Upon entering college: first semester experiences of first generation, rural students from agricultural families

Abstract

First-generation and rural college students are considered by many retention theorists and practitioners to be an at-risk population. This study examined the details of the first semester in postsecondary education from the perspective of a group of students who met the demographic criteria of being first-generation to go to college, from rural geographical areas, and from agricultural backgrounds. It focused on the first semester experience, during its occurrence, and how six students of this specific population viewed that phenomenon. A secondary objective was to determine if the understandings that issued from the research could form a foundation from which first semester retention strategies for this particular population could be configured. Information about the essence of the first semester emerged from the responses of the participants to four primary research questions in a structured interview format. A qualitative, phenomenological methodology provided the empirical approach used to gain an understanding of this multi-faceted experience for this group. Within-case and cross-case analyses were performed on the data produced by the interview transcripts. The study verified that first-generation and rural college students face difficulties in the transition to college that can be related to these demographic characteristics, such as lack of knowledge of campus culture, class size, academic expectations, and academic rigor. The analysis produced a unique set of findings regarding the status of agricultural background. These findings suggest that an agricultural background may compound the sense of different-ness encountered by first-generation and rural freshman when that heritage is added to the other two. Additionally, positive aspects of an agricultural background (i.e. self-esteem, courage, a history of hard work) may serve to mitigate some of the contrary factors. Recommendations include potential retention programs for institutions and suggestions for further research.