Competencies Measured

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Community College Journal of Research and Practice

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Challenges and Realizations of First-Generation Students Who Navigated through Transfer Momentum Points

Orlantha F. Marine Nin & Rebecca Gutierrez Keeton

To cite this article: Orlantha F. Marine Nin & Rebecca Gutierrez Keeton (2020) Challenges and Realizations of First-Generation Students Who Navigated through Transfer Momentum Points, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 44:4, 273-287, DOI: 10.1080/10668926.2019.1585303

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2019.1585303

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Challenges and Realizations of First-Generation Students Who Navigated through Transfer Momentum Points Orlantha F. Marine Nin a and Rebecca Gutierrez Keetonb

aExtended Opportunities Program & Services, Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA, USA.; bEducational Leadership, California State University, Fullerton, CA, USA

ABSTRACT This qualitative study investigated the challenges experienced by first- generation community college students as they navigated the process of transferring to a four-year university. Participants were from a pool of first- generation students who were in the process of completing steps to transferring. These participants all completed specific transfer momentum points, which indicated that they were on a pathway to transfer. This study amplified the voices of first-generation community college students who were achieving success towards transferring and described the challenges and learning that they experienced in the process. The findings indicated that participants faced several significant challenges throughout their edu- cational journey and met momentum points in a surprising number of ways. Participants struggled with financing their education. They felt iso- lated. Students experienced numerous setbacks and found it difficult to maintain motivation. In the process of overcoming these challenges, they made important realizations about themselves that were critical to their retention and their ability to continue in momentum toward their transfer goals. These realizations included developing financial awareness, utilizing support systems and campus resources, staying focused and hopeful, and finding their drive. The findings of this study inform community college practices for first-generation college students with a goal of transferring.

Introduction

Community colleges serve a diverse population of students and offer opportunities for economic, educational and social advancement. According to the American Association of Community Colleges (2013), first-generation students occupy approximately 40% of the population of commu- nity colleges. First-generation college students are an underserved population in the community college system. Underserved populations at the community college include low-income students, first-generation students, and those from diverse ethnic populations (Green, 2006; Thelin, 2011). This study utilizes Ishitani’s (2006) definition of a first-generation college student as one whose parents are non-college graduates. First-generation students are an important constituent within the community college population and their experiences merit further study.

Community colleges offer open admissions, providing opportunities for individuals to advance educationally regardless of their high school performance. However, simply giving access to educa- tion does not ensure first-generation students success. In a study that compared first-generation college students to continuing-generation college students, the authors found that both groups did not persist equally in higher education with first-generation students persisting at a lower rate. Specifically, the researchers found that ten years after their sophomore year of high school, only 20%

CONTACT Orlantha F. Marine Nin [email protected] Extended Opportunities Program & Services, Saddleback College, 28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo, CA 92692, USA. © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

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of first generation college students obtained a four-year degree, compared to 42% of continuing- generation students (Redford & Hover, 2017). When students come to the community college having college educated parents, their experience is different than those who are first-generation students due to the “greater levels of specific and accurate information that college-educated parents provide to their children, information that can be essential to student’s ability to plan, prepare for, and successfully navigate their college careers” (Goldrick-Rab & Pfeffer, 2009, p. 104).

The current study sought to amplify the voices of first-generation community college students who were achieving success in meeting important momentum points toward transferring. The question this qualita- tive research study addresses is, how do first-generation college students describe their experiences in community college as they navigate through the process of transferring to a four-year institution?

Theoretical framework

Persistence and retention influence transfer and completion rates for community college students. Many studies related to persistence and retention emphasized the sociological aspects of student departure from college. The goal of the current study was to examine student’s persistence through the transfer momentum points from an individualand personal perspective. Therefore, the researchers sought a psychologicalmodel to provide a theoretical framework. Bean and Eaton’s (2000) model of student retention integrates several psychological processes students experience while in college and was used as the theoretical framework for this study and as a guide to develop the student interview questions. In their model, Bean and Eaton (2000) focused on student psychological processes and experiences throughout college. The first process related to student attitudes about their college and their feelings about how they fit in to the environment. The second process related to the student’s experiences with adjustment and their coping mechanism to deal with the stress of college. The third process dealt with a student’s self-efficacy (self-confidence) during college and their interpretations of their successes and failures while in college. The fourth process focused on internal versus external locus of control.

Bean and Eaton (2000) stressed that students enter a college with psychological attributes enhanced by their abilities, experiences, and self-assessment. In particular, how students feel about their place in the environment, their intentions, and their attitudes about a college education precede behaviors of either dropping out or persisting. Bean and Eaton (2000) further described how students must adapt, adjust, and cope with their new environment. Similar to locus of control, our study investigated challenges to students on the way to meeting their educational goals and the realizations they developed that enabled them to persist.

