Download or read book An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of First generation Student Experiences in Living learning Communities at a Large Public University written by Jolyn R. Brand and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 115 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The college experience for many students is an exciting, nerve-racking journey. Most students find themselves, for the first time, responsible for making important decisions that will affect their college education, including academic majors, housing, and activities. Unfortunately, this is also the time period when many students experience a decreased level of support or guidance. About 30 percent of college freshmen drop out after their first year, and less than two-thirds of students who enter college will graduate with a degree. The percentage of college dropouts can be even higher for students who are the first in their families to attend college, called first-generation college students (FGCSs); nearly 90% of FGCSs leave school without a degree-four times the rate for second-generation students. As a result of low graduation and persistence rates, colleges are recognizing the importance of developing support services to address the deficiencies in maturity, academics and social skills, including the development and management of Living-Learning Communities (LLCs). LLCs are specialized, communal living environments that connect students inside- and outside-the-classroom experiences, through shared coursework. Growing out of the college retention research of Vincent Tinto, who is widely regarded as an expert in student retention, this study examined the relationships between LLCs and their effect on student persistence for FGCSs"--Author's abstract.

Download or read book Exploring Living Learning Communities Through Students Experiences written by Amy Elizabeth Felder and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study was designed to explore the lived experiences of students at a private university during their first year of college while members of a Living-Learning Community (LLC). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to examine the experiences of eight students which sets the study apart from the larger context quantitative studies which have focused on the outcomes of LLC membership. Social Identity Theory served as the theoretical framework. The findings suggest a close link between the development of the LLC group identity and the personal growth each participant experienced throughout the year with reference to that group. While participants had various levels of connection to the larger LLC group, the group served as the catalyst for every student's individual personal and intellectual growth. Participants constructed both emotional and intellectual families within the LLC which were able to fulfill the individual needs of each member, connecting them to the LLC as well as to the larger university environment. Recommendations for practice include ways in which the connections forged through LLC membership could be applied to other students within the university environment. First generation students, students struggling academically, as well as students beyond their freshman year of school could all benefit from the intellectual and emotional family generated through LLC membership.

Download or read book A Phenomenological Study Examining the Experiences of First Generation Low Income and Students of Color in a First Year Experience College Course Related to Student Persistence and Retention written by Joanna White and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to understand the experiences of underrepresented student populations (first generation students, students receiving federal financial aid and students of color) enrolled in First Year Experience (FYE) courses who then persisted to the following semester and remained enrolled at the college. The study examined students at a large, urban community college in central Connecticut and included 8 students as participants. The theories that guided this study were Astin's Theory of Involvement (Astin, 1999) and Tinto's Theory of Departure (Tinto, 1993). The central question for this study was: how do students describe their experiences in a First Year Experience course? A purposeful sampling of 8 students was used for the study. Data was collected by interviews, a focus group, and a questionnaire. Data analysis procedures were conducted based on Moustakas' (1994) modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method. The results of this study confirmed the Theory of Involvement (Astin, 1999) as well as the Theory of Departure (Tinto, 1993. The participants in this study perceived that they had a very positive experience while taking FYE coursework and that the coursework helped them in regards to persistence and retention at the college. The content and experiences in the coursework helped form meaningful connections to resources and programs, which kept them engaged and enrolled at the college. These connections helped students overcome obstacles and barriers to their success as students.

Download or read book Finding Success in the Third Semester of College written by Jason A. Jones and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study explored the overall experience of being an underprepared first-generation college student and, in addition, focused on the third semester and looked for how the participants overcame any negative stressors to find promotive factors that led to the participants being able to graduate from college. The findings answer the research questions: How do participants, who were underprepared first-generation college students and who have successfully graduated from college or university, describe their experiences during college? How do participants describe promotive factors (contextual, social, and/or individual factors) and/or internal strengths that helped them persist to graduation? How do participants describe promotive factors (contextual, social, and/or individual factors) from the participants' third semester of college that helped the participants remain in college or university and helped them persist to graduation? Using Resilience Theory (Garmezy, 1985) as the theoretical framework the researcher found three unique promotive factors amongst all the participants that helped them overcome the effects of the negative stressors they experienced on the way to ultimately succeeding. The three promotive factors were: support, academic self-realization, and determination to succeed. The study has the potential to help student affairs scholar practitioners create programs, provide academic, financial, and social support, and help underprepared first-generation college students graduate college"--Author's abstract.

