Dr. Gabriel Bach
Increasingly extensive literature defines first-generation college students (FGCS) as those students who are the first in their families to have a college or university experience. Community colleges have targeted FGCS a primary clientele as it has become a growing force in higher education.
Research points toward challenges FGCS face in their pursuit for a college degree and the disadvantages they have to overcome compared to the academically prepared non-FGCS.
Curious about these disparities, I decided to poll my government students the first day of the spring semester 2008. This research was limited in time and resources. The focus of this study included the following:
1) brief profile of the
sample;
2) ‘knowledge’ and ‘work
habits’;
3) political attitudes sample
as students were polled in government
classes.
Sample: For this survey, 141 students participated. Thirty-six (or 26 percent) are FGCS and 103 are non-FGCS. North Lake College has about 4,159 FGCS enrolled in spring 2008.
Of the 36 FGCS, 12 are enrolled in their first semester (approximately 1,369 college-wide), 13 in the second, six in the third, and five in the fourth and beyond. Twenty-two are male and 14 are female. Eleven are the oldest in the family, and seven are male. Of the 12 first semester FGCS, three were from Irving, four from the suburbs, two from Texas, and two were international students.
Of the 36 FGCS, 8 percent are African American, 22 percent Hispanic, 11 percent Asian, 1 American Indian, 50 percent Anglos, and two who did not answer. This diversity matches, to a degree, the 103 non-FGCS: 9 percent are African American, 20 percent Hispanic, 20 percent Asian, yet only 43 percent Anglos.
‘Knowledge’ and ‘Work Habits’: Forty-four percent of the FGCS did not know or gave the wrong answer to the location of Switzerland compared to 35 percent of the non-FGCS. Fifty-eight percent of FGCS did not know if Benazir Bhutto was the president of India compared to 54 percent of the non-FGCS. As to the location of the library (and to its usage), only 11 percent FGCS, compared to the 20 percent of non-FGCS, did not know its location. The majority of these 20 percent are international students.
Only 31 percent of FGCS regularly listen to the news, compared to 45 percent of non-FGCS. And when it comes to reading comprehension, 89 percent of FGCS and 75 percent of non-FGCS pretend to read ‘with comprehension and efficiency.’ Only 33 percent FGCS have used the math lab or the Writing Center compared to 39 percent non-FGCS.
‘Knowledge’ differences range between 4 percent and 9 percent: this does not seem statistically relevant compared to ‘Work Habits’ outcome. One may be concerned about the use or lack of use of support programs like the Writing Center, as witnessed how students are struggling in their studies.
Political Attitudes: Interestingly, the first semester FGCS, as a group, is the most politically moderate; 58 percent claimed to be moderate, 17 percent conservative and 8 percent liberal.
Next, 39 percent of the FGCS are moderate, to 37 percent of the non-FGCS. There are not as many conservative (11 percent) and liberal (11 percent) FGCS as they are among the non-FGCS (18 percent and 22 percent respectively). The first semester FGCS seem to know more about where they stand politically, compared to the two other groups who have a 22 percent+ of claiming to be ignorant about their political attitudes. This high percentage may be due to international students’ responses.
What has one learned?- Politically, the first semester FGCS group is the most moderate, the non-FGCS group less prone to compromise due the strength of the conservatives and liberals.
- ‘Knowledge,’ used in this survey very loosely as a concept, does not drastically differentiate the two groups, contrary to the target literature.
- ‘Work Habits’ lead one to question responses given. One hesitates to believe the 89 percent reading comprehension of the FGCS compared to that same group’s responses about Switzerland and benazir
- The need for greater focus on (based only on this limited survey)
- Targeting African American and Hispanic FGCS
- Publicizing support programs like the math lab, the Writing Center and the library
- Training international students
- Institutions of higher education like the University of Florida and a Missouri community college offer financial and support group to FGCS to ensure a greater success rate of this primary clientele.