A Meta-Synthesis of Academic and Social Characteristic Studies: First-Generation College Students in STEM Disciplines at HBCUs

• In Event: Roundtable Session 51
  In Roundtable Session: Stemming the Tide: Promoting Success for Black Students in STEM

Abstract

The primary purpose of this preliminary meta-synthesis is intended to facilitate a greater understanding of the academic and social adjustment among college students, particularly first-generation college students enrolled in STEM disciplines at HBCUs. I engaged in a cyclical process of collecting, annotating, and synthesizing research over a 42-year timeframe (1970 to 2012). Factors present in the literature that affected students enrolled in a STEM program at a HBCU were found in three contexts: (a) first-generation academic and social characteristics, b) first-generation college dropout and transition, and (c) first-generation STEM retention. Four interrelated themes emerged from the literature: (a) prior academic performance, (b) college adjustment, (c)social integration, and (d)academic integration. Implications for future research and policymakers are discussed.

Authors

• Terence Hicks, East Tennessee State University

• J. Luke Wood, San Diego State University