Academic Success and First-Generation College Students: The Mediating Role of Educational Utility Value

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 54
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring Academic Success

Abstract

This study examines whether first-generation college students’ educational utility values mediate the association between parent’s socialization practices and GPA. The current study consisted of 134 first-generation college students, predominantly identifying as Asian or White, from a moderately sized Mid-Atlantic university. We predicted that educational utility values would mediate the associations between four academic socialization practices (emotional autonomy support and responsiveness, active involvement, demanding hard work, and competitiveness) and college GPA. We observed full mediation for all socialization practices except for competitiveness. Our results highlight the importance of educational utility values for first-generation college students.

Authors

• Rebecca Dowling, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Brittany Gay, University of Maryland - Baltimore County

• Susan Sonnenschein, University of Maryland - Baltimore County