Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

First-generation and economically marginalized (FGEM) college students are attending higher education institutions with increasing regularity. The unique experiences of these students call for career frameworks that capture their specific strengths and challenges. This article outlines a new model from which to conceptualize FGEM college students’ academic and career development with a focus on structural, environmental, and intrapersonal factors previously shown to predict their academic and career success. Social–emotional crossroads and career self-authorship are positioned as central constructs in the model and proposed as critical pathways to FGEM students’ academic and career development. Cultural wealth is offered as a form of capital that may promote FGEM students’ academic and career success. Implications for future research, practice, and policy with FGEM students are described.

Keywords

first-generation college students socioeconomic status social class cultural wealth critical theory

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allan

B. A.

Garriott

P. O.

Keene

C. N.

(2016). Outcomes of social class and classism in first-and continuing-generation college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63, 487–496. doi:10.1037/cou0000160

American Council on Education. (2017). Tax reform and higher education: What students, families, and institutions need to know. Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/Pages/Higher-Education-and-Tax-Reform.aspx

Astin

H. S.

(1984). The meaning of work in women’s lives A sociopsychological model of career choice and work behavior. The Counseling Psychologist, 12, 117–126.

Autin

K. L.

Douglass

R. P.

Duffy

R. D.

England

J. W.

Allan

B. A.

(2017). Subjective social status, work volition, and career adaptability: A longitudinal study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 99, 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2016.11.007

Autin

K. L.

Duffy

R. D.

Jacobson

C. J.

Dosani

K. M.

Barker

Bott

E. M.

(2018). Career development among undocumented immigrant young adults: A psychology of working perspective. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65, 605–617. doi:10.1037/cou0000280

Bauman

(2018, February). After 2016 election, campus hate crimes seemed to jump. Here’s what the data tell us. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/After-2016-Election-Campus/242577

Baxter Magolda

M. B.

(2008). Three elements of self-authorship. Journal of College Student Development, 49, 269–284. doi:10.1353/csd.0.0016

Bourdieu

(1986). The forms of capital. In Richardson

(Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Bryan

Simmons

L. A.

(2009). Family involvement: Impacts on post-secondary educational success for first-generation Appalachian college students. Journal of College Student Development, 50, 391–406. doi:10.1353/csd.0.0081

10.

Carmen

S. A. S.

Domínguez

Greene

A. C.

Mendoza

Fine

Neville

H. A.

Gutiérrez

K. D.

(2015). Revisiting the collective in critical consciousness: Diverse sociopolitical wisdoms and ontological healing in sociopolitical development. The Urban Review, 47, 824–846. doi:10.1007/s11256-015-0338-5

11.

Carpenter

A. M.

Peña

E. V.

(2017). Self-authorship among first-generation undergraduate students: A qualitative study of experiences and catalysts. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 10, 86–100. doi:10.1037/a0040026

12.

Covarrubias

Fryberg

S. A.

(2015). Movin’ on up (to college): First-generation college students’ experiences with family achievement guilt. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21, 420–429. doi:10.1037/a0037844

13.

Creamer

E. G.

Laughlin

(2005). Self-authorship and women’s career decision making. Journal of College Student Development, 46, 13–27. doi:10.1353/csd.2005.0002

14.

Crockett

(2017, October 26). Using social psychology to help first-generation and low-income students through college [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2017/10/26/using-social-psychology-to-help-first-generation-and-low-income-students-through-college/

15.

Davis

(2010). The first generation student experience: Implications for campus practice, and strategies for improving persistence and success. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

16.

Delgado

(1995) Critical race theory: The cutting edge. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

17.

Diemer

M. A.

Blustein

D. L.

(2006). Critical consciousness and career development among urban youth. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68, 220–232. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2005.07.001

18.

Diemer

M. A.

Rapa

L. J.

Park

C. J.

Perry

J. C.

(2017). Development and validation of the Critical Consciousness Scale. Youth & Society, 49, 461–483. doi:10.1177/0044118X14538289

19.

Duffy

R. D.

Blustein

D. L.

Diemer

M. A.

Autin

K. L.

(2016). The psychology of working theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63, 127–148. doi:10.1037/cou0000140

20.

Duffy

R. D.

Diemer

M. A.

Jadidian

. (2012). The development and initial validation of the Work Volition Scale—student version. The Counseling Psychologist, 40, 291–319. doi:10.1177/0011000011417147

21.

Dynarski

S. M.

(2003). Does aid matter? Measuring the effect of student aid on college attendance and completion. American Economic Review, 93, 279–288.

22.

Engle

Bermeo

O’Brien

. (2006). Straight from the source: What works for first-generation college students. Washington, DC: Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education.

23.

Engle

Tinto

(2008). Beyond access: College success for low-income, first-generation students. Washington, DC: Pell Institute.

24.