Student retention and persistence

The body of literature related to student retention and persistence is critical to the background of this study because first-generation students must persist from term to term while gaining momentum toward transfer goals. Student characteristics often influence students’ ability to continue in college. Researchers including Próspero and Vohra-Gupta (2007) investigated student motivation, academic achievement, and college integration. They reported that college students that integrate into their college and are intrinsically motivated are more likely to do well in college, even if they are the first in their family to attend college. Another study explored the academic motivation and social capital of first-generation college students and extrapolated four themes related to first-generation student experiences: lack of institutional support, the importance of self-regulation and personal responsibility, family support, and importance of financial resources (Moschetti & Hudley, 2015). The need to work plays a major role in the challenges experienced by first-generation college students. One study revealed that half come from low-income families and are more likely to have family incomes of less than $60,000 (Horn & Nunez, 2000) and another found that 27% of first-generation students come from households making $20,000 or less, compared to 6% of continuing- generation students (Redford & Hover, 2017).

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First-generation college students also work more hours than peers do with college-educated parents, because they do not receive enough financial support from home or financial aid to cover their expenses (Martinez, Bilges, Shabazz, Miller, & Morote, 2012). Even when they are eligible for loans, they are more likely to work full time to avoid student loan debt (Burdman, 2005). In student retention literature, characteristics of the student population and college-type are important considerations. Bailey and Alfonso (2005) contend that retention frameworks that focus on student engagement and student integra- tion are not always applicable to the community college student population because they differ from university students when they are commuter students who often attend college part-time.

Studies with a transfer student focus can take more than one viewpoint. A number of researchers have examined this student population after they have transferred rather than before transfer or during transfer. For example, Ellis (2013) studied transfer student motivation in students after transfer. Ellis (2013) conducted focus groups with 68 students from eight universities and found that student aspirations to attend graduate school and to have career goals were motivators for transfer students. Dowd, Pak, and Bensimon (2013) examined the life stories of 10 low-income students who transferred to highly selective universities and sought to identify their common traits. Dowd et al. (2013) found that these students had the benefit of role models at both their community colleges and four-year campuses. These role models served as institutional agents on both the community college and the university campuses. This supported Stanton- Salazar’s (2011) finding that institutional agents support the success of students. The current study explores the experiences of first-generation student experiences at a community college before transfer. It provides the perspective of first-generation students as they navigate through community college transfer momen- tum points.

Methodology

This study utilized qualitative research methods to explore the perspectives of first-generation community college students. We selected qualitative methods because they allowed a deep level understanding of the experiences of the participants, and communicated the participant’s experiences in their own voices (Creswell, 2012). Glaser (1999) described qualitative data as “very rich in meaning and observation and rewarding to collect and analyze” (p. 842). The limitation of qualitative research is that it relies on smaller sample sizes, which limits the ability to generalize the findings. The goal of this research was to explore student experiences; therefore, qualitative research was the most appropriate methodology.

Constructivism is the philosophical foundation that guided this study, because in social con- structivism, the role of the researcher is to examine the participants’ experiences and multiple views (Creswell, 2009). The research design for this study was exploratory, which is described by Marshall and Rossman (2011) as a method that allows researchers to investigate phenomena and formulate “categories of meaning” in order to construct hypotheses for further research (p. 69).

We used purposeful sampling to select the participants for this qualitative study. All participants were first-generation college students that met the criteria for this study, which were: (a) at least 30 units of college work completed, (b) 2.0 or higher GPA, (c) completion of college-level English and math, and (d) attendance at the college for three consecutive semesters. Participants also came from a large, public, community college in California that had an overall transfer rate of 57%. This campus was selected because of its high transfer rate, compared to the statewide average of 48.1% overall (California Community College Chancellor’s Office [CCCCO], 2014). We selected the criteria because they are “intermediate indicators” that bring a student toward completion and transfer (Goldrick-Rab, 2010, p. 444). Twenty-three students volunteered to participate and 10 (five women and five men) committed to participate in the complete interview process.

Data collection began with the institutional research office sending invitation emails to all first- generation college students who met the criteria for the study. Table 1 provides demographic information about the participants.

Interview questions focused on student persistence, retention, and transfer research and Bean and Eaton’s (2000) model of retention. Bean and Eaton’s (2000) model focuses on student attitudes,

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experiences, abilities, and self-assessment related to the psychological processes they experience in college. Pilot interviews determined that participants understood all the questions. We also found that the questions elicited a lot of response from the participants.

All participants received an explanation of the study and signed a consent form before the interviews began. Students participated in 45–60 minute recorded, semi-structured interviews. First, the sessions were audio recorded and researchers took notes to document significant stories and ideas shared, as well as verbal and nonverbal cues observed throughout the interview. All students used pseudonyms to maintain confidentiality. The purpose of offering confidentiality was to protect their privacy and encourage them tosharepersonalinformation ina safeandcomfortableenvironment(Creswell, 2012).Researcherscollected and analyzed data concurrently. Following transcription, researchers completed member checking by providing all participants with a copy of their interview transcript and asking for corrections. Three participants responded with edits, which contributed to the study’s trustworthiness.

