Family and Higher Education: Parents’ Experiences of First-Generation Students

• In Event: College-Going Experiences During the First and Second Year: Student Parents and First-Generation Students

Abstract

One of the most significant impact of higher education massification has been the rapid
growth in access by what have been classified as ‘first-generation students’ (FGS), defined as those whose parents or guardians did not graduate from post-secondary institutions (Ishitany, 2003). This qualitative study was designed to understand in depth the characteristics of the FGS parents support and how this contributes permanence and retention in the Chilean higher education system. 25 parents were interviewed from a range of different universities located in the central zone of Chile (Metropolitan and Valparaiso regions). The study's main results show even though FGS face many challenges during their trajectories, their parents are often facilitators of their academic success.

Authors

• Andrea Flanagan-Borquez, Universidad de Valparaiso

• Gabriel Soriano Soriano, Universidad Autonoma de Chile