Describing College Success Indicators for First-Generation College Students in Colleges of Agriculture

Abstract

Earning a bachelor’s degree has been documented as a potential social equalizer in American society. Yet, it has also been documented that first-generation college students (FGCS) have incongruently accessed and earned college degrees. This phenomenon has potentially perpetuated life-long differences in social outcomes in American society. As research continues to explain the experiences of FGCS, little has been done to explore differences for FGCS by college major or affiliation. However, a small but growing body of researchers are examining the experiences and outcomes of college of agriculture and related sciences students, specifically those enrolled at land grant institutions. The researchers in this study sought to describe college success indicators including on-campus involvement, leadership, and sense of belonging by generational status, and college affiliation at a large, midwestern, public, research-intensive institution. Overall, it was found that no differences were reported by generational status or college affiliation for the investigated college success indicators. These findings are different than previous literature in that FGCS were not lesser than their peers. Consequently, these findings add to the understanding of FGCS college experiences insofar as college affiliation may be playing a mitigating role in disparities among FGCS.

Examining Sense of Belonging Among Freshmen College of Agriculture Students

“…First, respondents generally perceived they had a strong sense of belonging to both AFLS and the University of Arkansas. Furthermore, the students in this study had a higher perceived sense of belonging than the participants in Giorgi et al's (2022) study. Students' perceptions of peer support, faculty support, classroom comfort, and empathetic/understanding faculty were lower than their perceived sense of belonging.…”

“…Conversely, in the absence of sense of belonging, students may become disengaged with education-related activities, feel isolated, and be at increased risk of leaving the institution (Strayhorn, 2018). Sense of belonging research among college of agriculture students is limited, however, Giorgi et al (2022) found that agriculture students possessed a moderate sense of belonging to their college of agriculture with first-generation college students reporting the highest scores. Because sense of belonging has been shown to be an important factor related to student retention and a dearth of literature exists pertaining to students in colleges of agriculture, this study is warranted.…”