Supporting First-Generation Students - Additional Resources

  • Hicks, Terence, and Abul Pitre, eds. Research Studies in Higher Education: Educating Multicultural Students.  Lanham, MD: University Press of American, 2012. This volume gathers quantitative and qualitative research findings about the college preparation, experiences, and achievements of students historically underrepresented in higher education. At least half the chapters in this collection focus on first-generation students. Several chapters also include recommendations of strategies to improve educational access, retention, and completion rates for these students.
  • “Overview of First-Generation College Students,”  on website of the Inter-Ivy, First-Generation College Student Network.  1vyG is a network that aims to empower first-generation college students and to advocate for change, including through a yearly conference. The 1vyG website is directed toward students but may also be a helpful resource for interested faculty mentors. In particular, the site’s “Research” page (linked above) offers a bibliography of scholarly research, educational reports, and other articles and books on this topic.
  • Smith, Ashley A. “Who’s in First (Generation)?”  Inside Higher Ed, November 10, 2015. Smith looks at varied definitions of “first generation” students—and cites a recent study showing that, however defined, these students enroll and graduate at lower rates than other students. His article also contains a link to a draft report from that study, conducted in 2015 through the University of Georgia.
  • Vergara, Derek, and Len Hightower. “First Generation Student Success Program: Latino/a Students and Families Working Together,”  in Ethnicity Matters: Rethinking How Black, Hispanic, & Indian Students Prepare for & Succeed in College, edited by MaryJo Benton Lee. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2006. 81-98. This chapter describes a First Generation Student Success Program at a small, private university. Discussion includes the research findings that led to the development of this program, elements of the program, and successes and challenges to date.