Reducing Gaps in First-Year Outcomes Between Hispanic First-Generation College Students and Their Peers: The Role of Accelerated Learning and Financial Aid

Abstract

Hispanic students are the most likely out of all racial or ethnic groups to be first-generation college students (FGCS). Hispanic FGCS have been shown to be the least likely to persist out of all racial or ethnic backgrounds. However, there is little literature on this population. To address this, the present study investigated the association of accelerated learning in high school (e.g., Advanced Placement courses and dual enrollment) and financial aid on academic outcomes for Hispanic FGCS and Hispanic non-FGCS at a 4-year postsecondary institution ( n = 2,499). Hispanic FGCS fared worse in first-year grade point average (GPA) and first- to second-year retention than Hispanic non-FGCS. After controlling for academic, nonacademic, and demographic variables, results suggested that accelerated learning reduced achievement gaps in first-year GPA and financial aid reduced achievement gaps in retention rates for Hispanic FGCS. These results suggest that environmental supports (i.e., accelerated learning and financial aid) may be able to improve GPA and retention for Hispanic FGCS.

Characteristics and Counseling Needs of Prospective First-Generation College Students: Implications for School Counseling

“…First of all, the data revealed that a greater percentage of ethnic and cultural minorities were prospective first-generation college students compared to their White peers, echoing prior studies (Lohfink & Paulsen, 2005; Redford & Hoyer, 2017). In particular, recent data (Latino et al, 2020) showed that Hispanic students account for a substantial part of the first-generation student population in the United States, and this aligned with my sample. Regarding gender, the ratio of female students is higher in prospective first-generation than continuing-generation students, particularly among Black students as compared to Hispanic students.…”

Context Matters: Stress for Minority Students Who Attend Minority-Majority Universities

“…Moreover, when considering all three identities, research has demonstrated that Hispanic FGCS tend to have lower family SES compared to Hispanic non-FGCS (Kouyoumdjian et al, 2017). These students may experience both academic and interpersonal stress from encountering financial challenges, lack of university experience, and academic unpreparedness (Latino, 2020;McCarron & Inkelas, 2006). Therefore, it is critical to examine how these identities, individually and in combination, contribute to students' stress.…”

The HEXACO Model in Education and Work

“…In general, older groups are held to higher standards of effectiveness. Having the same domains, components, and subcomponents across the age groups should help to promote longitudinal research as well as applications in education and work settings by emphasizing continuity of terminology and more clearly delineated developmental progressions (for a detailed description of the development of behavior PLDs, refer to Latino et al, 2017).…”

“…Finally, when it comes to alignment, the authors set out to design a framework that would be aligned across developmental stages and across settings by creating a system that, at the most specific level of the framework, is based on performance level descriptors (PLDs) that describe in detail what students and employees need to know and be able and willing to do in order to achieve educational and career success. From one developmental group to another and across applied contexts, the constructs and definitions remained the same and the authors used SMEs to describe what effective behavior looked like for each construct and each developmental group (see Latino et al, 2017). Thus, the BSF was designed with alignment from the onset.…”