(MENAFN- The Conversation)
Higher education research shows families pursue university because it provides opportunities for upward social mobility. With a university education come more options for career choices and, it is assumed, increased social status.
There have been many efforts to widen participation in higher education in Australia. Due to these, 50% of the student population is estimated to be the first in their family to go to university.
But first-in-family students still struggle with balancing the demand of academic life with part-time employment, and have a high degree of attrition.
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We conducted research with 48 first-in-family students over the course of three years as they made the transition from secondary school to university. The research was published in our book Gendering the First-in-Family Experience .
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group The students came from ethnically diverse backgrounds and were recruited from across state, independent and faith-based schools. We focused on how their aspirations changed in relation to their experiences at university.
We found young men and women had different relationships with their parents which, in turn, contributed to how they navigated life after school.
How families support students
Parents of first-in-family students in our study were supportive of their children's education, but they did not necessarily have sufficient knowledge of higher education to be able to give advice about navigating the system.
Instead, families focused on supporting students emotionally.
Aisha spoke of how her parents supported her during her stressful final year of school:
More opportunities than their parents had
Mothers were often the primary resource in terms of the emotional support for the participants. This was especially true for the young women in the study, where part of their aspirations for university were to experience the opportunities and futures their mothers were denied.
Tabitha, who was studying for a Bachelor in Health and Medical Science, told us:
Many of the young men also saw their lives as filled with more opportunities than their parents.
Dominic, whose father worked as a mechanic and mother eventually trained at TAFE as an accountant, told us how his decision to pursue university was significantly informed by his parents' biographies.
How family dynamics changed
As they transitioned to university from school, both our female and male participants renegotiated family responsibilities with parents and siblings. These significantly contributed to their experience as students.
Logan, who was studying a Bachelor in Health Science, told us:
The young men in the study wanted to be seen as independent in their decision making. This was less apparent for girls who valued the support of their families.
Adam, who was studying a Bachelor in Science, told us:
Archie, who was studying for a Bachelors in IT, said:
Leo, who intended to study for a Bachelor of Education and later withdrew, said:
They struggled to integrate
Many of the first-in-family students we spoke with often struggled to socially integrate with other university students who were often from more privileged backgrounds. They found the experience isolating and they doubted themselves.
Manny, who was studying engineering, said:
Of the 48 participants, nine students withdrew from university, seven chose not to attend and two deferred.
We would argue universities need to be sensitive to the gender identity of students because it has implications for how they may offer effective forms of support. Within our cohort of first-in-family students, gender was often a contributing factor in terms of how these students experienced university.
Gendering the First-in-Family Experience: Transitions, Liminality, Performativity is out now through Routledge.
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