been identified. The tailored approach we identified works at both individual and group levels, which makes it viable as an intervention for large numbers of students. The effort to attend to and learn about individual students ensures that the intervention still meets the needs of individuals, but the testing of these interventions more broadly allows for understanding how these approaches will work for diverse group level tailoring.

Scaling success for low-income, first-generation in college, and/or racially minoritized students through a culture of ecological validation.

“…The reflective process used both formal and informal data to inform decision-making. As a result of this reflective practice, the staff and faculty often made adjustments to tailor the program to fit the specific needs of racialized minorities, first-generation students, or commuter and working students, for example 6 (Kezar et al, 2021).…”

“…Our study also expands on the CECE model's attention to being identity-conscious. Our study identified a process called tailoring (see Kezar et al, 2020Kezar et al, , 2021 that modifies interventions and support based on specific student needs, often related to their identities and cultural background, but are broader than this and also entail their experiences and situations such as working, commuting, family responsibilities among other issues that are addressed through the tailoring process. The tailoring process is similar to case management where students' multiple identities and needs are assessed and addressed.…”

“…6Two articles from the project focus on this process of tailoring which is similar to being conscious of culture or identity as is noted in Museus’s CECE model (Kezar et al, 2021). The data around the process of tailoring are too extensive to include in this article.…”

“…8The reflective practice that we document in this article leads to tailoring is expanded upon in other articles (Kezar et al, 2021) from this project.…”

“Our Branches Are the Vines That Must Bear Fruit”: The Role of Parents in First-Generation Students' Career Development

“…Career centers and offices providing related services should conduct outreach targeted to FGCSs, perhaps through mailers to also help families learn about services. As institutions build these services, there may be an opportunity to use individual advising and counseling services to help students identify their unique journeys, desires, and their educational success, as well as build group-level services tailored to FGCSs, creating a community of students with shared experiences (see Kezar et al, 2021). FGCSs comprise a significant share of students in higher education today, and ensuring that they have the tools to succeed, both in college and beyond, is critical to the operation and success of U.S. postsecondary systems.…”