Clearing the Path for First-Generation College Students comprises a wide range of studies that explore the multidimensional social processes and meanings germane to the experiences of first-generation college students before and during their matriculation into institutions of higher education. The chapters offer timely, empirical examinations of the ways that these students negotiate experiences shaped by structural inequities in higher education institutions and the pathways that lead to them. This volume provides insight into the dilemmas that arise from the transformation of students' class identities in pursuit of upward mobility, as well as their quest for community and a sense of "belonging" on college campuses that have not been historically designed for them. While centering first-generation status, this collection also critically engages the ways in which other dimensions of social identity intersect to inform students' educational experiences in relation to dynamics of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender, and immigration. Additionally, this book takes a holistic approach by exploring the ways in which first-generation college students are influenced by, and engage with, their families and communities of origin as they undertake their educational careers.
Introduction: Clearing the Path: Situating First-Generation Students' Experiences in Qualitative, Intersectional Scholarship Ashley C. Rondini, Bedelia Nicola Richards, and Nicolas P. Simon 1. "Cautionary Tales": Low-Income First Generation College Students, Educational Mobility, and Familial Meaning-Making Processes Ashley C. Rondini 2. Interdependent Relationships and Family Responsibilities: How Socioeconomic Status and Immigrant Histories Shape Second-Generation Asian American Experiences Fanny Yeung 3. Out With the Old, In With the New? Habitus and Social Mobility at Selective Colleges Elizabeth M. Lee and Rory Kramer 4. Moving Between Classes: Loyalists, Renegades, and Double Agents Allison L. Hurst 5. Seeking Out Support: Looking Beyond Socioeconomic Status to Explain Academic Engagement Strategies at an Elite College Anthony Abraham Jack and Veronique Irwin 6. Rethinking First-Generation College Status among Undocumented Immigrant Students Thomas Pineros Shields 7. First-generation Students and their Families: Examining Institutional Responsibility during College Access and Transition Judy Marquez Kiyama, Casandra E. Harper, and Delma Ramos 8. Choosing Majors, Choosing Careers: How Gender and Class Shape Students' Selection of Fields Ann L. Mullen 9. Demystifying Influences on Persistence for Native American First-Generation College Students Natalie Rose Youngbull and Robin Minthorn 10. Science Posse: The Importance of the Cohort in Normalizing Academic Challenge Kim Godsoe 11. Toward a Local Student Success Model: Latino First-Generation College Student Persistence Trista Beard Afterword Jenny Stuber
