On par with the rest: first-generation college students and cultural intelligence

ABSTRACT

Attending a secondary education institution represents a substantial change in the social, learning and financial environments for most young adults, but for first-generation college students, the experience is even more complex. This study takes a unique approach to the investigation of first-generation college students by looking at the intersection of two areas of research, firstly first-generation students and secondly cultural intelligence (CQ). Our study is motivated by the finding that CQ leads to student success and that first-generation students represent a community with unique needs. We believe a better understanding of the CQ of first-generation students can prevent biases in creating effective pedagogy. In measuring the level of CQ of first-generation students, we find there is no significant difference in the CQ levels of first-generation and non-first-generation students. And in fact, learning additional languages and encouraging extracurricular experiences can have a positive impact on all college students.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural intelligence
• first-generation students
• international experiences

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jennifer Miele

Jennifer Miele is an Assistant Professor of Finance in the Craig School of Business, California State University, Fresno. Her area of research is behavioural finance. She has participated in several conferences, such as The Financial Management Association, Global Finance Association, and Western Decision Sciences Institute. She has reviewed papers for the Journal of Banking and Finance and the International Journal of Business.

Vinh Huy Nguyen

Vinh Huy Nguyen is an Assistant Professor of Finance in the Craig School of Business, California State University, Fresno. His areas of research are corporate finance and market microstructure. He has presented papers at several conferences, such as The Financial Management Association, Eastern Finance Association, Global Finance Association, and Western Decision Sciences Institute. He has reviewed papers for the International Journal of Business.