Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention

First-Generation College Students

Navigating the Worlds of School and Home

Elizabeth Buffy Stoll

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jcotr.v20i2.2829

Keywords: First-generation, transition, separation, anxiety, school, home

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Abstract

First-generation students’ transitions are particularly important to their success in college. Though attention to and support for first-generation students on college campuses have increased in recent decades, these efforts remain campus-centric, encouraging first generation students to assimilate to the culture and values of post-secondary education. These efforts lack recognition of students’ ties to their homes and families. A holistic recognition of and support for first-generation students’ transitions and negotiations between the disparate worlds of home and school could further promote their success both inside and outside the classroom. This scholarly article asserts that practitioners and students will benefit from more purposefully recognizing the role that the world of home plays in first-generation students’ transitions and experiences. The author presents a review of the literature, a discussion of the importance of first-generation students’ connections to home, and recommendations for practice, specifically centered around first-generation student transitions.