The Third Shift: Underserved Students' Demonstration of Strategic Success and Cultural Competency in Home, Work, and Academically Rigorous College Environments

• In Event: 73.033 - Financial and Socioeconomic Factors Affecting College Student Success

Abstract

This study explored the notion that underserved students attending academically rigorous institutions work three “shifts” in order to be academically engaged, support their families, and gain or maintain financial independence. Using multi-case methodology, semistandardized interviews with 29 low-income, ethnic minority, and first generation college students were conducted to examine the hows, whys, and whats of this juggling act, including the divisions of “labor,” motivations, purposive strategies for success, and affective responses that students associate with each shift. This study challenges us to recognize the cultural competency that underserved students display in successfully managing competing responsibilities rather than focus on the behaviors and characteristics that place them “at risk” for attrition.

Author

• De'Sha Shantrell Wolf, Portland State University