Understanding the Association Between First-Generation Students' Status and Motivations to Major in Biology (Poster 56)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Eight
  In Poster Session: 2023 AERA Undergraduate Fellows Research Poster Fair

Abstract

"Students choose their majors for a variety of reasons. The purpose of this research is to
understand whether there are differences between first-generation and non-first-generation
students in their motivations to choose biology as their major. Based on cultural capital theory, there are reasons to suspect that students from diverse backgrounds have different motivations for choosing their majors. For example, first-generation students may be more likely than non-first-generation students to select their majors to help their families, communities, or to get ahead. Students from first-generation backgrounds are entering STEM majors including biology,and researchers can learn how to recruit students based on their motivational values. However, there is a gap in understanding the differences between first-generation and non-first-generationbiology students and their motivation to pursue their major. I hypothesize that there will be significant differences between first-generation and non-first-generation students and their motivations to choose biology related to community and career goals. Specifically, we examined “influence from family, friends, or advisors,” “wanting a prestigious career,” “helping others,”and “a high-paying job.” This study uses data collected from a survey in 2017-2018 in which 991 first-year biology students were asked about their motivations and their parental education statuses. The study compared first-generation and non-first-generation college students on several different kinds of motivations using a z-test. Results indicate that non-first-generation students were more likely to choose biology based on their support systems than first-generation students. There were no significant differences between first-generation and non-first-generation students in motivations that included pursuing a prestigious career, pursuing a high-paying job, and helping their community. The next steps for this project include collecting additional demographic information such as race/ethnicity, gender, and parental income. Also, adding a qualitative component would contribute to understanding the different reasons first-generation and non-first-generation students choose their biology major.
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Author

• Brianna A. Gonzalez
  Presenting Author