Researchers used inductive (from specific to broad) data analysis procedures and the constant compar- ison methods, which are described by Creswell (2012) as “generating and connecting categories by comparing incidents to other incidents, incidents to categories, and categories to other categories. The overall purpose of the constant comparison method is to ‘ground’ the categories in the data” (p. 434). This involved being immersed in the data and reviewing notes, listening to interview recordings, rereading notes, and combing through the transcripts multiple times to conduct the preliminary exploratory analysis of themes and categories (Creswell, 2012). Researchers developed emerging themes using hand coding, which involves reading, making notes by hand, and dividing the information into smaller parts (Creswell, 2012). To reduce researcher bias and further ensure trustworthiness, a team of six colleagues reviewed emerging themes in a peer debriefing process (Marshall & Rossman, 2011, p. 221). This inquiry allowed for exploration of the student’s perspective of influences that helped them to persist towards transfer to a four- year university.

Findings

The participants began community college with limited experience and knowledge about higher education. Their limited income, experience, and a lack of parental guidance led to many challenges. These challenges included difficulties with financing their education, feelings of isolation, setback and obstacles (poor grades, struggles in class, repeated course withdrawals), and struggles balancing work and school commitments, sometimes because of a lack of motivation in early college career. However, what the students all had in common was that they learned how to navigate community college and made new realizations, which guided them through momentum points. Analysis of the interview transcripts resulted in four challenges and four realizations that were consistent in this group of first-generation students, highlighted in Table 2.

Table 1. Study participant demographics.

Pseudonym Major GPA Units completed Ethnicity

Amaya Criminal Justice 2.80 80.00 Mixed Ethnicity Bee Sociology 3.29 74.00 Lebanese & Palestinian Chul Architecture 3.93 53.00 Korean Dalia Health Sciences 3.30 57.75 African/African American Edgar Engineering 3.41 52.75 White/non-Hispanic Franco Nursing 2.72 65.00 Mexican American Gibson Computer Science 3.10 56.25 Mixed Ethnicity Hermosa Undeclared 2.35 77.50 Mexican American Irma Psychology 2.97 60.00 Mexican American Jorge Engineering 2.73 93.25 Mexican American

Note: 60 units is the minimum number of units required to transfer.

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First-generation student challenges

Challenge 1: Limited income Study participants made sacrifices to get through their education and many worked full-time to help them meet their educational goals. Because of their limited income, first-generation students in the study felt that they needed to choose a college near their homes. Limited income also contributed to inconsistent college attendance, with participants skipping terms and dropping in and out of college.

Edgar worked in the real estate field for nearly ten years after graduating from high school. A single mother raised him and he said he grew up poor; he felt that college was out of reach. Instead of applying for college, he opted for an accelerated career program so that he could start working after a short training period. He worked in the real estate field even though his goal was to become an engineer. After realizing that he was not happy in his career, he enrolled in community college to complete his lower-division preparation for engineering. When Edgar went back to college, he continued to work full-time like many other first-generation community college students (Pascarella, Wolniak, Pierson, & Terenzini, 2003).

Jorge maintained two jobs and attended college full-time as an engineering major. During his interview, he expressed the difficulties he experienced:

Yeah, when I was working a lot and I was a full-time student that was really hard. I was in, like, easy classes like Math II, which is pre-college, and Chemistry 1A, plus other classes. Then I was working two part-time jobs that was really hard. I remember during my breaks I would go to the parking lot and sleep in my car, in the back, so I can rest and come back to work or go to my class.

Dalia worked full-time at night as a nursing assistant and attended college full-time during the day. During her interview, she recounted her experiences trying to juggle both commitments and actively engage in her classes with a lack of sleep. Quite often, it was difficult for her to stay awake and try to concentrate after staying up late the night prior.

Challenge 2: Feeling isolated and alone Study participants described how difficult it was to navigate college without the guidance of parents. They disclosed that they felt alone and many verbalized the phrase, “I’m doing this all by myself” during their interviews. Amaya was frustrated with college and said:

As a college student, I think it’s just not knowing exactly what I’m doing, because, for example, I mean, my parents didn’t go to college so – and I know my mom wanted me to go but she didn’t really know, like, “Oh, you should take these classes,” or “This is what you should do.” So that’s really probably one of the biggest since I feel like I’m doing it on my own, besides the counselors, I mean. The counselors are really helpful, but I just felt like I was doing it on my own.

