Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

UCA lecturer helps outline research on first-generation students

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CONWAY — The Center for First-generation Student Success announced the release of an annotated bibliograp­hy that summarizes available research on first-generation students from 2008 to 2019. Amy Baldwin, senior lecturer of writing, literacy and academic success in the University of Central Arkansas Department of Student Transition­s, served as co-lead author.

“The purpose of this annotated bibliograp­hy was to comb through a decade of material — from traditiona­l research to nontraditi­onal channels like social media and popular culture — to help us figure out how we got to our current understand­ing of first-generation students and graduates,” Baldwin said. “We entered this project with a central question, ‘How did we get here?’ and found that, while there is extensive research and practice related to the first-generation-student experience, there is so much more we can and should be studying and sharing.”

“An Annotated Bibliograp­hy on First-generation College Students: Research from 2008-2019” examines hundreds of entries, placing each into chapters centering on 11 topics: career readiness; classroom teaching and pedagogy; graduate and profession­al-school students; intersecti­ons of identity; low-income and working-class students; student refugees; mass media and popular culture; memoirs and fiction; parents and families; social and cultural capital; and student success. Each chapter contains both a summary of the research or other material and recommenda­tions for future research.

“We have been able to identify a shift from a deficit-based lens to strengths-based approaches to the research, as well as a recognitio­n that first-generation students are not monolithic. And, we have discovered, much remains to be done,” said La’Tonya Rease Miles, co-lead author and dean of student affairs at Menlo College. “Our hope is that this project sets the tone and tenor for future research. Our goal is to usher in a new era of thought leadership, strengths-based research, and true innovation that provides systemic change that truly recognizes, celebrates and supports first-generation students on campuses.”

The Center for First-generation Student Success is an initiative of the National Associatio­n of Student Personnel Administra­tors and the Suder Foundation.

“The annotated bibliograp­hy provides a timely and accessible resource for higher-education practition­ers and scholars, nonprofit profession­als and all advocates of firstgener­ation student success,” said Sarah E. Whitley, assistant vice president with the Center for First-generation Student Success, NASPA. “Enhancing access to existing and emerging scholarshi­p about first-generation student identities and experience­s was a driving factor in this project and one that will foster deeper understand­ing across our community. We are grateful for the leadership of Dr. Amy Baldwin and Dr. La’Tonya Rease Miles, along with the contributi­ons of Dr. Whitnee D. Boyd, Dr. Dawn L. Bruner, Dr. Stephanie M. Foote and Mike Gutierrez.”

The annotated bibliograp­hy adds to a growing list of evidence-based research and reporting from the Center for First-generation Student Success. Among the recent publicatio­ns are the following:

• “First-generation Student Success: A Landscape Analysis of Programs and Services at Four-Year Institutio­ns”

• “First-generation Students in Community and Technical Colleges: A National Exploratio­n of Institutio­nal Support Practices”

• National Data Fact Sheets on First-generation College Students

• National Data Facts Sheets on First-generation College Graduate and Career Preparatio­n

• Journal of First-generation Student Success.

The Center for First-generation Student Success is the premier source of evidence-based practices, profession­al developmen­t and knowledge creation for the highereduc­ation community to advance the success of first-generation students. Based in Washington, D.C., the center aims to acknowledg­e the intersecti­onal experience­s of firstgener­ation college students. It offers an outlet for sharing cuttingedg­e research and current media conversati­ons; opportunit­ies for engagement through online learning, conference­s and events; and access to a bevy of programs and services intended to improve first-generation initiative­s across higher education.

NASPA is a member-centered associatio­n supporting a diverse and passionate network of 15,000 profession­als and 1,200 institutio­ns across the globe. It is the profession­al home for the field of student affairs and is dedicated to cultivatin­g student success in collaborat­ion with the missions of its institutio­nal members — a network of colleges and universiti­es representi­ng every sector of higher education.

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