First Generation Students and Post-Undergraduate Aspirations

SAGE Open - Tập 5 Số 4 - Trang 215824401561843 - 2015
Morgan Teressa Carlton1
1Wake Forest University, Winston–Salem, NC, USA

Tóm tắt

Equal access to education is a growing concern throughout the nation. With an increasing amount of programs aimed to support the underrepresented populations on college campuses, first generation college students have grown to be a target population of particular interest. This study examined the relationships between first generation college seniors and applications to graduate or professional programs. The goal of this study was to determine if first generation students are pursuing advanced degrees at lower rates than non-first generation students and if so, attempt to uncover factors contributing to that evidence. Data were gathered from the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshman data set, and variables were analyzed using a binary logistic regression. The results of the study indicate that first generation students are significantly less likely to pursue an advanced degree, even when controlling for race, gender, family income, and cumulative grade point average, suggesting a distinctive impact of first generation status on post-undergraduate aspirations. However, after controlling for the impact of self-reported undergraduate loans, the effect of first generation status was no longer significant. The findings in this study provide an important new perspective in the field of sociology.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Clark J. B., 2011, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, 65

10.1080/10665684.2011.529791

Hayden M. H., 2008, Parental influence on graduate school aspirations among first generation and non-first generation college students attending highly selective institutions

Kent J., 2012, Graduate schools see growth in applications and degrees, but enroll fewer new students in 2011

10.1002/tl.453

Massey D. S., 2003, The source of the river: The social origins of freshmen at America’s selective colleges and universities

McCarron G. M. P., 2012, An examination of the factors that contribute to undergraduate persistence and graduate degree aspirations for first-generation college students attending elite universities

Mehta S. S., 2011, College Student Journal, 45, 20

10.2307/3090274

Payne T. H., 2006, Perceptions of first-generation college students: Factors that influence graduate school enrollment and perceived barriers to attendance

10.1002/jpoc.20041

Soares J., 2007, The power of privilege: Yale and America’s elite colleges, 10.1515/9780804768283

Ward L., 2012, First-generation college students: Understanding and improving the experience from recruitment to commencement

Zavala E., 2014, Encouragers and barriers that influence advanced degrees among first-generation Latino/a college students

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

SAGE Open

Tập 5 Số 4

215824401561843

Thông tin tác giả