Franco explained that his parents had very little education when they immigrated to the United States (U.S.). Nevertheless, his parents encouraged him to go to college. However, he felt that his parents were unable to help him to navigate college. Franco continued by saying, “I don’t think it’s because they didn’t want to participate in my decisions. It’s just they didn’t know the system. They didn’t know what they can do; what they couldn’t do; what they should suggest.” Bee felt like she was on her own when it came to choosing classes, choosing a major, and getting help with college in general:

Table 2. Challenge and realization themes.

Challenge Themes Realization Themes

Limited Income Developing Financial Awareness Feeling Isolated and Alone Utilizing Support Systems and Campus Resources Setbacks and Obstacles Staying Focused and Hopeful Lack of Motivation in Early College Career Finding their Drive

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My parents don’t know anything about the school system at all. My dad stopped going to school when he was in the 6th grade, so they don’t know anything about the school system. So when it comes to registering for classes or finding teachers that are right for me, or what my major is, I mean, sociology is a totally new term to my parents. They have no idea. They only know, like, the big things. So I think having to learn how the system works on my own and then trying to explain it to my parents has been the most difficult thing because they don’t know at all.

The theme of students feeling “on their own” since their parents were unfamiliar with college was discussed by participants during many of the interviews.

Challenge 3: Setbacks and obstacles All participants in the current study met transfer momentum points. However, the student partici- pants met points in varying patterns. Many did not have continuous attendance as they began their college career. They had stop-out points in which they dealt with family, work, and life issues. Attending inconsistently and taking off terms made it more difficult for students to retain informa- tion for sequential classes. Participants explained that it felt as if they were starting over after returning from stopping out. Hermosa received a cancer diagnosis while attending college. While enduring chemotherapy treatments, she continued to attend college. She describes her experience here:

I’ve wanted to major in business but accounting is a big struggle for me. I’ve tried to sit in the classes but it’s so much formulas that the professors expect you to know already, and with my history of coming back in and out of school, I’ve lost my knowledge. It was extremely difficult to jump back on the boat of what they were talking about.

Irma shared how her college record reflected excellent grades some semesters and poor grades other semesters. One year, she was in a car accident and shortly after her mother was involved in a second car accident. Irma struggled with college as she maintained two jobs to recover financially from automobile and medical expenses. She decided it was best to withdraw from her classes. She took a few semesters off and returned to the community college when she was able to manage better. Setbacks and obstacles experiences by the participants affected their progress in college.

Challenge 4: Lack of motivation in early college career Participants described struggling with maintaining motivation at the start of their college careers. Irma was not motivated when she started college. She explained; “well, my grades were not the best in high school. I didn’t even try and I wasn’t even thinking of going to college in the first place.” Gibson described his first year:

I was not focused. I didn’t have a particular goal. I was just taking classes. I didn’t go to a counselor and ask them what I need, or they didn’t ask. Or I went to them, and they didn’t ask me the right questions, like what do I want to pursue, so I didn’t have any direction. I was not motivated and with no direction.

Amaya found it difficult to stay focused while studying in her first semester: “for me, personally, doing homework at home wasn’t really helpful, because, okay, I’ll just do it here on my bed; but no, like, I’ll get lazy or I’ll push it til later.”

First-generation college students in this study experienced a variety of challenges related to having limited income. They worked full-time and struggled with day-to-day expenses, in addition to larger expenses related to emergencies. Finally, students made the realization that they were eligible for financial aid and this financial assistance helped them pay for the additional costs associated with attending college.

Students felt alone, because they did not have family members they could turn to for advice to navigating the community college system. The student’s feelings of isolation led them to realize that they needed to find support. They were grateful when faculty members and peers offered them detailed advice about course registration and academic success tools available on campus.

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Some students stopped attending classes because of a major illness or the pressure of needing to work two jobs to pay for repair expenses for herself and her mother, following car accidents. Students had a hard time with taking sequential courses when these challenges occurred. Participants realized that if they stayed focused and remained hopeful, they could reach their goal of graduating from the community college and transferring to a four-year University.

The lack of motivation that one participant experienced in her early community college career was connected with not having a sense of her overall goals for the future. She realized that if she found people on campus and discussed this with them, they could help her. Many participants echoed this realization. Participants named many resources they found on campus. Some partici- pants found that gaining financial resources helped them to stay focused. Other students said that their internal desire to finish what they started and be the first person from their family to graduate from college was the ultimate motivator they needed to persist.

Every first-generation college student in this study vividly described their challenges. Each traveled a difficult and winding path towards their goal of transferring to a four-year institution. Yet, despite the challenges, and sometimes, because of the challenges, each student made new realizations that ultimately helped them reach each momentum required to transfer.

First-generation student realizations

Realization 1: Developing financial awareness Study participants became more financially aware during their time at community college. By learning more about financial aid, scholarships, and how to access resources, the participants were able to move forward and gain momentum towards transfer. For first-generation, low-income students, scholarships and financial aid provide options. However, not all first-generation college students are aware of financial aid and scholarships. Dalia was trying to support herself financially as a full-time student and full-time nursing assistant. She explained when she hit rock bottom:

So I found myself homeless, in a sense, because I didn’t have credit to my name so it was so hard to get an apartment. I spent about two weeks of my life living in my car, but eventually I got a home to stay.

