Scholarship devoted to first-generation college students has increased rapidly over the past decade, with studies demonstrating first-generation students are systematically disadvantaged compared to their continuing-generation peers. Recently, scholars have critiqued the treatment of first-generation students as a monolith and encouraged complicating their experiences using intersectionality as an analytic tool. This study examined the association between institutional classism and students’ social-emotional experiences in higher education, and how these relations vary based on sociorace, first-generation college student status, and subjective social status. In a sample (N = 742) of college students from two four-year public institutions, results showed that the strength of the association between institutional classism and social-emotional experiences varied at different intersections of first-generation status, sociorace, and subjective social status. These findings demonstrate the importance of contextualizing first-generation students’ experiences and have implications for efforts to retain first-generation students in higher education.
AddoF. R.HouleJ. N.SimonD. (2016).
Young, black, and (still) in the red: Parental wealth, race, and student loan debt. Race and Social Problems,
8(1), 64–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-016-9162-0
2.
AdlerN. E.EpelE. S.CastellazzoG.IckovicsJ. R. (2000).
Relationship of subjective and objective social status with psychological and physiological functioning: Preliminary data in healthy. Health Psychology,
19(6), 586–592. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.19.6.586
AllanB. A.GarriottP. O.KeeneC. N. (2016).
Outcomes of social class and classism in first- and continuing-generation college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
63(4), 487–496. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000160
5.
BellK. (2020). Working-class environmentalism: An agenda for a just and fair transition to sustainability.
Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29519-6
6.
BelmiP.NealeM. A.ReiffD.UlfeR. (2020).
The social advantage of miscalibrated individuals: The relationship between social class and overconfidence and its implications for class-based inequality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
118(2), 254–282. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000187
7.
BrunsmaD. L.EmbrickD. G.ShinJ. H. (2017).
Graduate students of color: Race, racism, and mentoring in the white waters of academia. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity,
3(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332649216681565
8.
BryanE.SimmonsL. A. (2009).
Family involvement: Impacts on post-secondary educational success for first-generation Appalachian college students. Journal of College Student Development,
50(4), 391–406. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.0.0081
9.
CameloK.ElliottM. (2019).
Food insecurity and academic achievement among college students at a public university in the United States. Journal of College Student Development,
60(3), 307–318. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2019.0028
10.
CareyR. L. (2018).
What am I gonna be losing?” school culture and the family-based college-going dilemmas of black and Latino adolescent boys. Education and Urban Society,
50(3), 246–273. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124517713112
11.
CattaneoL.ChanW.ShorR.GebhardK.ElshabassiN. (2019).
Elaborating the connection between social class and classism in college. American Journal of Community Psychology,
63(3-4), 476–486. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12322
12.
CavalhieriK.ChwaliszK. (2020).
Development and initial validation of the perceived classism experiences scale. The Counseling Psychologist,
48(3), 310–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000019899395
13.
CovarrubiasR.ValleI.LaiducG.AzmitiaM. (2019).
“You never become fully independent”: Family roles and independence in first-generation college students. Journal of Adolescent Research,
34(4), 381–410. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558418788402
14.
DavisJ. (2012). The first-generation student experience: Implications for campus practice, and strategies for improving persistence and success.
Sterling, VA:
Stylus Publishing, LLC.
15.
EllisJ. M.PowellC. S.DemetriouC. P.Huerta-BapatC.PanterA. T. (2019).
Examining first-generation college student lived experiences with microaggressions and microaffirmations at a predominately white public research university. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology,
25(2), 266–279. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000198
16.
EllisonE. R.LanghoutR. D. (2020).
Embodied relational praxis in intersectional organizing: Developing intersectional solidarity. Journal of Social Issues,
76(4), 949–970. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12402
17.
FaulF.ErdfelderE.LangA. G.BuchnerA. (2007).
G* power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods,
39(2), 175–191.
18.
FrazierP. A.TixA. P.BarronK. E. (2004).
