Research Methodology - My Research proposes to examine specific challenges affecting First Generation Students (FGS)

The Research proposes to examine specific challenges affecting First Generation Students (FGS).

1.       What are these challenges/findings?

2.       What supports are required to assist FCG’s in a positive Higher Education Programme?

3.       Who is responsible for funding these supports – the HEI or Education Budget as part of national policy?

There has been an enormous expansion over the last decade, opening up higher education to groups of young students from non traditional socioeconomic backgrounds, international and mature students who would not have previously considered doing a Higher Education Course e.g. degree. Within these groups is a New Generation of Higher Education Newcomer, the first generation Irish student whose parents are Immigrants in Ireland who speak their native tongue in their Irish home, and both parents would not necessarily have completed Higher Education prior to coming to Ireland or have a knowledge of the Irish Higher Education System.

Literacy activities that occur prior to third level, parental education, and limited English proficiency play an important role in academic success when we look at risk factors contributing to higher education performance.

It is my belief that interventions for FGS become a National Youth Priority, in order for this to happen further research is required around this specific segment of higher education applicants. Having investigated I found Irish based research in the third level area to be very limited.

Identifying specific challenges and bringing about supportive change for the first generation student (or FGS) will help them better culturally adapt and will enhance their college and learning experience.  

Researchers have identified that First Generations Students lack reading, writing and oral communication skills resulting in retention issues for Third Level Institutions. [1]

Teresa Heinz Housel in her article ‘First Generation Students need help in straddling their 2 cultures’[2] refers to her own experience as a First Generation Student from an Immigrant family background as well as others, during her action research using mixed techniques carried out, which noted difficulties in areas identified such as the use of a completely different language, different foods, and altogether different way of life. Many first generation students are coming from a typically working class home culture and found third level to be a middle-high academic culture. She speaks of one specific challenge where the FGS feels the need to acquire ‘Culture Capital’.  

Research shows the difficulties experienced by native first generation students also with regards to bridging the gap between their second level experience and entry a very different environment in Third level often resulting in:

• ·         Anxiety
• ·         Stress
• ·         Lack of coping skills.

FGS from Immigrant families enter third level navigating their way through the normal challenges met entering Third level in addition to trying to balance their 2 cultures.

“Most parents alongside their children believe that a college degree is necessary to gain stable and meaningful work”. (Schneider and Stevenson 1999)[3].  As the numbers of graduates have grown, the degree has become a common entry requirement for job placement in Ireland, this has added to the University degree becoming more important and accessible to non traditional entrants over the past 10 years. As the labour market in Ireland has also increased, labour shortages have attracted a diverse work force from EU and non EU countries, with the addition of asylum policies in Ireland; this has led to the higher education applications of First Generation students increasing.

As numbers increase in Higher education of FGS’s, research will be required in Ireland to assist Higher Education Institutions improving their Education policy and strategy, to enable them to work better and together to meet the academic, social, and professional challenges of educating FGS’s. A range of studies have emerged in the UK which focuses on ethnicity (Bird 1996; Modood and Shiner 1994; Modood and Acland 1998). These studies are showing that minority groups are increasing their applications to HEI in greater proportions that that to the rest of the population in the UK. 

Entering Higher Education for some is a time of dramatic change, studies have shown that for Traditional Irish Native Students there are barriers and difficulties, so one can imagine the fear and concerned feelings of First Generation Students coping with this new world for example the new learning processes such as Harvard referencing, citing scholarly sentences or phrases taken from others work, using software such as zotero, getting familiar with library access, longer time lines than 24 hours to complete an piece of work that you take responsibility for completing and self directing your time management, financial management, and still make the social scene too.

The research I propose to carry out focuses on this segment of higher education student, further investigating the specific challenges experienced by FGS in the Dublin Higher Education environment, and various intermediaries (including faculty in the Third Level campuses). The institutions I will focus on (5) will be diverse e.g. University, College, IT, Private College and Further Education College.

The research being carried out will identify the key challenges experienced by FGS as stage one. Following this, further research will be proposed at a later stage using quantitative techniques to establish within the Higher Education environment in Ireland: Who is responsible for funding supportive assistance to this new segment of HE students. For Example- Is it the HEI or is it a matter for Educational funding/policy at a national level? There is always the question of funding and resources, the feasibility of providing extra supports for academic preparedness for required norms on the HE campus such as self directed learning adaptations, provision of study skills modules, Additional language supports, additional funding require for Incidental expenses etc required to successfully evolve in Higher Education. Recently Harvard University established a fund to help such students pay for areas like travel, clothing, expenses, and established focused initiatives as well as peer mentors have researched key areas requiring support in this same area of research[4]. This research would be carried out at stage 2.

I have found a lot of general first year undergraduate research is currently being carried out in this area though more so around traditional and native first year students. The research identifies factors that result in poor retention and withdrawal by first year students in general due to anxiety, lack of coping competencies, failing to make the transition and cope with the new academic and social demands upon them resulting in the student dropping-out and /or under-achievement.  

