Running header: THE JOURNEY TO GRADUATE SCHOOL

The Journey to Graduate School: Experiences of students raised by parents without college
degrees
Breanna Dickson, Alicia Ellingson, Nicole Sellers, and Jessica Scott
Touro University Nevada

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Introduction
In todays world it is almost necessary to obtain a college degree in order to acquire and
maintain a career. Thirty years ago this was not the case; adults coming into the workforce were
able to learn a trade and find a job. Many families could not afford to send their children to
college and some simply did not value or encourage a college education. Those children from
thirty years ago are now parents, sending their children off to college and work. It has become an
interesting topic to study the diverse factors influencing their children. Many studies explore the
issues and dynamics that are molding the children of the future. The decision of todays youth to
attend college and a obtain college degrees is an important factor that will affect the economy
and society in years to come. Why this demographic chooses to pursue an education is a focus of
todays research. The topic for this study will be the factors and emotions associated with
pursuing and completing a college education in first-generation college students. For the
purposes of this study, first-generation college student is defined as a college student with
neither parent having completed a college degree. In recent years, society has come to place a
larger emphasis on attending college and continuing education which places first-generation
college students in a unique situation. This shift warrants the need for this study to examine the
perspectives of the first-generation college students. Being raised by parents without college
degrees provides different experiences, resources, and motivations for first-generation students
than those who grew up in college educated households. The purpose of this phenomenological
study will be to explore the path to obtaining a college degree for the Occupational Therapy
Class of 2015 students at Touro University Nevada whose parents did not obtain a college
degree.
In researching this phenomenon many questions arose concerning this topic. The central

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question of focus is: How would a first-generation college student describe the journey of
obtaining a college degree when their parents did not? The spotlight during the interview
portion of this study looked at several points along the journey including the decision to go to
college, the college student journey, and the post-graduate journey. In the conversations with the
study subjects, they were asked what challenges and supporting factors they experienced during
the journey. These included personal, external, and environmental factors. In the same context,
the first-generation college students explained what motivation and drive they experienced and
where it came from.
Delimitations of this study include the boundary of the study lying within the faculty,
staff, and students of the Touro University Nevada occupational therapy program. The
population pool was under 100 subjects and the purpose of our study reduced the number of
applicable subjects dramatically. For the purposes of a phenomenological qualitative study, the
subject pool of nine participants was appropriate for the interview style study in the context and
time constraints presented. Subject selection was completed via verbal inquiry of applicability
and willingness to participate. Only the Touro University Nevada Occupational Therapy Class of
2015 was asked to participate limiting the diversity of the subjects; however, qualified
participants cover both genders, a diverse age range, and were raised in various states across the
country providing a more relatable population.

Review of Related Literature

Our study included three articles about first-generation college students whose parents
did not obtain a college degree. First-generation college students are leaders in their families by
taking the steps necessary to enroll in college without a family role model. As cited by

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Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak, & Terenzini (2004), first-generation college students represent an
increasing percentage of overall college enrollments; and because their degree completion rates
are so poor, they present a challenge to higher education institutions that strive to educate young
adults.
Our research group triangulated data by gathering information from several
different sources (i.e., PubMed and Google Scholar) by searching for words such as firstgeneration and first-generation college students. Analyzing these sources allowed for a rich
mix of reliable data on first-generation college students whose parents did not obtain a college
degree. While reviewing our articles, we found three major themes: families of first-generation
college students did not understand the demands of a college education, students felt that it was
an added responsibility from their families to be the one to receive a college degree, and firstgeneration students doubted their academic and motivational abilities, believing that they were
not college material.
Pascarella et al. (2004), found that individuals whose parents obtained a college degree
had an advantage over first-generation students in understanding the culture of higher education
and its role in personal development and socioeconomic attainment. Those with college educated
parents had the advantageous support of being able to ask advice from their parents. This study
also found that first-generation college students had a more challenging transition from high
school to college in comparison to their peers. Through experiencing cultural, social, and
academic transitions, first-generation college students faced anxiety and dislocation.
In another study, Garrison & Gardner (2012) looked at first-generation college students
with personal assets in four categories: proactivity, goal direction, optimism, and reflexivity.
Their analysis found that those students who utilized their assets throughout their college