Chul and his family paid non-resident college tuition since he was an international student. Being away from his family, he also struggled with everyday living expenses such as transportation, room, and board. Chul was flourishing in his classes and excelling in all subjects. Chul added, “Actually, my parents were saying like, since we were struggling, my parents wanted me to experience one semester and then wanted me to come back and just go to military since we had struggles in terms of money.” Chul told other international students about his situation and learned that there were scholarships for international students. He did not know that he was eligible for any financial assistance, and when he found out, he applied and received enough funding to stay and finish his first two years at a community college using the scholarship income and money he made tutoring other students.

Realization 2: Utilizing support systems and campus resources First-generation students are often unaware of the support available to them in the form of supportive individuals on campus and supportive services. They are often unfamiliar with college policies and uninformed on financial aid procedures and availability. For example, Gibson withdrew from classes each semester when they became too difficult for him. He repeated this practice for several terms until, eventually, he found himself on probation due to lack of progress. Being on probation for made him ineligible for financial assistance. Hermosa, on the other hand, had a high school teacher who was aware of resources for first-generation college students. Her high school teacher introduced her to the Extended Opportunities Programs and Services (EOPS) program at the local community college. She completed an application and discovered that she was eligible for book vouchers, meal cards, and specialized counseling. This early introduction to valuable college

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resources helped prepare her to attend a community college immediately after graduating from high school. Jorge credits his Spanish teacher for helping him stay on track:

She helped me through it – She still does. Like when we talk, she’s like, “if you need a math mentor, let me know, they’ll work with hours”. So I worked with her a couple times with the math mentor.

Four participants emphasized the positive impacts of institutional agents, because they helped students to find a sense of belonging at their college. They did this by offering them one-on-one support and sharing their cultural capital. A caring professor who mentored him, for example, influenced Edgar. Edgar learned that by participating in faculty office hours, he had a greater opportunity to develop relationships and learn from his professors. After meeting with his biochem- istry professor, he learned that “he’ll sit there and talk to you about a half an hour…even though we’re [in] sub chemistry and math level [courses], compared to what he usually takes on.” He remembered feeling as if the professor “lets us ride the tricycle on the way to that temple of knowledge.” Irma didn’t have support of her parents, but she found a peer who offered her support through the challenges she faced in college. She described her relationship by saying, “I did have help from a friend who was always there for me. She was the one who still keeps pushing me to continue school.” Other students such as Amaya learned that it was encouraging for her to study at the library with a friend:

So my big thing is like, I started a little study group with my best friend. We just went to the library, or if it was here (on campus), and we would just get our homework done. I think it really helps when you have someone there doing the same – I mean, not the same classes, but actually, like, having to go to school and homework and studying. I think that really helps.

Realization 3: Staying focused and hopeful Study participants faced obstacles as they attended college but they found support and learned to manage the college environment. This led to the next realization, the importance of staying focused and maintaining hope. Hermosa dropped her classes at one point in her college career because of a serious illness. After undergoing treatment, she was encouraged by her co-workers to return to college and continue toward her goals. Edgar also experienced an interruption in his education due to health issues. He explained how he persisted with his studies despite this challenge:

So, you got to the real world, you have quite a few defeats on the way, and you realize that you’ve had a lot of defeats, but you know, defeats are part of the process of learning – not necessarily repeat them, but you’re tweaking it. You know, it’s like Hey, this isn’t working, I got to try this way, try that way.

Gibson responded to the financial obstacles he faced by finding new resources. He attended college part time for several years until he found a fee waiver program for low-income community college students, called the California Promise Grant (formerly called the Board of Governors Fee Waiver Program) that covered his course fees (CCCCO, 2018). He explained, “I would be reluctant to take so many classes because that’s a lot of money. That was a hindrance to achieving my goals on time or at a reasonable pace.” After receiving the fee waiver, Gibson improved tremendously in his consistency with attendance and his grades improved.

Hermosa experienced the challenge of not having the resources at home to support her education, because her family did not have the ability to guide her or support her financially, even though they supported her college attendance. Once she was at college, Hermosa was determined to succeed and remained hopeful for the future like several other participants in this study. Many of the students expressed that they needed to make progress towards their goals, despite the obstacles they faced and Hermosa stressed that students should “not give up; keep moving forward…they have themselves, and just that alone should give them enough drive to succeed.” Having the determination to succeed and having hope for the future benefited Hermosa and other study participants. Hermosa shared that “the thought behind my head [was] that I needed to graduate from college, make my parents proud, and be the one that surpasses all the obstacles within the family.” Gibson also described how

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he brought his grades up and had his financial aid probation status removed. After doing this, he was hopeful and confident that he would finish his degree. Gibson explained, “that’s pretty exciting because I’m almost the only person in my whole family, as far as almost everyone, who would get a degree.” For the participants, staying focused and maintaining feelings of hopefulness both helped them overcome the setbacks and obstacles they faced.

