Understanding the motivation behind the success of first generation college students

Abstract

This study examined how graduating seniors who identify as FGC and low SES have made sense of the motivational factors that have aided their success towards navigating their undergraduate experience. Semi-structured personal interviews were conducted with six students who attend the large, private, top tier, New England University in North America. Transcripts were analyzed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) process, which values the participants' lived experiences and the constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, which allowed for the participants to make sense of their personal and social worlds. Two main themes emerged with subsequent sub-themes. Internal Pressure & Responsibility surrounding gaining Financial Sponsorship and being Academically and Professionally Competitive. Personalized Social and Cultural Community through a First Generation Student Cohort and through Mentors and Staff Support. These findings were considered through Albert Bandura's Self-Efficacy (1977) theory and allowed for the researcher to use the framework to get FGC students to examine their lived experiences from the lens of multiple contexts such as, environment, familial-educational training, academic preparation and social networks.