Purpose Although a significant share of undergraduates, first-generation college students (FGCS) remain difficult to characterize. Consequently, academic libraries are challenged to identify the services most important to FGCS. This study measured the perceived importance of and satisfaction with library services among undergraduate students at an R1 land-grant university. The study further compared FGCS’s perceptions of library services with those of their non-first generation peers. Design/methodology/approach The authors measured importance and satisfaction using the Measuring Information Services Outcomes (“MISO”) Survey. They further analyzed responses according to first-generation status. The authors then compared mean scores and used the Wilcoxon rank-sum test to find statistical differences in perceived importance and satisfaction between first-generation and non-first-generation respondents. Findings The difference between first-generation and non-first-generation student responses was statistically significant for 35% of library services. FGCS rated library services higher than their non-first-generation peers for both importance and satisfaction. FGCS perceived library services related to physical spaces and access/discovery as most important. Library services that provide student support or access to technology showed strong evidence of difference between first-generation and non-first-generation student responses. The authors also determined the MISO Survey is a measure for assessing FGCS perceptions of library services. Originality/value This study adds quantitative evidence to research on FGCS and academic libraries, further demonstrating the importance of library services to FGCS.
The transition from high school to college is a taxing time for young adults. New students arriving on campus navigate a myriad of challenges centered around adapting to new living situations, financial needs, academic pressures and social demands. First-year students need to gain new skills and strategies to cope with these new demands in order to make good decisions, ease their transition to independent living and ultimately succeed. In general, first-generation students are less prepared when they enter college in comparison to non-first-generation students. This presents additional challenges for first-generation students to overcome and be successful during their college years. We study first-year students through the lens of mobile phone sensing across their first year at college, including all academic terms and breaks. We collect longitudinal mobile sensing data for N=180 first-year college students, where 27 of the students are first-generation, representing 15% of the study cohort and representative of the number of first-generation students admitted each year at the study institution, Dartmouth College. We discuss risk factors, behavioral patterns and mental health of first-generation and non-first-generation students. We propose a deep learning model that accurately predicts the mental health of first-generation students by taking into account important distinguishing behavioral factors of first-generation students. Our study, which uses the StudentLife app, offers data-informed insights that could be used to identify struggling students and provide new forms of phone-based interventions with the goal of keeping students on track.
Between 2008 and 2013, a hundred thousand refugees fleeing Burma/Myanmar’s civil war resettled in the US. In this qualitative study, we interview 15 1.5-generation Myanmar refugee-background high school graduates to understand their access to higher education (HE). Using a critical grounded theory approach, we ask what supports families, communities, and educational institutions provided (or not). We coin the term “double first-gen” to describe first-generation immigrants and college students. By analyzing family, community, and institutional factors, we move beyond theories of individual psychological “resilience” by interviewing participants who thrived and struggled in HE. We conclude that K-12 schools offer varying levels of support; that parents provide financial and emotional, but not usually academic support; that oldest siblings and those from single wage-earner families face higher barriers; that racially and socio-economically diverse communities or concentrations of Myanmar refugees are advantageous; that Myanmar refugee-background youth are less likely to ask for help than US-born peers; and that HEIs could offer a stronger sense of belonging to this population. We also discuss participants’ identity tensions, including varying definitions of success and responsibility, and US perceptions of refugees versus their lived experiences. We suggest how K-12 schools can construct pipelines to college and career that HEIs extend: create diverse, safe, and welcoming schools; offer college-prep, mentoring, and peer support starting in middle school; and hire college-level faculty and support staff who are first-gen and/or immigrants. These supports may also help refugee-background youth from other countries.
As higher education continues to focus its attention on first-generation college students, academic libraries are increasingly interested in designing outreach and instruction programs to support these students, especially during their first year of college. This study informs these efforts by implementing a standardized test to assess the information literacy skills of first-year, first-generation college students. Study results reveal that first-year, first-generation college students demonstrate substantial information literacy skills. However, gaps remain in comparison with first-year, continuing-generation students, particularly in understanding the research process and scholarly communication.