Realization 4: Finding their drive Many first-generation students drop out of college before earning a college degree or transferring. Students who have the drive to finish their education are more likely to persist and complete and the study participants explained how important it was for them to focus on “not giving up” and “pushing forward.” After Bee was on academic probation, she explained how she needed to find her own way of organizing herself in order for her to be successful:

I quit my job was the first thing I did, because I realized that that was taking too much of my time. Then I started to actually plan out each day and what time I’m going to put in for school and what time I’m going to put for extracurricular activities, because the first semester I did not do that at all. So I think planning it out and, you know, having a set schedule, like, from two to five, I’m going to sit down and do homework. I think that’s what helped me. Since then, that’s the only thing I’ve done every semester.

Jorge thought it was important to find people on campus who could help him along the way and develop relationships with them. He explained in his interview that it was not easy to ask for help and that he took a risk to reach out by introducing himself and asking his professors about their interests. The realizations that study participants developed were instrumental in their success as first-generation college students. They realized the importance of developing a strong financial awareness and learned to access financial aid and scholarships. They realized that many support services existed on their campuses and began to utilize them. In the process, they realized that institutional agents were able to offer them one-on-one support, which helped them find a sense of belonging on campus. They realized the importance of staying focused and hopeful, even when faced with setbacks and obstacles. Finally, they realized that their internal drive was the key to their continued success. This study magnifies the voices of community college first-generation college students and adds depth and dimension to our knowledge about their journeys towards transfer by connecting how their challenges directly related to their realizations.

Discussion

Students in this study reached the necessary momentum points towards transfer and they learned quite a bit along the way, but their stories reflected the difficult path they traversed to reach them. Students learning to manage college expenses, despite having limited experience and knowledge of higher education, a lack of parental guidance, and difficulties with financing their education. Learning to utilize strong support systems and campus resources helped students overcome feelings of isolation and the setbacks created by poor grades, struggles in classes, and repeated course withdrawals. Students learned how to stay focused and remain hopeful, even as they struggled to balance work, school, and familial commitments. Students also found their internal drive to continue with their education and transfer, despite sometimes losing their motivation after encountering many obstacles and challenges. What all students had in common was that they learned how to navigate community college and made new realizations, which guided them through momentum points.

Learning to manage college expenses

The students in this study met momentum points for transfer despite their struggles to pay for college and living expenses, consistent with struggles mentioned in the literature regarding family income levels of first-generation college students (Horn & Nunez, 2000). After high school, only one

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participant applied to a four-year university. However, for all the participants, the only option they could afford was the community college. Participants did not have money saved for college, and although their families helped with minimal college expenses, their primary way of funding their college was through working. Pascarella et al. (2003) found that working long hours negatively affected the academic performance of first-generation college students. Because of working full-time, research participants had limited time for college activities including studying, reviewing notes, reading textbooks, and preparing for their classes. Some students applied for financial aid and loans, and if they had qualified for financial aid or found out about it earlier in their career, they may have experienced fewer challenges in this area. First-generation students are not always aware of financial aid and scholarships for college. Novak and McKinney (2011) reported that community college students do not always complete the process of applying for financial aid even though they may be eligible. Researchers found that if a student received financial aid, they persisted from one semester to the next as compared to students that did not receive financial aid (Nakajima, Dembo, & Mossler, 2012). This study adds a qualitative dimension to the previous work looking at first-generation students by describing how lack of finances and the need to work long hours influenced the students’ lives.

Utilizing support systems and campus resources

Participants repeatedly expressed lack of knowledge about the existence of services and resources on campus, including counseling, financial aid, scholarships, tutoring, work-study, and book loans. Researchers have attributed this lack of awareness to social and cultural capital unavailable to first- generation students (Padgett, Johnson, & Pascarella, 2012). Nine participants had limited experience with education and were not aware of policies and success strategies for students. First-generation college students need support in their first semester. We should not allow students to feel alone and be isolated on campus, when numerous programs and services exist for them. Friends and classmates offered information to students about campus resources after students had already been on campus for an entire year. The students stumbled upon available resources rather than receiving early direction to campus supports. Some have argued that, as adults, students must find available resources themselves, but first-generation college students often do not know who to approach or even what questions to ask (Moschetti & Hudley, 2015).

