Students whose parents did not study at a university (first-generation students) exhibit differences in how they decide whether and what to study, compared to students whose parents attended university. In our study, we looked for possible similarities and differences between these two groups of students. The participants were Slovak students aged…

Globally, candidate preference for hybrid learning continues to increase at the expense of in-person learning, while interest in predominantly online learning remains flat. This increase is evident across regions and demographic groups, with overall preference highest among candidates who have traditionally demonstrated the most interest: women,…

This paper examines the history of the expansion of educational opportunities in the UK, to understand how different generations of ­working-class students managed to access HE. Based on 23 life-story interviews with working-class students, the study highlights how the changing dynamics of the structure of compulsory education and the labour…

For more than a century, scholars and policymakers have commented and debated on the purposes of higher education. These conversations reflect a combination of public and private goals, with an increasing emphasis on social mobility. The perspective of students, especially those currently enrolled and first-generation college goers for whom social…

Many first-generation college students -- whose parents have not obtained a four-year college degree -- experience a "cultural mismatch" due to a lack of alignment between the independent values of their university (consistent with the culture of higher education) and their own interdependent values (consistent with working-class…

This study examines whether self-efficacy predicted academic success (via self-regulation) for first-generation and continuing-generation college students (Model 1) and among various racial/ethnic groups (Model 2). The 3,316 ethnically diverse incoming freshmen from a large, urban, public university (53% first-generation) participated in this…

Objective: To examine prospective associations between physical and mental self-rated health (SRH), college generation status and college adjustment among first-year college students. Participants and methods: Eighty-seven first-year college students (41 first-generation college students) reported their SRH when starting college, and then,…

Rapid advances in the quality and accessibility of immersive virtual reality (IVR) have brought about intense interest in applications of the technology within higher education, including STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) teaching and learning. However, evidence is mixed on the effectiveness of IVR for STEM teaching and…

Distance education students have less access to classmates as a social resource and may, therefore, rely more on family members for support. However, first-generation students, or students who are the first in their family to attend university, may lack the academic resources that family members can provide. Overall, first-generation students in…

Among many challenges that first-generation college students face, navigating how to balance the financial costs of college with covering monthly expenses can be particularly challenging. The present study uses the lens of person-in-environment theory to conceptualize how the financial attitudes, behaviors, and resources of first-generation…

In this qualitative case study, I examined the perspectives of first-generation and second-generation African American alumni of an early college high school in order to better understand the role of this model of education in their high school diploma attainment, accumulation of college credits, and aspirations to continue their post-secondary…

Researchers have paid increasing attention to issues of access and retention among first-generation college students but have focused less on their post-college outcomes. We extend this literature by investigating if there is a generational wage gap, that is, a gap between first- and continuing-generation students' wages. We also ask how the…

While dropping classes is an almost ubiquitous practice on campuses, it is far less studied than course selection or overall retention. This lack of research is striking given that the practice has implications for the evaluation of teaching, efficient use of institutional resources, time to degree, and educational inclusion. The authors present…

This article draws on a qualitative study of 31 Millennial and Generation Z students to examine the meaning of teacher "caring" in a higher education context. Prior research clearly documents the importance of caring to student engagement, although much of that scholarship focuses on secondary schooling. Research also examines the…

In an era of heightened educational expectations, it can be difficult to discern why would-be first-generation college-going adolescents are less likely to enroll in college than non-first generation adolescents. This article draws from cultural sociology to interpret differences in the way that adolescents socially construct the transition into…