Testing moderator and mediator effects in counseling psychology research. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
51(1), 115–134. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.51.1.115
19.
GardnerS. K.HolleyK. A. (2011).
Those invisible barriers are real: The progression of first-generation students through doctoral education. Equity & Excellence in Education,
44(1), 77–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2011.529791
20.
GarriottP. O. (2020).
A critical cultural wealth model of first-generation and economically marginalized college students’ academic and career development. Journal of Career Development,
47(1), 80–95. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845319826266
21.
GarriottP. O.ChaoH.JessenM.JordanR. A.GalluzzoJ.HadjeasgariC.SonY.GarzaC.FarisE.AllanB. A. (2020).
Development and validation of the college social–emotional crossroads inventory. Journal of Career Assessment,
28(3), 496–511. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072719894271
22.
GarriottP. O.FloresL. Y.MartensM. P. (2013).
Predicting the math/science career goals of low-income prospective first-generation college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
60(2), 200–209. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032074
23.
GloriaA. M.CastellanosJ. (2012).
Desafíos y bendiciones: A multiperspective examination of the educational experiences and coping responses of first-generation college Latina students. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education,
11(1), 82–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192711430382
GopalanM.BradyS. T. (2020).
College students’ sense of belonging: A national perspective. Educational Researcher,
49(2), 134–137. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19897622
26.
GrayB.JohnsonT.Kish-GephartJ.TiltonJ. (2018).
Identity work by first-generation college students to counteract class-based microaggressions. Organization Studies,
39(9), 1227–1250. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840617736935
27.
HarackiewiczJ. M.CanningE. A.TibbettsY.GiffenC. J.BlairS. S.RouseD. I.HydeJ. S. (2014).
Closing the social class achievement gap for first-generation students in undergraduate biology. Journal of Educational Psychology,
106(2), 375–389. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034679
28.
HayesA. F. (2013). Mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach.
Guilford publications.
29.
HelmsJ. E.JerniganM.MascherJ. (2005).
The meaning of race in psychology and how to change it: A methodological perspective. The American Psychologist,
60(1), 27–36. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.60.1.27
30.
JuryM.SmedingA.StephensN. M.NelsonJ. E.AeleneiC.DarnonC. (2017).
The experience of low‐SES students in higher education: Psychological barriers to success and interventions to reduce social‐class inequality. Journal of Social Issues,
73(1), 23–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12202
31.
KrausM. W.PiffP. K.Mendoza-DentonR.RheinschmidtM. L.KeltnerD. (2012).
Social class, solipsism, and contextualism: How the rich are different from the poor. Psychological Review,
119(3), 546–572. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028756
32.
LanghoutR. D.DrakeP.RosselliF. (2009).
Classism in the university setting: Examining student antecedents and outcomes. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education,
2(3), 166–181. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016209
33.
LanghoutR. D.RosselliF.FeinsteinJ. (2007).
Assessing classism in academic settings. The Review of Higher Education,
30(2), 145–184.
34.
LeaY.ButterfieldC. L. (2019). Praxis of the teaching profession: A dialectic of institutional oppression and the development of pedagogy and critical consciousness. In Navigating micro-aggressions toward women in higher education (pp. 202–217). IGI Global.
35.
LiuW. M. (2017).
White male power and privilege: The relationship between white supremacy and social class. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
64(4), 349–358. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000227
36.
LuedkeC. (2017).
Person first, student second: Staff and administrators of color supporting students of color authentically in higher education. Journal of College Student Development,
58(1), 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2017.0002.
37.
McCoyD. L.Winkle-WagnerR.LuedkeC. L. (2015).
Colorblind mentoring? Exploring white faculty mentoring of students of color. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education,
8(4), 225–242. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038676
38.
MeansD. R.PyneK. B. (2017).
Finding my way: Perceptions of institutional support and belonging in low-income, first-generation, first-year college students. Journal of College Student Development,
58(6), 907–924. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2017.0071
39.
