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UVM Theses and Dissertations

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Format:
Print
Author:
McShane, Ellen Patricia
Dept./Program:
College of Education and Social Services
Year:
2007
Degree:
Ed. D.
Abstract:
First-generation, limited-income college students represent the lower classes in our society. These students access higher education after overcoming many barriers. Colleges and universities are not always prepared to assist these students, because their needs are often different from traditional college students who are from the middle and upper classes of our society. Institutions of higher education need to develop strategies to support these students since an increasing number of students from this background will access college in the future. Instead of seeing these students as problematic, colleges and universities need to tap into the abilities these students bring to higher education. This dissertation explores how colleges and universities can enhance the college experience for this group of students once they access higher education in order to increase their retention and success.
There are a number of critical questions that this study explored: a) How does education help a person move from a lower social class to a higher social class? b) Does the American Dream of a college education exist for children from the lower classes? c) Why do some disadvantaged young people access higher education, while others do not make the transition? d) What are the characteristics that allow a disadvantaged youth to become a successful student and adult? e) What are the trends in higher education that are impacting first-generation, limited-income students? f) How should colleges and universities structure programs to support these students?
Students from first-generation, limited-income backgrounds are often impacted by poverty, which means they know hardship and adversity. This dissertation resulted in new understanding of how difficulties in life offer students from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to develop independence and maturity. At an early age, these students often acquire abilities, such as adaptability, flexibility, intuition, and high-level critical thinking skills that their peers from more privileged backgrounds gain later in life. By conducting a meta-analysis on over 70 research studies, I have identified the activities that make a difference in helping marginalized groups gain strength.
By using a mixed-genre approach of scholarly personal narrative writing and extensive bibliographic referencing as the methodology for this dissertation, this study reccommends how marginalized groups need to find meaning through their own narratives. Through this dissertation, I uncover in the empirical literature various personality traits that helped me as a first-generation, limited-income and disadvantaged youth, succeed, being strongly validated in the relevant research on disadvantaged youth who find success. Disadvantaged young people can build self-esteem once they understand that they are not deficient but different. This dissertation concludes with how the higher education system can build compassion and leadership skills in first-generation, limited-income students in order to acknowledge and to enhance their skill sets/assets. Over 260 end notes and a bibliography of over 70 scholarly works support the findings of this dissertation and define the contribution to the Academy by determining how to sustain students from marginalized backgrounds.