Staying focused and maintaining hopefulness

Participants overcame many obstacles and provided clear examples of the obstacles they faced in college and their strategies to overcome them. This study used different constructs than Bean and Eaton (2000), who focused on the development of self-efficacy and self-confidence; however, our findings are similar. We found that when students overcame obstacles, it contributed to their retention. The study participants described academic obstacles found in previous studies, includ- ing lower enrollments in academic classes, lower unit completion rates, lower grades, and higher part-time attendance (Chen, 2005). This study goes beyond documenting obstacles and provides details about how students responded to these obstacles. In particular, students adjusted to the demands they found at the community college, and they learned to rely on others for support, including friends, co-workers, family, and university faculty and staff. Participants were also hopeful about their futures and verbalized pride in their accomplishments. They understood that they were making progress towards their transfer goals and this motivated and made them hopeful for the future of their families. Ellis (2013) found that first-generation students often stay motivated by fulfilling their desire to serve as a positive example for their families and bring them pride (Ellis, 2013). Participants were able to celebrate small wins, like completing one college semester. They could delay gratification in other areas of their lives because they knew that it would take many years to complete their college degree. These successful first-generation

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community college students offered insights into their experiences as they worked to complete transfer momentum points. Their voices add to other studies that examined students only after they transferred and completed their four-year degree.

Finding their drive

Nine participants in this study had clear career and transfer aspiration, even if they did not have a declared major. Consistent with Ellis (2013), we found that when students had definite goals, they were able to overcome the challenges they faced every day as college students. Ishitani (2006) found that regardless of income, gender, race, or high school graduation, first-generation college students are more likely to drop out of college. Most of the participants demonstrated high levels of motivation after a few semesters of college attendance and many developed a strong self-efficacy while at the community college. Participants described many reasons for their drive to graduate from a four-year university. Some wanted to achieve the goal they set for themselves and finish what they started, and others wanted a better career and life. The students did not want to “give up” and repeatedly talked about their need to “push forward.” This finding is consistent with Ellis’ (2013) finding that motivation is of particular importance for first- generation college students and is strongest when the students have made specific graduate school or career plans.

This research amplified the voices of first-generation community college students who were achieving success towards transferring. Each student is met specific momentum points towards transfer to a four-year college or university. They eloquently described the challenges and realiza- tions they experienced along the way, as they progressed towards their goal of transferring. Their experiences provide opportunities for community colleges to support first-generation community college students more effectively. Future generations of students have many challenges and navigat- ing the community college system should not be one more.

Implications for practice

The following recommendations come from the identified themes to support transfer to four-year institutions for first-generation community college students. The community college students in this study were able to complete momentum points towards transfer, however their stories describe the many challenges and obstacles they encountered as they completed 30-semester units, three semesters of continuous attendance, transferable English and math, and a GPA of 2.0. Community colleges can support first-generation college students by teaching them how to manage their college expenses, with their families, through parent and family orientation pro- grams. Community colleges can also help first-generation college students utilize support systems and campus resources, by maintaining and expanding mentor programs. Community colleges can also help students to stay focused, remain hopeful, and find their drive by providing prompt feedback to students using early alert programs, so they are aware of their progress. These practices will provide greater opportunity for transfer success because they meet the identified needs of first-generation students.

Community college responses require flexibility because students do not reach critical momen- tum-points in an orderly and sequential fashion. Researchers often refer to community colleges as two-year colleges; however, for the study participants, their community college experience often exceeded two years and was not a continuous process for some of them.

Outreach to parents, guardians, and family members to support managing college expenses

The findings indicate that the parents, guardians, and family members of first-generation college students are learning to navigate the expenses associated with attending a community college

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alongside their students, because they do not have prior personal experiences with higher education. Some students may qualify for waivers of testing fees and college application fees and they are unaware that these fee waivers exist. They can also highlight the programs and services offered at community colleges and answer questions they might have about the transfer experience. As a result, students will benefit from having people at home who can be partners in their education. Outreach to family members needs to begin with parent meetings hosted by community colleges at local high schools, so that families can learn more about the various forms of financial aid available to them. Burdman (2005) calls for better integration of financial aid awareness into high school counseling and community colleges can assist with these efforts. First-generation college families also need help to understand financial aid terminology, fill out the FAFSA before the deadlines, apply for scholar- ships, and learn about the different types of loans available to them. They can share some of the potential benefits of working and going to college at the same time. Martinez et al. (2012) discovered that when students worked their way through school they were often more resilient and found ways to engage with the college community. Invitations to visit the campus to participate in a family orientation should follow. In addition to parents and guardians, community colleges could also invite student partners and their children to orientation programs, because many of the students at community colleges are adult learners and they will need support as they balance work, familial obligations, and the expenses associated with attending college.