Previous research looks at students who have withdrawn from third level in first year, students within their second year who had doubts and feelings of anxiety and difficulty to cope, and those who had doubts in first year currently still in first year semesters. “The abrupt shift from the controlled environment of school or college and family to an environment in which students are expected to accept responsibility for both academic and social aspects of their lives will create anxiety and distress, undermining their normal coping mechanisms. Some Students will eventually cope simply by avoiding the challenge”.[5] (Rickinson & Rutherford, 1995).

 The Research Proposal:

The rationale for this research: I want to investigate the core issues experienced by FGS’s, with the view to presenting this research for publication and with the intention that this research will make a difference and push forward the proposal for learning in HE style modules and HE institutions closing the gap of concerns with active supports. I believe there is a core group of concerns for FGS’s when we look at the research that is available for primary and post Primary by Barrett (2006) and Mc Ginnity (2006). We can identify key areas of concern that effect newcomers in Second Level.

To provide a supportive and fruitful learning environment for Newcomers entering Higher Education- we require information , feedback, data from existing second year FGS on the areas they felt difficult and challenging, and to investigate possible supports such as a Buddy /Peer support system etc.

I believe by carrying out this research, ultimately we will help to eliminate a drop off or low retention rate in HE for this specific group of students, and this would also encourage second level students in the same group to see examples of supports, hence easing their potential fears possibly preventing them entering Higher Educating and increasing Higher Education entrance numbers for the institutions who choose to market these supports. As Modood and Acland point out ‘despite all the difficulties associated with Migration, cultural and linguistic adapation, racism and a disadvantaged parental occupational profile, most minority groups are producing greater proportions of applications and admissions to higher education that the white population’ [6](1998:161).

• ·         I have chosen to work with Mixed Methods approach which is considered a young emerging Paradigm in itself (Gorard and Taylor, 2004)[7].
• ·         I will be researching in the interpretive paradigm, working with Qualitative strategies and mixed methods.  
• ·         ‘Mixed methods research evolved in response to the observed limitations of both quantitative and qualitative designs and is a more complex method’[8]. It offers richer insights into the phenomenon being studied.
• ·         Mixed methods research works with the fact that the world is not just quantitative or qualitative – it’s not one or the other but a mixed.
• ·         Theorists in the Mixed Methods area suggest that conducting this research involves ‘collecting, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data in a series of studies that investigate the same underlying phenomenon’ (Leech and Onwuegbuzie 2009:265).
• ·         The mixed methods approach I am taking is practice driven and based on Epistemologies. It gets me straight down to what I, the researcher needs to know regardless of whether the methods I used where qualitative or quantitative.
• ·          I believe by using the mixed methods approach for this research it will allow us a more in-depth understanding of this student group, and will help me to really understand the different explanations and outcomes. I also see a purpose in looking also at Complexity theory when designing my research design, which focuses on the teacher-as-researcher movement.
• Complexity theory suggests the need for a variety of methods also like Mixed Methods- case study, narrative, action research and participatory forms of research. My purpose is to understand the interpretations of the world around the FGS’s. As the themes and theories will evolve from the research carried out with the FGS’s, It will be grounded in data (Glaser and Strauss, 1967).
• As I will be researching FGS’s in one location at one time and comparing it with FGS’s in different locations- the theories that evolve become sets of meanings which will give us insight and understanding, that way enabling us to conceptualise possible supports for this segment of students.  ‘Complexity theory suggests the need for case study methodology, qualitative research and participatory, multi-perspectival and collaborative, partnership-based forms of research, premised on interactionist, qualitative and interpretive accounts (e.g. Lewin and Regine, 2000)[9].

·         I propose to carry out the research by recruiting 20 first year generation students across Dublin (20 ), 4 students in 5 different Third Level institutions( and 3 faculty).

·         The purpose of this research is to conduct high quality qualitative research using mixed methods and discover answers to questions by examining the students in their surroundings.

·         By using qualitative techniques we can share in their perception and understanding of their first year in Higher Education and the challenges they face throughout.

·         Research will be carried out through questionnaires, interviews, stories, and a focus group activity.

·         The themes and findings emerging at initial stages of questionnaires will provide the interview research. Feedback and challenges identified through stories and interviews will them provide the subject for the focus group to discussed.

·         My approach is an inductive approach- the theory and core themes will be concluded from the research and will provide key areas to be researched further at the focus group.

·         The findings would then be moved toward outlining a framework of how the supports and active changes required to help FGS progress through a lifelong learning system might be conceptualised.

I have looked into the literature that addresses areas of concern found in first year undergraduates entering Higher Level to get a solid foundation for developing a strong research strategy and to inform on the existing areas of concern prior to preparing areas of Research to be carried out. 

Literature Review : 2008-2011 carried out by ‘The Here project’.[10]

The HERE Project, 2008-2011. What Works Student Retention & Success.

