ERIC Number: EJ1322577
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1542-3077
EISSN: N/A
How Perceptions of Campus Information Resources Motivate First-Generation and Continuing-Generation Students' Use of Nonexpert Sources in the First Year of College
Platt, Carrie Anne; Bartels, Melissa; Eberling, Kallie; Gustafson, Erik; Lindmark, Peter G.; Sinton, Jena
Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, v33 n2 p97-111 Fall 2021
Advisors and instructors can play important roles in leveling the playing field for first-generation college students, who often have limited support networks compared to their continuing-generation peers. However, out-of-class communication with these resources remains infrequent. In this study, we investigate the factors that deter students from consulting with campus resources and motivate their use of external sources. Through interviews and focus groups with 20 first-year students at a midsized public university, we identify how students' perceptions of various resources inform their use of those resources during the transition to college. We argue that students' reluctance to meet with expert sources intensifies their motivation to seek out nonexpert sources in their networks, a pattern of behavior that could intensify information disparities between first-generation and continuing-generation students. We recommend strategies for increasing student use of campus resources based on our findings.
Descriptors: College Freshmen, First Generation College Students, Information Seeking, Academic Advising, Student Adjustment, Information Sources, Barriers, Faculty Advisers, Fear, Self Concept, Student Attitudes
National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. University of South Carolina, 1728 College Street, Columbia, SC 29208. Tel: 803-777-6229; Fax: 803-777-4699; e-mail: fye@sc.edu; Web site: http://sc.edu/fye/journal/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A