Maintain and expand mentoring programs to encourage early utilization of support

Participants expressed feeling that they were “on their own” at the community college. These students can benefit from college mentoring in situations when they lack outside support. Community colleges can help students utilize support systems early in their college careers and introduce them to the many campus resources available to them. Students described how they benefitted from one-on-one support when they enrolled in college and expanding mentoring programs to offer additional opportunities for students is critical. College mentoring programs offer benefits to a limited number of students by offering support, challenge and inspiration (Parks, 2000). One model program is the Puente Project, which has enhanced access to community colleges for over 30-years and has facilitated student success by offering mentoring to underserved student populations (CCCCO, 2015). Benefits, such as increased student involvement and motiva- tion, result from the mentoring and interaction with faculty in these special programs (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). Mentoring from staff, community members, other students, and family members help first-generation students reach their goals; therefore, maintaining and expanding programs that provide mentoring is critical.

Provide early alerts and resources to help students stay focused and remain hopeful

Participants expressed that they sometimes lost their internal drive and motivation for their educa- tion after they encountered educational obstacles and challenges. They also revealed that they were unaware of campus resources such as tutoring, counseling, and even the ability to drop a class without receiving a notation on their transcript if they meet drop deadlines. Community colleges can assist first-generation college students by providing a proactive, early alert system, consisting of computerized progress reports, to let students know that if they are not succeeding in a class there are campus resources that might offer necessary support. However, it is critical to send early warnings with enough time to ensure that students and faculty can respond appropriately and in a timely manner. Hammond (2007) asserted that early alert programs must offer timely notifications to students to ensure that they are useful. If notifications come too early, faculty do not have time to assess the student’s progress in class, and if they appear too late, they do not allow the student to drop a class before it is too late. The best alert systems also educate students about campus resources and common roadblocks to success (Moore & Shulock, 2010).

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Every participant learned how to navigate the community college environment, and each made important realizations along the way and the recommendations offered here provide further assistance to guide them to and through momentum points. These practices will provide greater opportunity for transfer success because they meet the identified needs of first-generation students. They also support students in their efforts to stay focused on their ultimate goal of transferring to a four-year university.

Recommendations for future research

This study revealed areas for additional research to measure student progress to and through intermediate momentum-points. It would also be interesting to explore how students from various subpopulations are navigating through the community college experience, given their generational and immigrant backgrounds, and to highlight the influences of extended family on their educational journeys. First, community colleges researchers need to measure students at intermediate momen- tum points throughout a student’s college career to report student progress. One example of an intermediate milestone involves the completion of several math courses in sequential order. A terminal milestone is completing an associate degree or transferring to a four-year university. Students met momentum points in a surprising number of ways. While all students met the momentum point of enrolling in community college for three consecutive semesters, some of them stopped out of college several times before attending for three semesters in a row. Interviewing first-generation students throughout their community college career would provide researchers significant data and rich insight into what happens to students over time.

Second, participants in this study mentioned generational and immigrant influences and influ- ences of extended family on their educational journeys. Many participants were not born in the U.S. or had parents who were born in another country. These students had different perceptions and experiences of higher education, based in their native countries. The community college experience for first-generation immigrant students was unique for them, and further research would highlight the similarities and differences with first-generation domestic students.

Third, further research is necessary to examine the influence of extended family networks on first- generation college students. Some participants were the first in their extended family to attend a community college, but others received support from aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings. One student talked about how shadowing his uncle at his medical practice led to his desire to study nursing. The research on first-generation students is growing, but more research can focus specifi- cally on the extended family networks of first-generation community college students.

We think many interesting research questions remain for this population of students and believe that interviewing first-generation community college students throughout their community college career would be interesting, because it would allow us to explore how students are managing challenges as they are occurring. Similarly, looking into the similarities and differences between immigrant and domestic-first-generation community college students might provide illuminate how we support each of these subpopulations. Finally, examining the impact of extended family networks may provide additional insights into how to support this growing population of students.

Conclusion

Each student in this study experienced many challenges in college, and each time, they decided to either persist or depart. They each chose to continue and endure their challenges to meet their goals. Through these challenges, they gained new skills, insights, and psychological strengths that they are taking to their four-year universities. The participants have also discovered that they can overcome obstacles they face and will use this knowledge to continue to make new realizations. After transferring, the study participants will again need to overcome obstacles and make new realizations on their new campus, and they do so with experience in overcoming obstacles.

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Community colleges will continue to welcome waves of first-generation college students to campus, and this research on momentum points allows community colleges to be better equipped to address student needs. First-generation community college students benefit from the involvement of their families, including extended families during orientation. The students also need to meet face- to-face with staff as they start college, participate in mentoring programs, and early alert programs. There are many challenges involved with being the first to attend community college. These recommendations may help to facilitate the transfer process by removing obstacles and offering practical tools to help students as they adjust, adapt, and effectively cope with the challenges they encounter in their new environment.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Dr. Carol Lundberg, California State University, Fullerton faculty member in the educational leadership department, and Karla Aguirre, CSUF doctoral student, for their thoughtful assistance with this article.

ORCID

Orlantha F. Marine Nin http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3500-5536

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