Staying Within the Margins: The Educational Stories of First-Generation, Low-Income College Students

Abstract

This research addressed educational persistence among first-generation, lowincome college students. The educational paths of 22 first-generation, low-income undergraduate students attending a large, urban university in the Northwest region of the United States were examined through a narrative framework. Half of the participants had persisted from year one to year two, and the other half left the university after their first year. Analytic procedures consisted of thematic qualitative coding, an analysis of student trajectories over educational histories, and the reconstruction of narrative stories. Data were used to examine: 1) How firstgeneration, low-income students understood and described their journey through their first year, 2) Reasons some students gave for leaving the university, 3) Meanings students gave to their experiences in college and how those meanings influenced future decisions, and 4) Differences between the stories of students who persisted versus those who left.The first-generation, low-income students who participated in this study were individually diverse and took various paths through college. After prolonged contact, evidence of interrupted enrollment and transfer among colleges was shown for approximately half of the participants. The descriptive codes most frequently discussed were financial issues, aspects of self, and family. Students described motivations for college in terms of themes related to family, gaining practical skills,

I had to learn that on my own : successful first-generation, low-income college students from rural areas at an urban institution.

“…One study found that first-generation and lowincome college students felt disempowered and marginalized by their university, finding such students felt like outsiders because of their cultures and experiences which were so vastly different from that of the academic culture, also many felt the faculty looked down upon them, were not available, were not academically supportive, and had extreme difficulty in connecting with other students to form a community on campus (Lobo, 2001). Cole (2008) found many first-generation college students who left did so for reasons that were not necessarily academic or financial and found many left due to a perceived lack of support and encouragement from others in regard to their educational pursuits, did not feel a connection with the university, did not embrace the notion they were doing something worthwhile, and did not have overall positive feelings about their environment. It is important for institutions to establish programs aimed specifically at first-generation and low-income students.…”

“…Also, qualitative studies are highly beneficial in a number of studies in obtaining a deeper understanding of the struggles, challenges, and experiences of first-generation, low-income college students (Beegle, 2000;Bergh, 2008;Lask, 2008;Cole, 2008;Martin, 2012;London, 1989;Bukoski, 2012). The study by Beegle (2000) relates particularly well to the proposed study here.…”

“…Additionally, Cole (2008) concluded many first-generation students left primarily because they perceived a lack of support and encouragement from those on campus, lacked a connection with the university environment, and did not have overall, positive feelings toward the institution as a whole. Fortunately, one of the ways that these difficulties can be faced is through student involvement, and also fortunately, one of major findings from the current study was that many of the participants felt there were many ways to be involved on campus, and that in fact, it was easier in some ways to be involved and engaged at a large institution than at a smaller school because of the sheer number of opportunities.…”