Brooke Cuddington

September 24, 2019

UWRT 1103

Research Summaries

Next I am going to look into some of the other sources I have already found, and after those I am

going to look into a peer-reviewed source that can benefit my topic. This source can give me

leads with some of the other sources.

Source 1

1. My first source is titled, “What You Should Know as a First-Generation College

Student” published in U.S. News. Moody, Josh. “What to Know as a First-Generation

College Student.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report

2. The writer, Josh Moody is a reporter for college admissions and international education,

and has been with U.S. News since 2018. Prior to joining U.S. News Moody blogged

about higher education trends in Forbes.com. He started his career reporting about

education at the University of Nebraska- Kearney. Moody wrote this piece for first-

generation students. He includes tips and ideas from other credible sources to help

emphasis the importance of first-generation students getting the help they need.

3. Moody takes this article and immediately started explaining some of the challenges first-

generation students face. He consistently describes how first-generation students are

facing different challenges, but he also didn’t just leave it at that, he also gave some

examples on how first-generation can do things such as talk to professors and see what

programs the university may have to help first-generation students. Moody uses a lot of

evidence by including sources such as a professor from Georgetown University, the

president of the University of Richmond, and a graduating senior at York College of

Pennsylvania. He includes personal experience from his different sources and statistics
 such as “According to an NCES report from 2018, recent figures show a third of college

students are first-generation.” All of his sources are reasonable and add to his report in a

positive way. He uses pathos by discussing some of the struggles first-generation students

face and how difficult those struggles can be. He also applies logos by giving the first-

generation students tips on how to improve their struggles.

4. Josh Moody’s piece agrees with a lot of other sources I have found. The sources

consistently agree that there are struggles for first-generation students, but Moody’s is

different because he gives more of a way to help this problem instead of just stating it is a

problem.

5. “Though she says her grades in college were generally good, a bad mark could make her

feel incompetent.” “‘Go to a college that suits you best, in terms of class sizes, major,

clubs and sports, distance, money, etc. You need what works best for you, don't go to a

school just because it's on TV, go because it's a home away from home.’” “‘Don't be

afraid to ask for help when you need it; many people have been in your spot before and

are willing to help. Remember your roots, and don't ever forget about the people who

have helped you along the way. As for the families, keep up the wonderful support you

keep giving us. You don't need to know exactly what we're doing, but the support is

warming and pure – don't ever stop,’ she says.”

6. This article really helped me see on a narrower scale what actual disadvantages first-

generation students face, but also how they can be resolved. This is a good starting place

for my topic because it gave a lot of insight on the disadvantages and advantages of first-

generation college students, which will help when I am trying to analyze both.
Source 2

1. “Beating the Odds Finding Success as a First-Generation College Student”

Journal of College Admissions. National Association of College Admission

Counseling. July 1st 2019. P. 23 and 24. September 25th 2019.

2. The Journal of College Admissions has a group of writers they use for each

article. My article does not specifically say who wrote this particular article. This

article is credible because it is a peer-reviewed article. Their documents are said

to be professional news. They have a group of experts that given input on each

article and they are used specifically for the Journal of College Admissions.

3. This article starts with the exciting thought of being accepted into college but

quickly changes pace and discusses the unfortunate struggles for first-generation

students. The article makes it known towards the beginning that the challenges are

mostly avoidable by first generation students. The article talks a lot about anxiety

and how that is the biggest factor for the uphill battle first-generation students

face. This article ends with the author giving good tips and places to go for first-

generation students. The author uses evidence from credible places such as the

Department of Education and Angela Conley from EMERGE, a group within the

Houston Independent School District that connects students from underserved

backgrounds with colleges and universities. All of the sources were reasonable

and had credibility. They added to this article positively and gave it its credibility.

The author applies pathos by giving examples on how first generation students

can make their anxieties, that can cause drop outs, be lessened.
 4. This article is a lot like the other articles and pieces I have found because it agrees

that first generation students have an uphill battle. This article is different than

some of the other articles because they say it is avoidable, while most just say

they are there and continue to be a challenge. It also is a peer-reviewed article.