Garcia

N. M.

López

Vélez

V. N

. (2017). QuantCrit: Rectifying quantitative methods through critical race theory. Race, Ethnicity, and Education. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/13613324.2017.1377675

25.

Garriott

P. O.

Flores

L. Y.

Martens

M. P.

(2013). Predicting the math/science career goals of low-income prospective first generation college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 60, 200–210. doi:10.1037/a0032074

26.

Garriott

P. O.

Hudyma

Keene

Santiago

(2015). Social cognitive predictors of first- and non-first-generation college students’ academic and life satisfaction. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62, 253–263. doi:10.1037/cou0000066

27.

Garriott

P. O.

Navarro

R. L.

Flores

L. Y.

(2017). First-generation college students’ persistence in engineering majors. Journal of Career Assessment, 25, 93–106. doi:10.1177/1069072716657533

28.

Garriott

P. O.

Nisle

. (2017). Stress, coping, and perceived academic goal progress in first-generation college students: The role of institutional supports. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. doi:10.1037/dhe0000068

29.

Garriott

P. O.

Raque-Bogdan

T. L.

Yalango

Schaefer Ziemer

Utley

(2017). Intentions to seek counseling in first-generation and continuing-generation college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 64, 432–442. doi:10.1037/cou0000210

30.

Garriott

P. O.

Raque-Bogdan

T. L.

Zoma

Mackie-Hernandez

Lavin

(2017). Social cognitive predictors of Mexican American high school students’ math/science career goals. Journal of Career Development, 44, 77–90. doi:10.1177/0894845316633860

31.

Gloria

A. M.

Castellanos

Scull

N. C.

Villegas

F. J.

(2009). Psychological coping and well-being of male Latino undergraduates. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 31, 317–339. doi:10.1177/0739986309336845

32.

Goldrick-Rab

Kelchen

Harris

D. N.

Benson

(2016). Reducing income inequality in educational attainment: Experimental evidence on the impact of financial aid on college completion. American Journal of Sociology, 121, 1762–1817.

33.

Ishitani

T. T.

(2006). Studying attrition and degree completion behavior among first-generation college students in the United States. Journal of Higher Education, 861–885. doi:10.1353/jhe.2006.0042

34.

Jehangir

R. R.

(2009). Cultivating voice: First-generation students seek full academic citizenship in multicultural learning communities. Innovative Higher Education, 34, 33–49. doi:10.1007/s10755-008-9089-5

35.

Jehangir

R. R.

(2010a). Higher education and first-generation students: Cultivating community, voice, and place for the new majority. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan Press.

36.

Jehangir

R. R.

(2010b). Stories as knowledge: Bringing the lived experience of first-generation college students into the academy. Urban Education, 45, 533–553. doi:10.1177/0042085910372352

37.

Jehangir

R. R.

Williams

Jeske

(2012). The influence of multicultural learning communities on the intrapersonal development of first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Development, 53, 267–284. doi:10.1353/csd.2012.0035

38.

Jehangir

R. R.

Williams

Pete

(2011). Multicultural learning communities: Vehicles for developing self-authorship in first-generation college students. Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 23, 53–73.

39.

Langhout

R. D.

Rosselli

Feinstein

(2007). What’s class got to do with it? Assessing classism in academic settings. The Review of Higher Education, 30, 145–184. doi:10.1353/rhe.2006.0073

40.

Langhout

R. G.

Drake

Rosselli

(2009). Classism in the university setting: Examining student antecedents and outcome. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 2, 166–181. doi:10.1037/a0016209

41.

Lent

R. W.

(2004). Toward a unifying theoretical and practical perspective on well-being and psychosocial adjustment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 482–509. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.51.4.482

42.

Lent

R. W.

Brown

S. D.

Hackett

(1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45, 79–122. doi:10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027

43.

Luthar

S. S.

Cicchette

Becker

(2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71, 543–562. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00164

44.

Martinez

J. A.

Sher

K. J.

Krull

J. L.

Wood

P. K.

(2009). Blue-collar scholars? Mediators and moderators of university attrition in first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Development, 50, 87–103. doi:10.1353/csd.0.0053

45.

Mehta

S. S.

Newbold

J. J.

O’Rourke

M. A.

(2011). Why do first-generation students fail? College Student Journal, 45, 20–35.

46.

Metz

G. W.

(2004). Challenge and changes to Tinto’s persistence theory: A historical review. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 6, 191–207. doi:10.2190/M2CC-R7Y1-WY2Q-UPK5

47.

Nora

(2003). Access to higher education for Hispanic students: Real or illusory? In Castellanos

Jones

(Eds.), The majority in the minority: Expanding representation of Latino/a faculty, administration and students in higher education (pp. 47–67). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

48.

Nguyen

T.-H.

Nguyen

B. M. D.

(2018). Is the “first-generation student” term useful for understanding inequality? The role of intersectionality in illuminating the implications of an accepted—yet unchallenged—term. Review of Research in Education, 42, 146–176. doi:10.3102/0091732X18759280

49.