First-generation college students (FGS) are less likely to seek support, feel a sense of belonging, and complete their degrees than continuing generation students (CGS). Using a mixed-method parallel design with quantitative and qualitative data, this study examines how FGS and CGS report their experiences at one college and analyzes the challenges many FGS have to overcome during their college lives. FGS and CGS were surveyed to capture their experiences over three consecutive years starting in 2017. Five themes emerged from the data indicating substantial differences between FGS experiences and their CGS peers. These themes included (1) differences in time devoted to school, (2) financial constraints, (3) family responsibilities, (4) unequal perceptions of academic preparations, and (5) emotional and social isolation and a sense of belonging. We obtained additional qualitative data from focus groups and interviews. Results indicate that the mentoring program helped mitigate some barriers faced by FGS.
• Brilliance beliefs predict the representation of women, URMs, and first-gen students. • Brilliance beliefs predict the representation at undergrad, grad, and faculty levels. • Students do not perceive professors to communicate brilliance beliefs explicitly. • Brilliance beliefs relate strongly to features of the broader academic environment. Gender, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities pervade academia. Though there are a wealth of established reasons for these gaps, recent research has begun to examine how faculty beliefs contribute to representation outcomes for groups stereotyped as lacking intelligence. Extending prior research and using a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, the present study investigates how field-specific ability beliefs (beliefs about the importance of brilliance) and fixed mindsets (beliefs about the immutability of intelligence) relate to the representation of women, racial/ethnic minorities, and first-generation students at various levels of academia. In the quantitative phase with 1,025 faculty from 83 departments, self-reported beliefs exhibited negative correlations with representation outcomes in the small to very large range (−.16 > r ’s > -0.44). Qualitative findings, however, suggest a more complicated relationship. Focus group data from undergraduate and graduate students in two departments differing in faculty beliefs ( N = 32), suggested that both explicit and implicit messages from professors, peers, and the learning environment are important contributors to students’ experiences, beliefs, and decisions. The findings call for more intentional considerations, both in research and in practice, of the messages students receive from the environments in which they learn.
Efforts to support first-generation college students (FGCS) benefit from research on how these students make meaning of their identities and experiences. Drawing from in-depth interviews with 40 students, the present study explores student meaning making within a First-gen Forward Institution, recognized for its commitment to FGCS success. Findings reveal that participants interpreted their first-generation identities and experiences in a diverse range of ways. Specifically, students described being FGCS as a source of (1) pride and motivation, (2) constraints, (3) community, and (4) marginalization. Students linked these perceptions to their lived experiences in college. Implications for research and practice are explored.
First-Gen Docs: Personal, Political, and Intellectual Perspectives from the First-Generation Doctoral Experience compiles inspiring personal narratives that delve into the remarkable journeys of first-generation doctoral graduates in education. This collection unveils the struggles, triumphs, and transformations of these individuals as they navigate academia. Diverse backgrounds and cultures are represented by both graduates and advisers. Their stories depict resilience, resistance, and the pursuit of excellence while confronting challenges. Narratives of sacrifice, courage, and academic identity formation shed light on the transformative impact on families and communities. This book underscores the role of mentors, allies, and inclusivity, inspiring future generations in academia and beyond. Contributors are: Nur Diyanah Anwar, Miguel Baique, Nina Bascia, Kathy Bickmore, Jinny Menon, Elizabeth Montaño, Newton Asakhulu Mukolwe, R. Nanre Nafziger, Yecid Ortega, Crystena A. H. Parker-Shandal, Rosaisela Rodriguez, Janel Janiczek Smith and Zora Wolfe.
Institutions increasingly use first-generation categorizations to provide support to students. In this study, we sought to understand how students make meaning of their first-generation status by conducting a series of focus groups with 54 participants. Our findings reveal that students saw first-generation status as an organizational and familial identity rather than social identities. This status was connected to alterity and social distance that was most salient in comparison to continuing-generation peers. Our recommendations include reexamining the role of first-generation-specific programming on campus, creating opportunities for meaning-making, supporting students within changing family dynamics, and exploring the interaction between first-generation status and other marginalized identities.
