Supporting First-Generation College Students

Borchert, J. J. (2017). Special research column: Empathetic genres, empathetic spaces, and mentoring: Examining contemporary research on first-generation college students in first-year writing. CEA Forum, 46(1), 93–135.
First-generation college students (FGCS) often arrive on campus unprepared academically; analysis of ACT scores shows, for instance, that 47% of FGCS did not meet benchmarks in English. This leads to challenges for first-year writing courses, where more academic and social supports may be needed. Borchert recommends three principal areas for engaging FGCS: (1) empathetic genres, (2) empathetic spaces, and (3) development toward mentorship opportunities. Empathetic genres, such as memoirs, personal narratives, and ethnographies, can be more engaging to FGCS. This also allows students to reflect on how they see themselves as scholars, which is often an identity in which FGCS feel ill at ease. These types of assignments can be more motivating and encouraging than more sterile academic prompts. Allowing students to choose their own topics can also be motivating. Ethnographies are another type of writing assignment that can be engaging while building key skills. Self-reflection is a key part of using empathetic genres for engagement. Because writing can be intensely personal and emotional, it is important for instructors to foster a safe and empathetic space. Conscious listening, modeling empathy and appropriate responses, fostering connections, short freewriting activities, and small and large group discussions are some considerations in creating a safe space. One part of making a safe space is incorporating low-stakes writing assignments, especially at the beginning of the semester, to ease students into writing without worrying about high-stakes failures that may affect their grades. Finally, mentoring within the classroom, such as through small peer groups, and increased opportunities to interact informally with the instructor outside the classroom, such as through one-on-one student-teacher conferences, can help students expand their network of support.

Goddard, K., Cameron, D., Favero, C., King, J., & Price, S. (2022). Factors for first-year college biology students. Bioscene, 48(1), 3–9.
While summer bridge programs tend to focus more holistically on preparing students for college and social capital, Ursinus College has implemented a winter intersession program (January Undergraduate Move Ahead Program, or JUMP) to work with already-enrolled students between their first and second semesters of biology, focusing on laboratory skills. 42% of participants were first-generation college students (FGCS), and other participants were from historically underserved populations in STEM, such as women and minorities. All JUMP participants intended to major in biology fields. The JUMP program lasts five days and includes a variety of team building (such as a science museum visit), practical skills, and other academic skills (such as tricks for reading textbooks). JUMP scholars had a 100% completion rate of the second biology course, which was taken directly after the program and earned higher grades than their peers. The four-year graduation rate for JUMP scholars was significantly higher than other first year undeclared science students.

Meertins, J. R. P., Grossman, M. A., & Tapia, R., Jr. (2021). I've got talent: Using the public speaking course to boost interviewing skills among first-generation college students. College Student Journal, 55(1), 119–125.
First-generation college students (FGCS) "often cannot benefit from their parents' professional employment experience and may lack the cultural capital needed to navigate careers" (p. 119). A four-year Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designed a mock interviewing activity to help FGCS learn how to prepare for interviews, embedded in a public speaking course. The assignment serves two purposes: to prepare students for future job interviews and to introduce students to the career center. For the assignment, students locate a job or internship posting that they would qualify for, which makes the process more authentic. Students write a cover letter and learn about appropriate interview attire and greetings. Career center staff conduct the interviews in front of the rest of the class, and classmates provide written feedback, while the career center staff provide feedback and advice. The class debriefs after all students complete the interview process. Because interviewing is a skill students will need to use in the future, most students are highly motivated. FGCS, in particular, "find it challenging to articulate their strengths and feel uncomfortable with what they perceive as boasting about themselves, and often do not provide enough detail when answering the questions" (p. 123). By practicing and receiving feedback, they can adjust their approach and learn better ways to answer interview questions.

Snodgrass Rangel, V., Vaval, L., & Bowers, A. (2020). Investigating underrepresented and first‐generation college students’ science and math motivational beliefs: A nationally representative study using latent profile analysis. Science Education, 104(6), 1041–1070. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21593
First-generation college students (FGCS) often do not major in or enter STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, which are some of the fastest-growing fields currently. This study sought to examine the reasons why FGCS decline to enter STEM fields by examining science and math motivational beliefs. FGCS often have lower expectations of their abilities than other groups, as well as lower self-efficacy. They also often have less high school preparation in science and math than other groups. STEM majors are often time-intensive, and FGCS often have high demands on their time from family and work responsibilities. The researchers sampled data from 14,900 high school students, of which 47% were FGCS. Results showed that FGCS have high levels of negative math and science beliefs while in high school, which can persist into college. Interestingly, science was typically viewed more positively than math.

Stoddard, S. V. (2022). The benefits of enlightenment: A strategic pedagogy for strengthening sense of belonging in chemistry classrooms. Education Sciences, 12(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12070498
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields typically have higher attrition rates for women, underrepresented minorities, women of color, and first-generation college students (FGCS). Sense of belonging is strongly correlated with persistence in STEM fields. Incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy can be beneficial to underrepresented groups, but many STEM faculty struggle to do this. This pilot study at Rhodes College evaluated an assignment in a first-year introductory chemistry classroom designed to increase sense of belonging and self-efficacy, while dismantling stereotypes. This semester-long project, entitled "Chemtutorials," asked student groups to interview a living chemist of color and research three other chemists of underrepresented backgrounds. They then created an educational resource (including a video) about their chemists and researched and graphed statistical data about chemists from underrepresented backgrounds. Robust classroom discussion ensued after projects were complete. Students were surveyed after the project. Results showed that seeing someone "who looked like them" led students to believe that they could have a STEM career. Sense of belonging was also strengthened. For students who did not increase their sense of belonging, they typically reporting already having positive role models, which shows that exposure to diverse role models should happen as early as possible, including in K-12. The word most used to describe the project was "eye-opening," with "informative," "inspiring," "insightful," and "interesting" rounding out the top five. For other faculty considering a similar project, three main points should be considered: make it count, create an experience (i.e., incorporate experiential learning), and prepare effectively.