Download or read book First in Family Students University Experience and Family Life written by Sarah O'Shea and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-09-23 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book, now in its second edition, offers a comprehensive overview of the experiences of First in Family (FiF) or first-generation students in higher education. It draws upon narratives of students and their family members and spans the entire university student life cycle (pre-entry, commencement, progression and graduation) with a focus on specific cohorts including mature-aged students, parents or carers, as well as the differentiated experiences of male and female learners. With research drawn from three major research projects and including over 650 FiF students from across all Australian states and territories, as well as Europe, this wealth of perspectives provides unique insights into the lived reality of attending university in contemporary higher education settings. The book is written for a broad audience and will appeal to those working in universities, as well as family members and students who may be contemplating participating in higher education.

Download or read book Living Learning Communities written by Megan Marie Connelly and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This qualitative case study describes how first year students perceived the impact of living within a living learning community by giving voice to students who wished to not only describe their living experience, but also have this description heard. While living learning communities are not new to Residential Life departments on college campuses, the studies of such programs have predominantly been large scale quantitative studies conducted to assess the overall satisfaction that students feel with living in such a program or to ask one very specific question, typically related to drinking patterns or academic successes. Through the studying of one particular academic living learning community at a specific mid-Atlantic, urban university, I was able to delve deeper into the lives of students and develop a detailed holistic picture of the student experience specifically through the use of student interviews. My small sample, and immersion in the field, permitted an in depth understanding of all aspects of their residential and academic life related to their living learning community experience. The residents took advantage of the research as an opportunity to speak freely about issues that more macro researchers had not considered as potential impacts of student life within a living learning community. The research took place in one residential hall over an entire year. The data was gathered from a series of in-depth interviews and almost daily observations. Studying a select number of students within the community for a full academic year provided the opportunity to ask the same questions on numerous occasions and study how the students' responses changed or remained the same over time. This year long endeavor also permitted my immersion into the community and attendance at programs and events held within the living learning community allowing me to discover five themes relating to the student perspective of living learning communities: The Importance of Family, Social Activities as Opportunities to Bond, Accountability with Regards to Academics, Sense of Exclusivity, and the Importance of Personality on Perception of LLC Success. Through these themes, this study provides one of the few rigorous insights into life in a living learning community from the student perspective directly through the use of student voice, allowing for higher educational leaders and planners to take this individualized perspective into account in the organization, implementation, funding, and assessment of future living learning community endeavors.

Download or read book The Complex Life Experience of First Generation College Students Who Are Working Adults in the Appalachian Region of the United States written by Deborah Thurman and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe and understand the complexity of life experiences for first-generation college students or recent graduates who are working adults in the Central and South-Central Appalachian region of the United States in light of the construct resilience and how purposefully selected students continued study despite difficulties. In this study, information gathered was synthesized regarding three issues: first-generation students, working adult students, and the influences of Central and South-Central Appalachian regional culture. The theory used to guide this study is resilience as it relates to the educational persistence of working, adult, first-generation college students in Appalachia. The complexity of life experiences was generally defined as the many life situations that the participants encounter in the pursuit of a degree. A rich, descriptive portrayal of the target population's complex lives was revealed through interviews with 11 individuals, a journaling exercise completed about their educational experiences, and focus groups. The information gathered, as seen through a cultural profile developed of the region, was explored for commonalities and themes to give voice to the students. One enduring theme was the lack of value placed on education in their families. Another distinct theme was poverty, both in their own families of origin, and in the region. An engaging theme was their unrest with living life without a baccalaureate degree. More specifically, they portrayed a strong determination to rise above their circumstances using the vehicle of further education. Next, overcoming the complexities of their lives through resilience. A final theme that surfaced was how their lives had improved after their graduation.

Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2009-09 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Impact of a First Year Living Learning Community on First Generation College Student Academic Success and Persistence written by Brett L. Bruner and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book First Generation written by Sandra Casillas and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 57 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a common effect that can be identified when labels are used. More often than not, a single label can lead to a domino effect of assumptions and categorizations. There is currently no available research that explores the personal definitions and understanding of the First-Generation College Student label to any one of the individuals who are operating under the label. This research study explored the beginning of the FGCS label, to fill the gap in the available research. This qualitative phenomenological research consisted of in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The nine participants in this study brought to light revelations about the first-generation college student journey that had yet to be touched. Through the data collected, it was found that the First-Generation College Student label allowed for their competence and sense of belonging to be questioned and the meaning behind their journey to remain untold. These findings suggest that first-generation college students are making their way through higher education institutions with goals to succeed and more importantly to make their families proud. This revelation highlighted the suggestion that the traditional college and university paradigms regarding family involvement may need modifications. Furthermore, the findings displayed the need for colleges and universities to make room for these students to safely discuss and determine their needs rather than their needs be assumed.

Download or read book An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Students Perceptions of a First year Experience Program written by Derrick D. Wheatley and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was to assess the perceptions of First-Year Experience (FYE) students on the factors that contributed to their success. The primary research questions seek to understand, “What factors directly impacted students who completed their First-Year Experience Program identity that contributed to their success? Which academic resources were identified by First Year Experience students that impacted their educational experience? How do student-mentor relationships influence the motivation of students in First-Year Experience programs?” The researcher conducted an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) and conducted semi-structured interviews with ten students to examine their perceptions of first-year experience programs. This study contains suggestions for future research to gain a better understanding of First-Year Experience programs. The primary focus of the research is to understand student persistence and how it serves as a central focus in higher educational institutions. the First-Year Programs were created to decrease attrition and improve student success.

Download or read book The Problem of College Readiness written by William G. Tierney and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2015-03-30 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines how states, schools, and postsecondary institutions might best help improve college readiness and completion. Though more students are entering college, many drop out, especially those who are low income and/or of color. To address this problem, educational stakeholders have focused on the concept of “college readiness,” or the preparation a student needs to succeed in college. However, what it means to be college ready and how to help more students become ready are questions without clear answers. By way of historical and contemporary analyses, this book uses California as a case study to demonstrate how the state has endeavored to make postsecondary opportunity accessible for all students. The contributors also explore the challenges that remain and address what states and schools can do to improve college readiness and completion. “This book adds important information to the debates and discussions around this critical topic.” — Caroline Sotello Viernes Turner, coeditor of Understanding Minority-Serving Institutions

Download or read book First Generation College Student Experiences of Intersecting Marginalities written by Teresa Heinz Housel and published by Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers. This book was released on 2019 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Intersections of Marginality for First-Generation College Students examines the intersecting relationships between a student's identity as a first-generation college student (FGCS) and other identities such as race, class, LGBTQ+, and spiritual identity, among others.

Download or read book Getting H I P with First generation College Students written by Elizabeth M. Nuñez and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Undergraduate research is often regarded as the most powerful high impact practice because it encompasses several high impact practice strategies (e.g. faculty-student mentorship, collaborative learning, common intellectual experiences) within one experience. First-generation college Students of Color are often excluded from undergraduate research experiences due to inherently exclusionary practices and deficit perspectives regarding ability and interest. In an effort to combat the current master narrative, this single case study dissertation study explored the experience of first-generation college Students of Color participating in undergraduate research and the ways in which their undergraduate research experience might be racially and culturally validating for them as Students of Color.