MemonM.HwaC.RamayahT.TingH.ChuahF.ChamT. H. (2019).
Moderation analysis: Issues and guidelines. Journal of Applied Structural Equation Modeling,
3(1), i–xi. [10.47263/JASEM.3(1)01]
40.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Supporting students’ college success: The role of assessment of intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies.
National Academies Press.
41.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2020).
Undergraduate retention and graduation rates. The Condition of Education, 166–169.
42.
NguyenB. M. D.NguyenM. H. (2020).
Extending cultural mismatch theory: In consideration of race/ethnicity. International Studies in Sociology of Education,
29(3), 224–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2020.1755881
43.
NguyenT. H.NguyenB. 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(1), 146–176. http://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18759280
PaikA. N. (2020).
Universities, unjust law, and campus sanctuaries. Departures in Critical Qualitative Research,
9(1), 95–100. https://doi.org/10.1525/dcqr.2020.9.1.95
46.
PengC. Y. J.HarwellM.LiouS. M.EhmanL. H. (2006).
Advances in missing data methods and implications for educational research. In S. S. Sawilowsky (Ed.), Real Data Analysis (pp. 31–78).
47.
SarcedoG. L.MatiasC. E.MontoyaR.NishiN. W. (2015).
Dirty dancing with race and class: Microaggressions toward first-generation and low-income college students of color. Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs,
2, 1–17. https://ecommons.luc.edu/jcshesa/vol2/iss1/1
48.
SaxL. J.GilmartinS. K.BryantA. N. (2003).
Assessing response rates and nonresponse bias in web and paper surveys. Research in Higher Education,
44(4), 409–432. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024232915870
49.
SchlomerG. L.BaumanS.CardN. A. (2010).
Best practices for missing data management in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
57(1), 1–10. 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018082
50.
SchuddeL. (2018).
Heterogeneous effects in education: The promise and challenge of incorporating intersectionality into quantitative methodological approaches. Review of Research in Education,
42(1), 72–92. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X18759040
SpaniermanL. B.SobleJ. R.MayfieldJ. B.NevilleH. A.AberM.KhuriL.De La RosaB. (2013).
Living learning communities and students’ sense of community and belonging. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice,
50(3), 308–325. https://doi.org/10.1515/jsarp-2013-0022
53.
StebletonM.SoriaK. (2013).
Breaking down barriers: Academic obstacles of first-generation students at research universities. The Learning Assistance Review. http://hdl.handle.net/11299/150031
54.
StephensN. M.FrybergS. A.MarkusH. R.JohnsonC. S.CovarrubiasR. (2012a).
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. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027143
55.
StephensN. M.HamedaniM. Y. 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. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613518349
56.
StephensN. M.TownsendS. S.MarkusH. R.PhillipsL. T. (2012b).
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(6), 1389–1393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.07.008
57.
TibbettsY.HarackiewiczJ.PriniskiS.CanningE. (2016).
Broadening participation in the life sciences with social-psychological interventions. Cell Biology Education,
15, es4. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-01-0001.ss
58.
ToutkoushianR. K.May-TrifilettiJ. A.ClaytonA. B. (2019).
From “first in family” to “first to finish”: Does college graduation vary by how first-generation college status is defined?Educational Policy. https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818823753
59.
ToutkoushianR.StollbergR.SlatonK. (2018).
Talking ’bout my generation: Defining “first-generation college students” in higher education research. Teachers College Record,
120(4), n4.
WangT. R. (2012).
Understanding the memorable messages first-generation college students receive from on-campus mentors. Communication Education,
61(4), 335–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2012.691978
62.
WhitleyS. E.BensonG.WesawA. (2018).
First-generation student success: A landscape analysis of programs and services at four-year institutions. NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. https://firstgen.naspa.org/2018-landscape-analysis
63.
YeeA. (2016).
The unwritten rules of engagement: Social class differences in undergraduates' academic strategies. The Journal of Higher Education,
87(6), 831–858. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2016.11780889
