Lived experiences of low socioeconomic millennial generation college students

Doctor of Philosophy === Department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs === Kenneth Hughey === The characteristics and needs of college students across the United States are ever-changing. As Millennial generation students, born between 1982 and 2003 (Howe & Strauss, 2000), at...

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Main Author: Thacker, Kelly L.
Language:en_US
Published: Kansas State University 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2097/14861
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spelling ndltd-KSU-oai-krex.k-state.edu-2097-148612016-03-01T03:51:30Z Lived experiences of low socioeconomic millennial generation college students Thacker, Kelly L. Higher education Low socioeconomic status Educational administration Lived experiences College students Cultural capital Educational Administration (0514) Higher Education (0745) Higher Education Administration (0446) Doctor of Philosophy Department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs Kenneth Hughey The characteristics and needs of college students across the United States are ever-changing. As Millennial generation students, born between 1982 and 2003 (Howe & Strauss, 2000), attend college, unique characteristics are present. Commonalities within the Millennial generation have been identified; however, socioeconomic status can impact a student’s ability to demonstrate these characteristics of the Millennial generation (Ramsey, 2008). Socioeconomic status still remains the greatest predictor of college aspirations but can prohibit some Millennial students from the opportunity to attend college (Greene, Huerta, & Richards, 2007). This qualitative study investigated the lived experiences of low socioeconomic Millennial generation college students. Bourdieu’s (1977; Bourdieu & Passeron, 1977, 1990) Cultural Capital Theory was used as the framework to address four research questions regarding knowledge of college, academic experiences, types of support, and collegiate involvement. Research questions were developed utilizing a phenomenological methodology consisting of two semi-structured interviews with open-ended interview questions as the primary data source. Through the analysis of the participant interviews, themes of their lived experiences as a low socioeconomic status Millennial generation college student emerged. Participants shared that their families lacked knowledge and information about college although they encouraged and supported them and understood the importance of a college degree. Although the educational experiences of the participants varied, most encountered challenges transitioning from high school to college. The most important educational experience for the participants is obtaining a college degree, greatly impacting their future. Although self-supportive for most of their lives, attending college is possible through the financial support of the 21st Century Scholars Program. This financial support and the support of their collegiate friends going through similar experiences have been important. Involvement in collegiate activities was important for the participants’ future careers, relationships, and learning; however, they sought these opportunities on their own. This research supports and encourages student affairs practitioners to enhance and improve the services and support provided to low socioeconomic status students in the college community. In addition, this study supports the need for more research related to socioeconomic status within higher education as well as reexamining student development theories to take into consideration socioeconomic status. 2012-10-18T16:23:34Z 2012-10-18T16:23:34Z 2012-10-18 2012 December Dissertation http://hdl.handle.net/2097/14861 en_US Kansas State University
collection NDLTD
language en_US
sources NDLTD
topic Higher education
Low socioeconomic status
Educational administration
Lived experiences
College students
Cultural capital
Educational Administration (0514)
Higher Education (0745)
Higher Education Administration (0446)
spellingShingle Higher education
Low socioeconomic status
Educational administration
Lived experiences
College students
Cultural capital
Educational Administration (0514)
Higher Education (0745)
Higher Education Administration (0446)
Thacker, Kelly L.
Lived experiences of low socioeconomic millennial generation college students
description Doctor of Philosophy === Department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs === Kenneth Hughey === The characteristics and needs of college students across the United States are ever-changing. As Millennial generation students, born between 1982 and 2003 (Howe & Strauss, 2000), attend college, unique characteristics are present. Commonalities within the Millennial generation have been identified; however, socioeconomic status can impact a student’s ability to demonstrate these characteristics of the Millennial generation (Ramsey, 2008). Socioeconomic status still remains the greatest predictor of college aspirations but can prohibit some Millennial students from the opportunity to attend college (Greene, Huerta, & Richards, 2007). This qualitative study investigated the lived experiences of low socioeconomic Millennial generation college students. Bourdieu’s (1977; Bourdieu & Passeron, 1977, 1990) Cultural Capital Theory was used as the framework to address four research questions regarding knowledge of college, academic experiences, types of support, and collegiate involvement. Research questions were developed utilizing a phenomenological methodology consisting of two semi-structured interviews with open-ended interview questions as the primary data source. Through the analysis of the participant interviews, themes of their lived experiences as a low socioeconomic status Millennial generation college student emerged. Participants shared that their families lacked knowledge and information about college although they encouraged and supported them and understood the importance of a college degree. Although the educational experiences of the participants varied, most encountered challenges transitioning from high school to college. The most important educational experience for the participants is obtaining a college degree, greatly impacting their future. Although self-supportive for most of their lives, attending college is possible through the financial support of the 21st Century Scholars Program. This financial support and the support of their collegiate friends going through similar experiences have been important. Involvement in collegiate activities was important for the participants’ future careers, relationships, and learning; however, they sought these opportunities on their own. This research supports and encourages student affairs practitioners to enhance and improve the services and support provided to low socioeconomic status students in the college community. In addition, this study supports the need for more research related to socioeconomic status within higher education as well as reexamining student development theories to take into consideration socioeconomic status.
author Thacker, Kelly L.
author_facet Thacker, Kelly L.
author_sort Thacker, Kelly L.
title Lived experiences of low socioeconomic millennial generation college students
title_short Lived experiences of low socioeconomic millennial generation college students
title_full Lived experiences of low socioeconomic millennial generation college students
title_fullStr Lived experiences of low socioeconomic millennial generation college students
title_full_unstemmed Lived experiences of low socioeconomic millennial generation college students
title_sort lived experiences of low socioeconomic millennial generation college students
publisher Kansas State University
publishDate 2012
url http://hdl.handle.net/2097/14861
work_keys_str_mv AT thackerkellyl livedexperiencesoflowsocioeconomicmillennialgenerationcollegestudents
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