5. “First of all, before you panic, know that you are just as prepared academically as

your peers. There is no evidence that points to academic ability as the cause for

lower graduation rates among first- generation students.” “For students

representing the first in their families to attend college, the ability to adjust to very

different social circles can mean the difference between graduating and dropping

out.” “Conley strongly encourages first-generation students to immerse

themselves in simulated college experiences, like competitive summer prep and

bridge programs and visits to campuses that include overnight stays in real dorm

rooms.”

6. This article pushed me to realize that not all disadvantages for first-gen students

are inevitable. It has helped me with my research because it gave me a different

perspective on the challenges first generation students face.

Source 3

1. “Factsheets.” PNPI, 26 Sept. 2018, pnpi.org/first-generation-students/. 30 Sept. 2019

2. This source is a factsheet done by Postsecondary National Policy Institute (PNPI). PNPI

is the leading source of professional development for current and prospective

policymakers who work on federal higher education issues. PNPI is credible because they

pull sources from many experts and articles. Since they are the leading source for
 professional development, they have to be credible in their sources. PNPI is funded by

big names such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They have summer scholar

programs and are highly looked at by society.

3. This source is a factsheet, so it doesn’t have an opinion on if first-generation students are

at an advantage or disadvantage, it just gives the facts. It starts with giving statistics on

enrollment and degree attainment then moves on to demographics and challenges. This

source is very credible and even includes a work cited page. PNPI uses sources such as

Forbes, Inside Higher Education, The Department of Education, and The Chronicle of

Higher Education. All of these sources are reasonable and have statistics that make this

factsheet have good information in it. This source is all ethos. It has so much credibility

and ethics that readers can easily see and pick out.

4. This source is like my other sources because the statistics support my other sources, but it

is very different because it is all facts and statistics, there is no opinion, and there are no

long paragraphs full of information, it is all in the statistics.

5. “48% of first-generation students enrolled in a two-year school, compared with 32% of

students whose parents had at least a bachelor’s degree.” “48% of first-generation

students attended college part-time, compared to 38% of students whose parents had at

least a bachelor’s degree.” “Only 11% of low-income, first-generation college students

will have a college degree within six years of enrolling in school, compared to about 55%

of their more advantaged peers who were not low-income or first-generation students,

according to a Pell Institute study of students who first enrolled in fall 2003.” “34% of

first-generation students were over age 30, compared to 17% of students whose parents
 had at least a bachelor’s degree.” “27% of first-generation students come from

households making $20,000 or less, compared to 6% of non-first-generation freshmen.”

6. This source will help me a lot in my research and in my thesis because it has a lot of facts

that I could use to support a statement. This source is not opinion and all fact so going

into writing a thesis I can gain credibility.

Source 4

1. Whitford, Emma. “Institutional Change Is Required to Better Serve First-Generation

Students, Report Finds.” Institutional Change Is Required to Better Serve First-

Generation Students, Report Finds, 4 Oct. 2018,

www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/10/04/institutional-change-required-better-serve-

first-generation-students-report-finds.

2. This article was written by Emma Whitford. Whitford is a freelance journalist. She went

to Brown University and received her Bachelor of Arts in American Literature. She has

worked for the New York Magazine, Inside Higher Ed, and more. Whitford wrote this

article for first-generation students, but also for university faculty and staff to see how

they can continue to help first-generation students.

3. This article begins with some facts and statistics on first generation students. It then

moves into including some sources about programs that are available to first-generation

students at different institutions. Whitford gives facts and statistics on the programs

available to first-generation students then continues to discuss the programs and how

these programs work and benefit first-generation students. Whitford ends the article by

saying that some of the researchers she included in her article are digging and looking for
 more information on two-year institutions as well. This article is credible because

Whitford does not include opinions, she includes facts from other credible sources and

pulls them together. She includes sources from the Center for First Generation Student

Success at NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. This article is a

reasonable source because it adds a lot of beneficial information and gives credible

sources within the article. This source uses ethos by its credible sources and logos by

explaining some of the quotes or facts included in the article.