Download or read book A Phenomenological Study to Describe the Perseverance Experiences of Community College Students written by Andy John Benoit (Jr.) and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the perseverance experiences of first-generation students at one community college in the Southern United States. Tinto’s internationalist theory served as the theoretical framework for the study, which sought to answer the central research question: How do first-generation students at community college in the Southern United States describe their perseverance experience from their first to second year of college? There were four sub-questions included in the study: (1) How do college students describe the events that led them to persevere from their first to their second year of college? (2) How do college students describe the preparatory instances from high school that were most beneficial to their second year of college? (3) How do students who completed their first year of college describe the most impactful experience on their success and perseverance? (4) How do college students describe the instances which had an adverse effect on their perseverance experiences? Purposeful opportunity sampling was employed to obtain a sample population of 12 first-generation community college students who had shared experiences relative to the phenomenon of persistence. Data to examine the phenomenon in-depth were obtained using interviews focus groups, as well as a reflective writing assignment which revealed 10 themes that included: (a) motivation, (b) peer support, (c) institutional support and interventions, (d) class and academic experience, (e) special skills learned, (f) engagement, (g) learning opportunities, (h) interpersonal experiences, (i) academic challenges, and (j) COVID-19. The study findings, limitations, and recommendations for further study were provided.

Download or read book An Exploration of Self determination of First generation College Students written by Chelsa Rash and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the self-determination experiences of first-generation college students. For this study, first-generation college students were defined as students with parents who do not have any college education. The study examined students taken from a population of first-generation college students who are at least 18 years old, classified as a sophomore or higher at a university or college in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, and enrolled as either full-time or part-time students. The theory guiding this research study was Ryan and Deci’s self-determination theory. The research questions expounded upon the individual, self-determined experiences of these students considering the formidable challenges of the college experience. Purposeful, criterion, and snowball sampling were used to select 12 research participants for the study. Data were collected from the participants using one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and participants’ letters. Data were analyzed using transcendental phenomenological methods to ascertain a combination of the textural and structural themes that identify the essence of this phenomenal experience. The modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method of data analysis, as described by Moustakas, was used. The findings indicated that beginning in high school, first-generation college students need support and guidance. Support and guidance are critical during the first year of college for first-generation college students, but they will require support throughout their college journey. Finally, effective resources are needed to help first-generation college students overcome challenges and obstacles to achieve degree completion.

Download or read book A Phenomenological Study written by Damira Grady and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to explore the contributing factors that assist African American community college students to persist from remediation, to graduation and transfer to a four-year college or university, and to understand the students' perceptions of their transition experiences better. Schlossberg's (1984, 1995, 2006, 2012) transition theory, self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2002), interactionist theory (Tinto, 1993), and the theory of student involvement (Astin, 1984), provided the theoretical framework for this study. Though degree attainment offers many benefits, many students are challenged to succeed (Griffin, 2006). This research extends to the existing literature and theoretical framework of student persistence. To better understand the experiences of African American students who persisted, the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was the most suitable methodology for this study. Like phenomenology inquiry, IPA concerns itself with how individuals make sense of their lived experiences. Additionally, IPA involves a detailed examination of each participant's life and experience in the world. To better understand the phenomenon, participants were asked to share experiences, specific events, and practices that supported their transition. According to Smith et al. (2012), the use of a purposive sample of five to six participants is highly recommended. Therefore, the current study included a small but diverse sample of five African American participants, men and women, aged 19-30. The purposive sample in this study included individuals who successfully persisted from remedial education at a Midwest community college, to graduation and transfer to a four-year college or university. Six major findings were identified and included the following: perseverance, patience, pillar, perception, participation, and preparedness (6P's). All of the participants agreed that the 6P's are vital to increasing students' persistence from remediation in community college. The implications of this study are significant, as all students utilized the 6P's through each transition phase of their educational journey. Implications of these findings related to practice, research, leadership, learning, and service were also discussed.