Date of Award
Spring 6-14-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Molly Brown, PhD
Second Advisor
Olya Glantsman, PhD
Third Advisor
Christine Reyna, PhD
Abstract
As a result of the abundance of literature on first-generation undergraduate students, several support programs and resources have been developed to assist this population throughout their undergraduate career. However, graduate school can pose a whole new set of challenges for first-generation graduate students, which can result in poor outcomes (Martinez et al., 2009; Wilcox et al., 2021). It is therefore necessary to increase attention on first-generation graduate students. An explanatory-sequential mixed method research design, with an intersectional lens, was used to answer how first-generation graduate students rely on university relationships to be well and what institutional barriers exist to achieving well-being. First, a quantitative component sought to corroborate what is already known in the literature about first-generation graduate students, but with a specific sample, regarding their needs. Second, a qualitative component explored, in more detail, the institutional barriers that can be eliminated through an increase in community relationships as a way to move towards relational empowerment. A survey asking about sense of belonging, confidence in ability, number of supportive people, and resource need was distributed to graduate students (N = 485). Later, five focus groups were held with first-generation graduate students (N = 18) in which participants discussed mutual support, well-being, and institutional factors. It was found that first-generation graduate students had greater need for identity-based resources at the university compared with continuing-generation students. In addition, first-generation students who identified as being from other marginalized groups reported higher resource needs. Qualitatively, thematic analysis revealed key themes of absence (of the dissemination) of knowledge, neoliberalism, university supports, isolation, and mutual support. Together, these results indicate that first-generation graduate students use relationships, primarily in their programs, to get their needs met, but more work needs to be done to transmit knowledge from a university level down to the graduate students.
Recommended Citation
Mabie, Brianna N., "Can We Help You with Your Bootstraps? How First-Generation Graduate Students Can Use Relationships to Transform Universities" (2024). College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations. 532.
https://via.library.depaul.edu/csh_etd/532
SLP Collection
no