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experience were able to reach their full potential, helping them to achieve their educational goals.
In the last study we reviewed, first-generation college students had a difficult time
discussing academics with their family members because they could not relate with their college
experiences; causing the students to feel out of place and unsure of themselves (London,1989).
The methodological approaches used by Pascarella et al. (2004) consisted of following
first-generation students over a span of four years. In those years, they had three follow-up
meetings which were composed of different assessments analyzing the students reading
comprehension, mathematics, critical thinking, writing skills, and clinical reasoning. The final
follow-up for this research study consisted of a College Student Experiences Questionnaire,
asking the students about their collegiate experiences since the initial meeting. Two out of the
three articles we reviewed described how structured interviews were conducted with open ended
questions to students about their academic experiences. During the interviews, audio was
recorded, and notes were taken of observable behaviors, such as, body language and nonverbal
communications; the data was then transcribed and analyzed for their research (Garrison &
Gardner, 2012; London, 1989).
In conclusion, the major themes that we found in our articles showcased the struggles of
first-generation college students and highlighted the advantages of students whose parents had
degrees. First-generation college students did not understand the demands of a college education.
They felt an added responsibility from their families and often doubted their academic and
motivational abilities. While reviewing the three articles, one article followed their participants
for four years, in which dropouts were a major limitation. We discovered that two studies used
the same methodological approaches of audio recorded structured interviews (Garrison &
Gardner, 2012; London, 1989). Our team found the approach of using structured, open ended

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interview questions useful since the questions were broad enough to elicit a variety of responses.
Although there was variety in the methodological approaches from the literature, each concluded
that there were struggles amongst first-generation college students.
Procedure
Our research team chose to examine the journey to graduate school for students whose
parents do not have a college degree. Our team limited their population to students currently in
the Touro University Nevada Occupational Therapy class of 2015. Working as a group, our team
chose eight questions to ask during a semi-structured interview that they felt would most
accurately capture the experience of each person interviewed. One pertinent assumption of our
team when writing the interview questions was that of a struggle; that each person interviewed
would portray an arduous journey to graduate school. Our team found the design of the study to
be useful since the eight interview questions were broad enough to elicit some variety in
responses, while structured enough to keep each interview under ten minutes.
Our research team had familiarity with the topic and experiences of the interviewees
since three out of the four members on our team come from families where the parents had not
obtained a college degree. Our team found eligible participants by asking each student in person
if their parents had obtained a college degree and if they would be willing to participate in the
study. Our team was able to gain oral consent from nine students whose parents did not have a
college degree and began conducting interviews during class time in a semi-private area of the
classroom. Our team used only the first name of the students who participated and all
information was stored in an online drive that only our team members had access to.
Our research team chose to conduct interviews during class time since that was a time that

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worked best for most participants. Our team interviewed in a semi-private area of the classroom
instead of a private room since there was no other room available during class time. Our team
offered a choice to interview in a private room during lunch hour or after school but each
participant preferred to interview during class time regardless of the possible risk of another
person overhearing their responses. Our team conducted individual ten minute interviews over
the span of two class periods. One team member asked the questions to the participant while the
other three team members acted as scribes using their own laptops to type each response into a
word document. One scribing team member tried to capture the participants responses verbatim
while the other two focused on key words and phrases. Our team members used the same eight
questions in the same order for each participant but probed when necessary by saying things such
as, Tell me more.
Once all of the transcribed interviews were uploaded to the online drive, our team
members read through them all to look for common topics in each. Together our team members
color-coded the data by themes, using words and phrases that were similar and recurring. Our
team found three main themes; two patterns that were consistent throughout the interviews as
well as a single divergent pattern from one of the interview questions.
In order to verify the accuracy of the findings, our team recapped overall responses from
the interview to the participant to verify that the information recorded was accurate. The recap of
responses took place after single questions as necessary and at the end of the interview session.
No responses were changed from any of the participants although some clarifications were
added. The questions asked by our team could be used to interview participants who meet the
requirements from both the graduate and undergraduate level. Although our team found no
cultural bias to the wording of the questions, there is a possible age bias and older participants

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may have a harder time answering the questions from memory.