4. This source is pretty spot on with my other sources. It is consistent and adds insight to

first-generation programs which most of my other sources may not include all of the

information on programs that this article includes.

5. “ And while an increasing number of colleges recognize a need for student support

services aimed at first-generation students, the report identified a notable lack of

guidance about what those services should look like and how to scale them effectively.”

“And although programs targeting first-generation students are growing, the report said

they tend to lack depth.” “ Survey data revealed that 75 percent of first-generation student

programs are housed in student affairs, 48 percent in academic affairs and 43 percent in

student success.”

6. This source will help me in my research because it will give me an insight on programs

for first-generation students and not just the students themselves or even the staff. This

article will be a good source when I look at ways Universities are supporting their first

generation students.

Source 5
1. “How Faculty Mentors Can Help First-Generation Students Succeed (5/15/18).” Films

Media Group, 2018, fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=149262&xtid=162892.

Accessed 2 Oct. 2019.

2. This source is a video from Films On Demand and the speaker is Professor Lorrie

Frasure-Yokley. She is a professor at UCLA in the Political Science department. She is

now teaching a class specifically for first generation students with the goal to decrease

dropout rates. This video was made for first-generation students to watch and understand

their fears and questions are valid, but it was made for other professors to watch and

realize what they could do to take action in their own schools to help first-generation

students.

3. The video starts by Professor Lorrie Frasure-Yokley telling students that it is okay to be

the first. It then talks about how many faculty and staff at UCLA were asked to become

mentors to first-generation students to help get them to graduate. It moves to talking

about the imposter syndrome that first-generation students likely feel. It includes how

students feel about being a first generation student and being a minority. The video

continues to talk about continuing struggles for first generation students and ends with

the knowledge that higher education gives opportunity to everyone and can open doors.

This video is credible because it gives sources but it more importantly gives a lot of first

hand knowledge and experience which is one of the best ways to get information. This

video is reasonable because it gives first hand experience and information that I may not

have gathered from articles or factsheets. This video gives a lot of pathos because

students describe what they go through and it can make the audience feel sorry for them

and want to help.

 4. This source is like my other sources because it gives a lot of helpful information but it is

different from other sources because it gives a lot more of first hand experience and first

hand knowledge a lot of the other sources lack. It also was different merely because it

was in video format.

5. “Nationally, only 40% of first generation college students make it to graduation.” “We

want our first generation students to thrive, we want them to feel like they belong here.” “

One of the definitions of imposter syndrome is students who worked really hard to get in

to campus. But they still are carrying with them, a sense that they don't truly belong.”

6. This video will definitely be beneficial to me and my research because it will give me

first hand knowledge and experience except my own.

Source 6

1. Simmons, Christopher. "First-generation U.S. College Students Win ‘I’m First’

Scholarship and Share Their Stories." eNewsChannels (USA), sec. Non-Profit, 5 Nov.

2013. NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current,

infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-

view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=news/149E8EDFE6C5FAC8. Accessed 3 Oct. 2019.

2. This piece was by Christopher Simmons, but not much information was given about him.

This piece was on eNewsChannels which is a news magazine covering news by industry

and by regions within the U.S. They have an editorial team that normally helps them

achieve credible new stories to share. This news article was made for first-generation

college students to see and realize that there are opportunities for them, as well as

recognition for those that won.

3. This news article first starts by saying that 8 first generation college students beat the

odds and are going to college on a scholarship. It then discusses how other first

generation students can follow in these students footprints and get scholarships as well.

The news article congratulates the scholars and then gives information about their source.

This source is credible because it uses Center for Student Opportunity as a source, which

is a non-profit that works first hand with first-generation students and their families. This

is a reasonable source because it gives a credible source and has something new in the

article no other sources I have found has. It uses pathos a lot because it is congratulating

these students on their success which will make other first generation students want to

feel the same way.

