Supporting Parents as College Advisors: A Qualitative Study of First Generation College Students' Parents

Abstract

This study identified first-generation college student’s parents’ needs and support systems during their child’s college admissions process. Literature supports the benefits of improving college knowledge among high school parents of first-generation college students. Parent college knowledge includes information about the college admissions requirements, college admissions processes, parental involvement, and access to social support. Research on these populations is more commonly done through quantitative studies that do not always include parents’ voice or qualitative research that tends to highlight students’ experiences. Regardless of the type of research, parents’ ability to provide guidance has a significant impact on first-generation college students’ enrollment and retention rates (Auerbach, 2007; Duggan, 2001). Social capital informed the design of this study to examine the access of college knowledge resources used by first-generation college students’ parents. The qualitative study was supported in a constructivist epistemology. Data were collected through semi-structured focus groups and individual interviews, which included 28 high school parents and/or guardians. Results categorized into three factors: college admissions requirements, the navigation of the college admissions process, and access to social support for guidance. The study concludes with findings that allow educators to better understand the needs of first-generation college students’ parents as well as steps that can be taken to provide parents with the tools needed to better guide their children through the college admissions process. Keywords: parent college knowledge, educational equity, college admission, high school