Findings
The factors that influence the success of first-generation college graduates, do not appear
to be much different from their second or third generation counterparts. Many graduates had
financial support, close friends who also attended college, and goals to make their life better in
some way. Despite many positive factors reported by these graduates, there were several
struggles that seemed to be reflected in the different experiences that each first-generation
graduate had.
Parental involvement in the decision for their child to go to college was consistently
noted. When asked if their parents encouraged them to go to college or whether it was an
independent choice, one graduate remarked:
Mostly my parents, but they left it up to me, they were the voice in the background
nudging me in that direction, a little more of them guiding me and me going with it.
A second interviewee supported that claim by saying:
My mom always kind of pushed me to do well in school.
In spite of the parental encouragement to attend college, graduates also reported the lack of
understanding by their parents when it came to the process of going to college and the
expectations that come along with it. One graduate reported:
At first my parents were supportive... but they were naive as to how much time and
energy went into it.

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Another graduate stated:

Its kind of frustrating because they dont really understand, but they are always
supportive and helpful.
Parental support for first-generation college graduates to attend college, may have been
influenced by extended family. Most of the graduates interviewed reported that aunts, uncles,
and cousins often possessed degrees. When asked who in their extended family had obtained
degrees, graduates replied with the following responses:
Um...a zillion cousins, my uncle.
One of my cousins graduated on my moms side, on my dads side one of my cousins
graduated, my aunt and uncle are well educated and graduated from Berkley.
The urge to improve and achieve by obtaining a college degree, may have lead many
first-generation college graduates to enroll in a program, without direction. Many graduates
reported feelings of excitement and accomplishment before entering college. One graduate said:
I was excited, I love school, it was fun and I was excited for new experiences, meeting
new people going new places.
More graduates seemed to eventually feel nervous and unsure of what to do after graduating.
One graduate stated:
What am I going to do now, a little confused, more nervous because I didnt know what I
was going to do.
Other graduates attributed the confusion to the state of the economy:
I felt like it was a big accomplishment [to graduate], the fact that not too many people
had done it, I thought I would get a good job but it wasnt a good time because of the

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economy.
Another graduate supported this statement by saying:
I didnt really know how to apply my degree, I graduated when the economy tanked and
there werent a lot of jobs.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Education level is often researched to pinpoint inequalities among those who seek it.
First-generation college students have been a focus of higher education research for over twenty
years (Pascarella et al., 2004). Do first-generation college graduates have a more difficult
journey when they begin going to college? The qualitative study we conducted highlighted some
difficulties, characteristic of first-generation graduates. The most prevalent of those difficulties
was the lack of understanding from parents after strong encouragement to attend college. Other
strong themes noticed throughout the study, could be characteristic of any student trying to get a
degree.
Further research should focus more on the struggles of going through college. Many of
our interviewees had to hold a job during their undergraduate years. Further research could be
done to investigate whether first-generation graduates had to take on the financial responsibility
of paying for classes and whether the fact that their parents did not obtain a degree, make them
unprepared for the costs of higher education. Also, we found anxiety after graduation was
attributed to lack of jobs available due to the economy. More exploration in this topic is
warranted to find out if there are relationships between degree choice, job availability, and the
effects of the economy.

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References
Garrison, N., & Gardner, D. (2012). Assets first generation college students bring to the higher
education setting. Informally published manuscript, , Available from ERIC.
(ED539775)Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED539775.pdf
London, H. (1989). Breaking away: A study of first-generation college students and their
families. American Journal of Education, 97(2), 144-170. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1084908
Pascarella, E. T., Pierson, C. T., Wolniak, G. C., & Terenzini, P. T. (2004). First-generation
college students: additional evidence on college experiences and outcomes. The Journal
of Higher Education,75(3), 249-284.

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Appendix
Interview Questions (Semi-Structured)
-What made you choose to go to college?
-What challenges have you had during your experience?
-Did you have outside influence from peers applying to college, or high school counselors?
-What supporting factors have you had that helped your success in completing college?
-Who, if anyone, in your extended family has obtained a college degree?
-Before entering college, what feelings did you have about going to college?
-After college, how did you feel?
-Did your parents encourage you to go to college or was it more of an independent choice?