Date of Award
5-2021
Culminating Project Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Administration and Leadership, K-12: Ed.D.
Department
Educational Administration and Higher Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
David Lund
Second Advisor
James Johnson
Third Advisor
Cathy Martin
Fourth Advisor
Plamen Miltenoff
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
first-generation college students, social capital
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to examine the influences of social capital on college enrollment for first-generation college students. The qualitative study allowed the researcher to examine the perspectives of 12 first-generation college students during the first semester of their freshman year at a four-year institution in Minnesota. Through a focus group, the participants identified who was influential and the resources they provided that assisted in the college-going process.
Research indicates that higher education is believed to be one of the main paths to opportunity and economic progress in the United States (Blackwell & Pinder, 2014). While more and more first-generation college students enroll in higher education institutions, their pursuit of college is different than those whose parents have attended college. First-generation college students differ from their non-first-generation college peers in a variety of ways with respect to their socioeconomic status, knowledge of college-going processes, personal commitment, and family support. Social capital, the knowledge, resources, and information achieved within social networks, is important to first-generation college students because it assists them in making decisions related to the college-going process (Soria & Stebleton, 2012).
The findings of the study support that social capital, provided by educators, family, and peers, influences first-generation college student’s decision to attend college. The resources provided to first-generation college students through this social capital were encouragement, college and career exploration, and assistance with the college application process. Schools and communities can and should work together to create the necessary social capital for first-generation college students as they work to become the first in their family to attend college.
Recommended Citation
Behrens, Sarah, "The Influences of Social Capital on College Enrollment for First-Generation College Students" (2021). Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership. 84.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/edad_etds/84