By Nottingham Trent University, Bournemouth University, University of Bradford

The HERE Project (Higher Education: Retention & Engagement) was part of the HEFCE/ Paul Hamlyn Foundation ‘Student Retention & Success Programme’ (2008-2011). Three institutions delivered the project jointly: Nottingham Trent University, Bournemouth University and the University of Bradford.  I have focused on this as they used a variety of mixed methods for their research and to identify themes; they collected quantitative data, and then progressed to mixed methods to ask open ended questions to the students, they then used qualitative data to identify emerging trends and for bridging the information.  The research of the project was carried out on first year students and investigated two themes associated with Withdrawal (the impact of doubting on retention) and Student Retention and Success.

Altogether 3,000 first year students and staff over the three universities were interviewed over six large scale transition surveys, 3 focus groups and seventeen interviews. The HERE project team then used the survey research to identify key factors linked to retention, withdrawal and engagement. The project teams were them able to use their findings from the surveys and interviews to develop a toolkit of nine sets of recommendations to be used at Programme level to improve retention.

The Project team reviewed relevant literature in the area from UK, USA and Australia.

A pilot study was conducted in NTU with first year students via an online survey asking students had they thought about withdrawing from their courses of study. (If they had there were follow up questions)

The student transition survey was carried out in all three institutions from March – May were all students were presented with 17 statements of Student Experience Factors and asked to rate each factor. Students were also asked at this point had they had any prior thoughts on withdrawing and if so why, or what factors made them stay.

There were then two stages of analysis on the 2009 data: Quantitative analysis so they could format statistical test and Qualitative analysis where answers to the open questions where coded into themes. By doing it allows the HERE team to code the answers and analyse responses.

Themes from the online surveys were investigated further when the HERE team carried out focus groups and interviews. The students were given vouchers as a way to incentivize them to get involved in the follow up focus group from the online survey.

13 students were interviewed in Bedford on one to one basis by the HERE project team.

A small qualitative study was carried out by the Bournemouth team in 2009-2010.

A transitional survey was carried out online again in 2011 from all institutions. It was a shorter survey and asked about some of the themes that had come up in the first two years.

Bournemouth used a mix of qualitative methods when carrying out their research methods, using survey findings to write up case studies as a method of documenting analysis.   They used the results to highlight themes and this helped devise the methodology for the programmes research.

The case studies used to finally present the report also showed document analysis and summary. [11]

The HERE project used a multitude of research methods in carrying out their research in order to ensure the most accurate statistics and data(quantitative), as well as ensuring interviews and online surveys provided for observational data, allowing themes and patterns to be investigated further (Qualitative). With Ethnographic interviewing and taking a mixed methods approach, including follow up short online surveys with specific open and closed ended questions, the HERE team used Mixed Method Strategies to successfully execute their research project.

I am critical of the time allocated to the research which spanned over a 3 year time period from 2008-2011. This long term timeline would prove unrealistic and quite difficult to execute unless there was a commitment of the same team, and institutions for the period of time which was the case for the HERE project, however this timeline has proven unrealistic in terms of my research project where resources are restricted and the risk factor of their course time completing prior to the final activities within the FGS group.

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Bibliography using Zotero

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[1] College Readiness and Academic Preparation for Postsecondary Education, Oral Histories of First-Generation Urban College Students, Reid & Moore, Journal of Career Assessment November 2011 19: 375-391, first published on May 29, 2011

[2] Helping First-Generation Students Straddle 2 Cultures - Diversity in Academe 2013 - The Chronicle of Higher Education, Journal of Career Assessment November 2011 19: 375-391, first published on May 29, 2011.

[3] The Ambitious Generation. Schneider, Barbara; Stevenson, David, Educational Leadership, v57 n4 p22-25 Dec 1999-Jan 2000. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ599025

[4] The Invisibility Factor: Administrators and Faculty Reach Out to First ..,  edited by Teresa Heinz Housel, Vickie L. Harvey. http://books.google.ie/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4Tg6rDGQdFQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Teresa+Heinz+Housel&ots=AHlvKw9YJa&sig=xhWwvTJsl8bW9OycvAifTEfA1LQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Teresa%20Heinz%20Housel&f=false

[5] (Rickinson & Rutherford, 1995). . (http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/what-works-student-retention/HERE_Project_What_Works_Final_Report.pdf, n.d.)

[6] Acland, T. and Azmi, W.1998. ‘Expectations and Reality: Ethnic Minorities in Higher Education’, in T.Modood and T.Acland (eds.), Race and Higher Education.London. Policy Studies Institute.

[7] Gorard and Taylor, 2004)

[8]Demystifying Mixed Methods Research Design: A Review of the Literature, Caruth, Gail D., Online Submission, Mevlana International Journal of Education (MIJE) v3 n2 p112-122 Aug 2013. http://eric.ed.gov/?q=mixed+methods+research+&id=ED544121

[9] Research Methods in Education,7^th edition 2011, Cohen, Manion,& Morrison. P.30.

[10] The HERE Project, 2008-2011. What Works Student Retention & Success. Nottingham Trent University, Bournemouth University, University of Bradford.

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