Two studies examined the link between academic self-concepts and grades (Studies 1 and 2) for first-generation (i.e., parents have not obtained a 4-year degree) and continuing-generation (i.e., at least one parent with a 4-year degree) college students, and how parent–student conversations about college related to this link (Study 2). In Study 1, based on online surveys with 102 students, we found self-concepts were positively related to grades for all students. Yet, first-generation students reported less positive self-concepts than continuing-generation students. Study 2 replicated Study 1 findings with 169 students and also revealed that first-generation students reported having less conversations about college with parents than continuing-generation students. For first-generation students, conversations about college predicted more positive self-concepts, which predicted higher grades. Conversations about college were unrelated to self-concepts and grades for continuing-generation students. The findings from this work have important implications for university practice and retention around providing support for first-generation college students.
AwadG. H. (2007).
The role of racial identity, academic self-concept, and self-esteem in the prediction of academic outcomes for African American students. Journal of Black Psychology,
33(2), 188–207.
2.
AzmitiaM.Sumabat-EstradaG.CheongY.CovarrubiasR. (2018). “Dropping out is not an option”: How educationally resilient first-generation students see the future. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development.
3.
BoucheyH. A.HarterS. (2005).
Reflected appraisals, academic self-perceptions, and math/science performance during early adolescence. Journal of Educational Psychology,
97(4), 673–686.
4.
BourdieuP. (1977). Outline of a theory of practice (Vol. 16).
Cambridge, England:
Cambridge University Press.
5.
BourdieuP.PasseronJ. C. (1990). Reproduction in education, society and culture.
London, England:
Sage.
6.
BuiK. (2002).
First-generation college students at a four-year university: Background characteristics, reasons for pursuing higher education, and first-year experiences. College Student Journal,
36(1), 3–11.
7.
CokleyK. (2000).
An investigation of academic self-concept and its relationship to academic achievement in African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology,
26(2), 148–164.
8.
CokleyK.KomarrajuM.KingA.CunninghamD.MuhammadG. (2003).
Ethnic differences in the measurement of academic self-concept in a sample of African American and European American college students. Educational and Psychological Measurement,
63(4), 707–722.
9.
CollierP. J.MorganD. L. (2008).
Is that paper really due today?: Differences in first-generation and traditional college students’ understandings of faculty expectations. Higher Education,
55(4), 425–446.
10.
CovarrubiasR.HerrmannS.FrybergS. (2016).
Affirming the interdependent self: Implications for Latino student performance. Basic and Applied Social Psychology,
8, 47–57.
11.
DeFreitasS. C.RinnA. (2013).
Academic achievement in first generation college students: The role of academic self-concept. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning,
13(1), 57–67.
12.
DweckC. S. (1999). Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development.
Philadelphia, PA:
Psychology Press.
13.
EcclesJ.WigfieldA.HaroldR. D.BlumenfeldP. (1993).
Age and gender differences in children’s self- and task perceptions during elementary school. Child Development,
64, 830–847.
14.
EngleJ.TintoV. (2008). Moving beyond access: College success for low-income, first generation students.
Washington, DC:
Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED504448
15.
FromeP. M.EcclesJ. S. (1998).
Parents’ influence on children’s achievement-related perceptions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
74, 435–452.
16.
HergovichA.SirschU.FelingerM. (2002).
Self-appraisals, actual appraisals and reflected appraisals of preadolescent children. Social Behavior and Personality,
30, 603–611.
17.
JehangirR. R.WilliamsR.JeskeJ. (2012).
The influence of multicultural learning communities on the intrapersonal development of first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Development,
53(2), 267–284. doi:10.1353/csd.2012.0035
18.
JohnsonS. E.RichesonJ. A.FinkelE. J. (2011).
Middle class and marginal? Socioeconomic status, stigma, and self-regulation at an elite university. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
100(3), 838–852.
19.
KusserowA. (2012). When hard and soft class: Class-based individualisms in Manhattan and Queens. In S. T., Fiske & H. R., Markus (Eds.), Facing social class: How societal rank influences interaction (Chapter 10, pp. 195–215). New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
20.
LangenkampA. G.ShifrerD. (2017). Family legacy or family pioneer? Social class differences in the way adolescents construct college-going. Journal of Adolescent Research. 33(1), 58–89.
21.
LareauA. (2003). Unequal childhoods: Race, class and family life.
Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press.
22.
LubranoA. (2003). Limbo: Blue-collar roots, white-collar dreams.
New York, NY:
Wiley.
23.
MarshH. W.EllisL. A.CravenR. G. (2002).
How do preschool children feel about themselves? Unraveling measurement and multidimensional self-concept structure. Developmental Psychology,
38, 376–393.
24.
MendezS. (2005).
Chicano(a) and Mexican American college students: Examining the relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement. Journal of Student Affairs Archive,
13, 96–109.
25.
NicholsL.IslasA. (2015).
Pushing and pulling emerging adults through college: College generational status and the influence of parents and others in the first year. Journal of Adolescent Research,
30, 1–37. doi:10.1177/0743558415586255
26.
PalbusaJ. A.GauvainM. (2017).
Parent–student communication about college and freshman grades in first-generation and non–first-generation students. Journal of College Student Development,
58(1), 107–112.
27.
PascarellaE. T.PiersonC. T.WolniakG. C.TerenziniP. T. (2004).
First-generation college students: Additional evidence on college experiences and outcomes. The Journal of Higher Education,
75(3), 249–284.
28.
PrattI. S.HarwoodH. B.CavazosJ. T.DitzfeldC. P. (2017). Should I stay or should I go? Retention in first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice. 21(1), 105–118.
29.
PreacherK. J.HayesA. F. (2008).
Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods,
40(3), 879–891.
30.
ReynoldsW. M. (1988).
Measurement of academic self-concept in college students. Journal of Personality Assessment,
52(2), 223–240.
31.
ShimS.BarberB. L.CardN. A.XiaoJ. J.SeridoJ. (2010).
Financial socialization of first-year college students: The roles of parents, work, and education. Journal of Youth and Adolescence,
39(12), 1457–1470.
32.
StephensN. M.FrybergS. A.MarkusH. R.JohnsonC. S.CovarrubiasR. (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(6), 1178–1197.
33.
StephensN. M.HamedaniM. G.DestinM. (2014).
Closing the social-class achievement gap a difference-education intervention improves first generation students’ academic performance and all students’ college transition. Psychological Science,
25(4), 943–953.
34.
SyS. R.FongK.CarterR.BoehmeJ.AlpertA. (2011).
Parent support and stress among first-generation and continuing-generation female students during the transition to college. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory and Practice,
13(3), 383–398.
35.
Vasquez-SalgadoY.GreenfieldP. M.Burgos-CienfuegosR. (2014).
Exploring home-school value conflicts: Implications for academic achievement and well-being among Latino first-generation college students. Journal of Adolescent Research,
30(3), 1–35.
