Finding community, calling home: Social factors in the academic identity development in two first-generation, low-income college students at an elite university

First-generation college students, or those whose parents have not attained a postsecondary degree, are the focus of much education and policy research because they have been shown to be academically disadvantaged compared to other students. They are less likely to attain postsecondary degrees compared to their non-first-generation peers (Nuñez & Cuccaro- Alamin, 1998; Ishitani, 2003), and are more likely to be low-income and come from marginalized racial backgrounds (Bui, 2002; Redford & Hoyer, 2017). Much of the previous literature employs deficits-focused theoretical models that explore the resources first-generation students lack rather than the wide variety of assets they have (Engle, 2007). This thesis applies strengths-based approaches to understanding the experiences of two first-generation, low-income students of color at an elite university as they describe their family, peer, and institutional social support systems and make sense of their academic identities. This study used semi-structured interviews that were conducted over the course of the student’s four years of undergraduate studies at an elite institution to explore the following questions: how do first-generation, low- income students of color at an elite university describe their academic identities through college; how do they perceive of their family, peer, and institutional relationships; how do those relationships inform the development of their academic identities? The findings suggest that student relationships with family, peers, and university staff were important sources of support through college and shaped their academic identities. Students also described their racial and socioeconomic identities as influential to their engagement with college peers and faculty. I discuss implications and opportunities for further inquiry relating to better serving first- generation students from various cultural backgrounds by using existing strengths within their social networks.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Esela, Jackson

Contributors dc:contributor

• Davila, Liv T
• Ruedas-Gracia, Nidia
• Flores, Osly

• First-generation
• Educational Psychology
• Higher Ed
• Students Of Color
• Low-income
• Social Identity

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Jackson Esela

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124443

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124443