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Spectrum

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

In the United States, social class comprises economic, social, and cultural capital but is more commonly associated with economic capital (wealth). In higher education, social class is more visible to first-generation students because they come from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. For first-generation students, education is a ladder to a higher social class. However, research shows that it is challenging for first-generation to achieve this in a dominant middle-class environment in college because of the shock of differences between themselves and their peers, resulting in feelings of not belonging in their campus environment. First-generation students are more likely to arrive unprepared for college, are seen to have higher dropout rates and have a more challenging time adjusting to college life (Hurst 2010, 23). Scholarly research also illustrates that first-generation students are noted to describe difficulty in higher education due to racial and class-based stereotypes (Terenzini 1993,13). These challenges brought on by social class differences sometimes result in the development of "hybrid identities" (Bhabha,1994). Based on qualitative data, this study analyzed how first-generation students experience and manage their social class identities. This study used a series of qualitative interviews, using the snowballing technique, social media, and the TRIO Program to gain a large and diverse sample of participants at UNH, making it possible to analyze how first-generation students maintain and encounter their social identities. This study looked at all college levels of first-generation students (freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior and graduate students.), focusing on how social class identities affect their academic life, providing insight for educators to understand how first-generation students' identities are affected in higher education in the United States, particularly in Northern New England.

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