The Roles of Belonging, Academic Self-Efficacy, and Family in First Generation of College students G
Social Sciences
Psychology
First generation of college students are less likely to graduate from 4-year institutions than non-first generation students. Self-efficacy, family capital, family obligations, and students’ sense of belonging contribute to these students’ academic performance and persistence. We surveyed 167 first generation diverse college students (77% female) attending a public university in Northern California to assess the association between (1) family capital and obligations; (2) self-efficacy; (3) sense of belonging; and their (4) GPA and career goals. There were no between ethnic-group differences in self-efficacy and family emotional capital, but ethnic minority participants were significantly more likely than European-heritage participants to indicate that they were persisting in college to repay their families for sacrifices they made to send them to college and because their parents had not had the opportunity to attend. Latino participants: (1) had lower GPAs and were significantly more likely than Asian- or European-heritage participants to report that (2) parents and older college-going siblings provided academic capital but could not provide financial capital for tuition and living expenses; and (3) they were mentoring younger siblings. Most participants (62%), but especially ethnic minorities (89%), reported that they often felt they did not belong at the university and had experienced discrimination from peers, faculty, or staff.
