What Motivates First-Generation Students to Pursue

Higher Education?
Introduction Findings
First-generation students are students whose parents have not
Olive (2008), found students
earned a college degree. Access to higher education is limited to motivation to go to college
was financial security for
first-generation students because a majority of first-generation themselves and their families
and to make their parents
students come from low-income families and are often proud
unprepared to go to college. The purpose of this poster is to
explore first-generation college students and what influences their Blackwell & Pinder (2014)
Petty (2014) states there are 3
found 3 motivating factors;
decision to pursue a higher education in order to help student love for reading at an early needs linked to barriers of
first-generation students
age, feelings different from
affairs professionals better support first-generation students. siblings and wanting to live a (social needs, esteem needs &
self-actualization needs).
better life.

Literature Review

African American
Hispanic Students
Women
Blackwell & Pinder (2014)
compared the experiences of
first-generation and third-
generation African American
women students and why they
decide to go to college.
Olive (2008) focuses on first-
generation students
participating in Student
Support Services programs and
how it motivates them to stay in
college.
TRIO Programs
Graham (2011) participated in
the Upward Bound College Pre
program which offered math,
English and science college
preparation courses while she
was in high school.
Motivation
for Going
to College
Recommendations & Implications
Implications for Practice
•  Student Affairs professionals should create more
bridge programs in order to address the issue
regarding lack of college preparation.

Implications for Research

Graham (2011) discussed her
personal experience as an
African American first-
generation college student who
participated in a TRIO
program.
Vega (2016) focused on Latino
first-generation students in their
junior and senior years at
Hispanic Serving Institutions.
Petty (2014) discusses intrinsic
and extrinsic factors that
motivate first-generation
students to stay in college.
•  Include high school students (first-generation and
second-generation) in future research.
•  Sample sizes should be larger in order to be able to be
able to support first-generation students in different
types of higher education institutions.
•  When asking students about what motivates them or
why they decided to go to college, ask about family
support regarding college.

Contact Info:
Shakira Moreta
Salem State University
s_moreta2@salemstate.edu
 References
¨  Blackwell, E., & Pinder, P. J. (2014). What Are the Motivational Factors of First-Generation
Minority College Students Who Overcome Their Family Histories to Pursue Higher
Education?. College Student Journal, 48(1), 45-56.
¨  Graham, L. (2011). Learning a new world: Reflections on being a first-generation college
student and the influence of TRIO programs. New Directions For Teaching &
Learning, 2011(127), 33-38. doi:10.1002/tl.455
¨  Olive, T. (2008). Desire for Higher Education in First-Generation Hispanic College Students
Enrolled in an Academic Support Program: A Phenomenological Analysis. Journal Of
Phenomenological Psychology, 39(1), 81-110.
¨  Petty, T. (2014). Motivating First-Generation Students to Academic Success and College
Completion. College Student Journal, 48(2), 257-264.
¨  Vega, D. (2016). "Why Not Me?" College Enrollment and Persistence of High-Achieving
First Generation Latino College Students. School Psychology Forum, 10(3),
307-320.