Abstracts Category : Other

Exploring How First-Generation College Students Describe Their Social Capital, Academic Self-Concept, and Self-Efficacy

by Andrea Chambers

Purpose: The study explores the following questions: What social capital do first-generation college students bring to college? In what ways and from whom do first-generation college students acquire the social capital to improve their opportunities for college attendance? How do students describe the experiences that contribute to their feelings of positive academic self-concept and self-efficacy? Procedure: A review of the literature regarding first-generation college students was conducted. Seven first-year, first-generation college students were interviewed to learn about their high school experience as it relates to their college-going knowledge, college selection, and feelings of academic self-concept and self-efficacy. Participants were chosen so that their perspectives and experiences would vary as much as possible. Each student was interviewed individually, responses were audio recorded and then transcribed. The students??? responses were coded based on concepts described in the literature. Findings: Social capital acquisition is vital to first-generation college students gaining access to college. Positive academic self-concept and self-efficacy emerged as one of the most predictive factors for students successfully accessing and attending postsecondary education, and thus play a significant role in a student???s motivation to attend college. Conclusions: Students have experiences in both high school and college that contribute to their academic self-concept and self-efficacy, and these feelings contributed to student enrollment in postsecondary education and planned success. First-generation college students pursue postsecondary education because they want to change their life circumstances. And despite obstacles many first-generation college students encounter, including lack of support from home or school, financial hardship, or coming from impoverished backgrounds, those who do enroll show great perseverance.Advisors/Committee Members: Lane, Paula (committee member).