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A qualitative investigation of first-generation (FG) college freshmen's perceptions of academic preparedness and intended success strategies informs the development of potential avenues by which to support FG freshmen in physiology programs.
Institutions of higher education continue to seek ways to engage first-generation students. This content analysis of the 157 mission statements of First-gen Forward Institutions explores how the articulation of institutional priorities can signal or promote a success-oriented culture and inform campus-wide approaches to first-generation student success. We identify four predominant themes--student learning experiences; community-serving; diversity and inclusion; and access and affordability--that may help guide unified, mission-centric efforts to develop resources and opportunities that resist deficit-based assumptions about first-generation students and that reflect an institutional commitment to student success.
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Librarians are charged with providing effective library instruction (i.e., how to utilize the library, how to conduct research, etc.) while also effectively teaching library users information literacy skills (how to interpret and evaluate the information they are accessing). Challenges that librarians face when trying to accomplish these tasks may include time constraints in the classroom, students who are not tech savvy, students who don’t understand library terminology, and students who don’t understand information literacy as a whole. The purpose of this article is to briefly describe scenarios that librarians could encounter when both teaching library instruction as well as teaching information literacy—scenarios that could hinder the learning processes for students and library users. Tips and suggestions are provided that can help librarians assess the diverse makeup of the class attendees to tailor their instruction session. Tips and suggestions are also provided to help librarians better engage students and users during library instruction and information literacy instruction.
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Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cancer cells that break away from either a primary tumor or a metastatic site and circulate in the peripheral blood as the cellular origin of metastasis. With their role as a "tumor liquid biopsy", CTCs provide convenient access to all disease sites, including that of the primary tumor and the site of fatal metastases. It is conceivable that detecting and analyzing CTCs will provide insightful information in assessing the disease status without the flaws and limitations encountered in performing conventional tumor biopsies. However, identifying CTCs in patient blood samples is technically challenging due to the extremely low abundance of CTCs among a large number of hematologic cells. To address this unmet need, there have been significant research endeavors, especially in the fields of chemistry, materials science, and bioengineering, devoted to developing CTC detection, isolation, and characterization technologies. Inspired by the nanoscale interactions observed in the tissue microenvironment, our research team at UCLA pioneered a unique concept of "NanoVelcro" cell-affinity substrates, in which CTC capture agent-coated nanostructured substrates were utilized to immobilize CTCs with high efficiency. The working mechanism of NanoVelcro cell-affinity substrates mimics that of Velcro: when the two fabric strips of a Velcro fastener are pressed together, tangling between the hairy surfaces on two strips leads to strong binding. Through continuous evolution, three generations (gens) of NanoVelcro CTC chips have been established to achieve different clinical utilities. The first-gen NanoVelcro chip, composed of a silicon nanowire substrate (SiNS) and an overlaid microfluidic chaotic mixer, was created for CTC enumeration. Side-by-side analytical validation studies using clinical blood samples suggested that the sensitivity of first-gen NanoVelcro chip outperforms that of FDA-approved CellSearch. In conjunction with the use of the laser microdissection (LMD) technique, second-gen NanoVelcro chips (i.e., NanoVelcro-LMD), based on polymer nanosubstrates, were developed for single-CTC isolation. The individually isolated CTCs can be subjected to single-CTC genotyping (e.g., Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing, NGS) to verify the CTC's role as tumor liquid biopsy. Created by grafting of thermoresponsive polymer brushes onto SiNS, third-gen NanoVelcro chips (i.e., Thermoresponsive NanoVelcro) have demonstrated the capture and release of CTCs at 37 and 4 °C, respectively. The temperature-dependent conformational changes of polymer brushes can effectively alter the accessibility of the capture agent on SiNS, allowing for rapid CTC purification with desired viability and molecular integrity. This Account summarizes the continuous evolution of NanoVelcro CTC assays from the emergence of the original idea all the way to their applications in cancer research. We envision that NanoVelcro CTC assays will lead the way for powerful and cost-efficient diagnostic platforms for researchers to better understand underlying disease mechanisms and for physicians to monitor real-time disease progression.