Narratives of First-Generation, College-Bound Students’ Academic Identity Development in a Low-Performing, Urban High School

• In Event: Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Pathways to College From Urban High Schools

Abstract

Although strong academic preparation is critical to support college-going, many first generation students attend low-performing schools with minimal access to challenging coursework. These school environments, in turn, position students to approach postsecondary academics in particular ways. This study employs narrative inquiry to investigate the academic identity development of four college-bound, high-achieving, first generation seniors attending a low-performing, urban high school. Findings suggest that students’ academic identities were complex and, to varying degrees, conflicted; participants struggled to reconcile the positive signals of achievement they received from their school with their sense of under-preparedness relative to their perceptions of college. These narratives offer insight into the challenges of postsecondary transition among first generation youth and suggest pathways for improving college readiness policy.

Author

• Julia Cassman Duncheon, University of Southern California