4. This source is not like my other sources because it does not just give facts or statistics or

even opinions, it give congratulations and uses its resources to help first generation

students find ways to give advantages to first-generation students.

5. ““Follow these students closely because they are shining examples of how to turn college

dreams into reality,” said Matt Rubinoff, CSO’s Executive Director.” “High school

students and their supporters can follow the blog and use the accompanying I’m First web

application to prepare for college and research colleges and universities that are

committed to supporting first-generation college students on their campuses.” “Center for

Student Opportunity (CSO) is a national nonprofit based in Bethesda, Md. that empowers

first-generation college students on the path to and through college.”

6. This source will help me in my research give an advantage instead of a disadvantage to

being a first-generation student, since all of my other sources give disadvantages it was

helpful to find one that gave a different perspective.

Source 7

1. “Transforming How We Work With First-Generation Students.” First-Generation

College Students: Understanding and Improving the Experience from Recruitment to

Commencement, by Lee Ward et al., John Wiley & Sons, 2012, pp. 85–104.

2. One of the authors Zebulun Davenport is the Vice President at West Chester University

and works to provide students with experiential opportunities that educate, empower and

engage in life outside-of-the-classroom. This book was written to provide schools and

first-generation students resources and methods to help them succeed as a college

student.

3. This chapter begins by using four questions that can drive first-generation students to

succeed and how universities can change to help make this happen. It then moves

explaining these questions and focusing on leadership and what universities have done,

and what other universities can do to make these students feel more comfortable and

succeed at the university. The chapter also talks about organizational change and how this

can help universities better assist first-generation students. It talks about how change to

help these students have to be strategically planned and universities have to have a vision

of how they want to help. Finally it discusses how to apply learning cycles for all

students to benefit from the changes made. This source is credible because the authors are

credible and experts in this field, and the chapter uses lots of examples and ways their

theories have worked in other universities. This is a reasonable source because it is a

published book focused on how to benefit first-generation students and follows my

inquiry project.
 4. This source is like my other sources because it gives a lot of information that is useful to

first-generation students, but it is different because it bases a lot of its information on the

universities and how they can change to benefit first-generation students.

5. “These practices are not about first-generation students; rather they are for first-

generation students.” “Everyone who engages meaningfully in the planned change

process is doing leadership, regardless of formal position;” “Colleges and universities,

because of their complexity, can be sluggish when it comes to change.” “Vision in higher

education therefore involves faculty and staff standing at Point A, who are not only

describing a Point B that is substantially different but also positioning Point B as a

desired destination.”

6. This source will help me in my research because it will allow me to look at first-

generation students from the point of view of a university instead of a student. It will also

help me look at how universities can change in order to help these students.

Source 8

1. “Characteristics of First-Generation College Students.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult

Literacy, vol. 42, no. 3, 1998, pp. 220–220. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40038346.

2. This article is in The Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. The Journal of Adolescent

& Adult Literacy is a peer-reviewed academic journal published six times per year by

Wiley-Blackwell. The current editors are Kathleen A. Hinchman and Kelly Chandler-

Olcott. It began in 1957 and is still current today. This journal entry was written for

anyone who wanted/needed to know who a first-generation student was.

3. This article begins by stating its information was from The U.S. Department of

Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and was from a study they

completed and reported on. The article describes the information that is given and why it

is given in the report. It then lists characteristics of first-generation college students. This

source is credible because it uses credible resources and the Journal itself is a well-known

peer-reviewed article. It is reasonable source because it adds to my research with the

basics. It also gives good credible sources that some of my other sources have included as

well which can be a resource when I continue my research.

4. This source is not like my other sources because it is a lot of the basics of first-

generation students and a lot of my other sources go in depth on how to help first-

generation students or is there are disadvantages to being a first-generation student and

not much of the basics.

5. “First-generation students were more likely to say that obtaining the amount of financial

aid they needed, being able to complete coursework more quickly, being able to live at

home, and being able to work while attending school were very important influences in

their decision to attend their particular postsecondary institution.” “First-generation

students persisted in postsecondary education and attained credentials at lower rates than

their non-first-generation counterparts. This finding holds for students at 4-year

institutions and public 2-year institutions.” “ If first-generation students attained a

bachelor's or associate's degrees, they earned comparable salaries and were employed in

similar occupations as their non-first- generation peers.”