O’Neal

C. R.

Espino

M. M.

Goldthrite

Morin

M. F.

Weston

Hernandez

Fuhrmann

(2016). Grit under duress: Stress, strengths, and academic success among non-citizen and citizen Latina/o first-generation college students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 38, 446–466. doi:10.1177/0739986316660775

50.

Orbe

M. P.

(2004). Negotiating multiple identities within multiple frames: An analysis of first- generation college students. Communication Education, 53, 131–149. doi:10.10/03634520410001682401

51.

Ostrove

J. M.

Long

S. M.

(2007). Social class and belonging: Implications for college adjustment. The Review of Higher Education, 30, 363–389. doi:10.1353/rhe.2007.0028

52.

Pappano

(2015, April 8). First-generation students unite. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/education/edlife/first-generation-students-unite.html

53.

Pascarella

E. T.

Pierson

C. T.

Wolniak

G. C.

Terenzini

P. T.

(2004). First-generation college students: Additional evidence on college experiences and outcomes. Journal of Higher Education, 249–284. doi:10.1353/jhe.2004.0016

54.

Phinney

J. S.

Haas

(2003). The process of coping among ethnic minority first-generation college freshmen: A narrative approach. The Journal of Social Psychology, 143, 707–726. doi:10.1080/00224540309600426

55.

Pizzolato

J. E.

(2004). Coping with conflict: Self-authorship, coping, and adaptation to college in first-year, high-risk students. Journal of College Student Development, 45, 425–442. doi:10.1353/csd.2004.0050

56.

Rios-Aguilar

Kiyama

J. M.

(2012). Funds of knowledge: An approach to studying Latina(o) students’ transition to college. Journal of Latinos and Education, 11, 2–16. doi:10.1080/15348431.2012.631430

57.

Savickas

M. L.

(2005). The theory and practice of career construction. In Brown

S. D.

Lent

R. W.

(Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (pp. 42–70). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

58.

Stephens

N. M.

Fryberg

S. A.

Markus

H. R.

Johnson

C. S.

Covarrubias

(2012). Unseen disadvantage: How American universities’ focus on independence undermines the academic performance of first-generation college students. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102, 1178–1197. doi:10.1037/a0027143

59.

Stephens

N. M.

Hamedani

M. G.

Destin

(2014). Closing the social-class achievement gap: A difference-education intervention improves first-generation and all students’ college transition. Psychological Science, 25, 943–953. doi:10.1177/0956797613518349

60.

Stephens

N. M.

Townsend

S. S.

Markus

H. R.

Phillips

L. T.

(2012). A cultural mismatch: Independent cultural norms produce greater increases in cortisol and more negative emotions among first-generation college students. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 1389–1393. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2012.07.008

61.

Stuber

J. M.

(2011). Integrated, marginal, and resilient: Race, class, and the diverse experiences of white first-generation college students. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 24, 117–136. doi:10.1080/09518391003641916

62.

S. R.

(2006). Family and work influences on the transition to college among Latina adolescents. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 28, 368–386. doi:10.1177/0739986306290372

63.

Tate

K. A.

Caperton

Kaiser

Pruitt

N. T.

White

Hall

(2015). An exploration of first-generation college students’ career development beliefs and experiences. Journal of Career Development, 42, 294–310. doi:10.1177/0894845314565025

64.

Thompson

M. N.

Her

Nitzarim

R. S.

(2014). Personal and contextual variables related to work hope among undergraduate students from underrepresented backgrounds. Journal of Career Assessment, 22, 595–609. doi:10.1177/1069072713514814

65.

Tierney

W. G.

(2011). Too big to fail: The role of for-profit colleges and universities in American higher education. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 43, 27–32. doi:10.1080/00091383.2011.618079

66.

Tinto

(1987). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

67.

Toporek

R. L.

Lewis

J. A.

Crethar

H. C.

(2009). Promoting systemic change through the ACA Advocacy Competencies. Journal of Counseling & Development, 87, 260–268. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2009.tb00105.x

68.

Toutkoushian

R. K.

Stollberg

R. S.

Slaton

K. A

. (2018). Talking ‘bout my generation: Defining “First-Generation Students” in higher education research. Teachers College Record, 120, 1–38.

69.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). National postsecondary student aid study. Washington, DC: Author.

70.

Ward

Siegel

M. J.

Davenport

(2012). First-generation college students: Understanding and improving the experience from recruitment to commencement. New York, NY: John Wiley.

71.

Yosso

T. J.

(2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 8, 69–91. doi:10.1080/1361332052000341006

72.

Young

I. M.

(2013). Five faces of oppression. In Adams

(Ed.), Readings for diversity and social justice (pp. 35–49). New York, NY: Routledge.

A Critical Cultural Wealth Model of First-Generation and Economically Marginalized College Students’ Academic and Career Development

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References