Complete Opportunists: First-Generation College Students’ Lived Experiences With High-Impact Educational Practices

ABSTRACT

High-impact practices (HIPs) are well-documented experiences that deepen engagement and go beyond traditional markers of success for college students. First-generation college students may even see greater gains in participation than their continuing-generation counterparts. However, there is a gap in the literature on the lived experiences of first-generation college students and HIPs. This qualitative phenomenological study interviewed 10 first-generation college students who have lived experiences with HIPs to address this gap. Five themes emerged, as well as several barriers and successes first-generation college students had with HIPs. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• First-generation
• high-impact practices
• student success

Acknowledgments

Thank you to this study’s complete opportunist first-generation students for sharing their stories. We shared with them that while they may not directly benefit from this study, we hope this publication helps future first-generation college students.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).