 6. This is a good source for my research because it brought me back to the basics. The

more in depth articles are always helpful but this source is a good reminder of what the

basics of a first-generation student is and how that affects my whole inquiry question.

Source 9

1. Smith, Ashley A. “Who Are First-Generation Students and How Do They Fare?” Who

Are First-Generation Students and How Do They Fare?, 10 Nov. 2015,

www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/10/who-are-first-generation-students-and-how-

do-they-fare.

2. Ashley A Smith is a reporter for EdSource and was a reporter for Inside Higher Ed until

June 2019. She covers mostly higher education and non-traditional students, but has

worked on articles for K-12 education. She has reported on many issues and concerns in

higher education. The target audience for this piece is for first-generation students

themselves and for universities that are looking to improve their statistics for first-

generation students.

3. The article starts by stating questions people often wonder about when thinking of first-

generation students. It then moves into discussing first-generation students and the

disadvantages they are most likely to face while in school. The article discusses how

many experts define first-generation students differently so there can be between 22

percent to 77 percent of students. It discusses different universities and the percentages of

them that have first-generation students and their success rate. This article includes a

graph of the breakdown of dependent variables by first-generation students, which helps

see the difference in first-generation students and non first generation students. The
 article ends by comparing the statistics of different demographics and first-generation

students. This is a credible source because the writer uses credible sources in the article

and she is experienced in the field. This is a reasonable source for my research because it

adds more diversity to the idea that there are very few first-generation students in

universities.

4. This source is a lot like my last source I used, as it brings it back to the basics and defines

first-generation students. It is different than the rest because it focuses more on the basics

just as my last one did.

5. “They found, for instance, a student's initial interest in attending college varied greatly

depending on whether neither parent attended college versus everyone else who had at

least one parent attending some level of college.” “The researchers found that of the

7,300 students they studied from a 2002 longitudinal study, the number of students

defined as "first generation" could vary from as small as 22 percent to as large as 77

percent, he said.” “ Regardless of how they're defined, first-generation students enroll and

graduate at lower rates than do other students.”

6. This source will help me in my research because it can help me give a background and

define first-generation students before I make an argument or continue to discuss first-

generation students.

Source 10

1. “Are You A First-Generation Student?” Center for First-Generation Student Success,

firstgen.naspa.org/why-first-gen/students/are-you-a-first-generation-student.
2. This source is by NAPSA which is National Association of Student Personnel

Administrators. It is an organization for higher education that helps students and faculty

with resources, development training, events, and more.It is also by the Suder

Foundation, which is a foundation that was put in place specifically for first generation

students and help prepare each first generation scholar for a life with self-awareness,

success, and significance. This source is for first-generation students who are looking to

succeed.

3. This source is a website that is specific for first-generation students to get help for their

success. It is the Center For First Generation Student Success. It has tips for high school

students and students already enrolled in college and has a tab specifically for student

voices. It also includes articles about first-generation students that are relevant and

helpful. Thus feature made me wish I had found this source sooner. This source is

credible because it is backed by other credible sources and uses a lot of credible

information within the website. This is a reasonable source for my research because it can

bring me to new sources I may have not found yet that I may need or want to use to

further my inquiry.

4. This source is not at all like my other sources because it is a website whereas most my

other sources have been articles or videos. This source is also different because it has

different spots for tips or articles it is not just all in one document.

5. “ Congratulations on choosing to further your education! While you may be experiencing

a mix of emotions, please know that you are making a fantastic choice to attend college

and there are many people ready to assist in making your experience successful. Being a
 first-generation college student is something to be incredibly proud of and we hope you

are already confident that completing your undergraduate degree is your next step.”

6. This was a great find for my research because it can lead me to many places and it can

give me some tips that I can include for other highschool and college students can use

when thinking about first-generation students.