Classroom Experiences Contributing to First-Generation Low-Income College Student of Color Success

• In Event: More Just and Equitable Higher Education: Cultivating First-Generation College Student Success for the 21st Century

Abstract

Objectives: There is a dearth of information in the literature specific to student success among first-generation low-income (FLI) college students of Color (Sarcedo et al., 2015; Tate et al., 2015), particularly about their classroom-based experiences. To address this gap in the literature, semi-structured interviews with FLI college students of Color were conducted to ascertain what classroom-based factors they identified contributed to their success, where success is defined as achieving the goal of graduating from college. The research question under investigation was, “What classroom experiences do FLI college students of Color and recent graduates identify as influencing their academic success and graduation?”

Perspectives: Given the deficit narratives prevalent in the literature regarding FLI college students of Color in particular (Sarcedo et al., 2015), critical race methodology serves to purposefully challenge these negative accounts. Directly in line with challenging traditional paradigms used to explain marginalized student experiences (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002), a core tenet of critical race methodology, this paper offers an alternative to the majoritarian stories of student failure with a positive focus on student success and graduation. This was achieved by amplifying students’ voices in naming their own achievements by viewing students’ experiences of marginalization as strengths to create a composite counterstory (CCS, Cook & Dixson, 2013).

Methods: Semi-structured interviews with FLI college students of Color were utilized because interviews are a useful tool to “incorporate counter-storytelling with the experiential knowledge of students” (Solórzano & Yosso, 2001, p. 473). Creswell (2012) explained that interviews in particular are of use when examining a population where little is known, as is the case for racially minoritized FLI college students.

Data Sources: Seven FLI college students of Color who attended public universities in their home state were interviewed during fall 2019 and spring 2020. Interviews were analyzed using constant comparison (Leech & Onwuegbuzie, 2007) to draw out themes, which were then used in the creation of a CCS.

Results: FLI college students of Color identified in-class academic support, positive relationships with peers, and faculty mentorship provided by supportive professors as contributing factors to feeling they could be successful in college. These research findings establish that academic support and interactions with faculty and classmates contribute to feelings of in-class self-efficacy among FLI college of student and advance their achievement.

Scholarly Significance: For racially and economically minoritized FLI college students, in-class connection with their peers and faculty, as well as their sense of self-efficacy contrasts majoritarian story of isolation (Azmitia et al., 2018) and low self-efficacy (Demetriou et al., 2017). To promote classroom-based experiences that bolster FLI college student of Color success, institutions must implement ongoing and robust professional development for faculty to ensure inclusive curriculum and academic support, along with formal and informal opportunities for marginalized college students to build relationships with their peers and instructors.

Author

• Geneva L. Sarcedo, University of Colorado - Denver