How To Be A Better Ally To First Generation And/Or Low-Income Students (1G/LI)

How To Be A Better Ally To First Generation And/Or Low-Income Students (1G/LI)

Sloan Talbot and Molly Goldwasser Ed.D., Duke University

Money matters. Low income students need money as a pre-requisite to maximize success in tertiary education, but money alone doesn’t lead to college success. Focusing solely on financial aid as an intervention, especially for low income and/or first-generation students, fails to account for psychological and social determents of personal and academic success in higher education. To be an ally is to take the role of a professor one step further, creating a congenial atmosphere in the classroom where every student can feel included, encouraged, and supported to learn.

While financial intervention is important, building inclusive communities and courses are critical of the role of faculty in the classroom. These suggestions below are largely contextual to learning during more normal times. However, in the midst of a global pandemic, students will face similar issues in their virtual learning environment making these policies adaptable to both online and in-person instruction. Inclusive classrooms can be envisioned as faculty seeing a student’s ‘holistic self; understanding all the identities they may bring with them to the classroom and how their content or approach may need to be altered. Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, and Lovett (2010) urge that, “it is important that the pedagogical strategies we employ in the classroom reflect an understanding of social identity development so that we can anticipate the tensions that might occur…and be proactive about them” (p.169-170).

Faculties’ role in creating inclusive and thriving environments for their students must then naturally extend to low income and/or first-generation students. Komarraju, Musulkin, and Bhattacharya (2010) found students' self-confidence, motivation in the classroom, and academic achievement to be strongly related to their relationships with faculty, both informally and formally, including their sense of professors' approachability, accessibility, and respect for students. Moreover, as the demographics of our student populations become increasingly diverse, it is important to approach solutions through an intersectional lens, considering the entirety of a student. 1G/LI students are incredibly diverse, and hold different combinations of racial, ethnic, and gender identities. The interventions require active faculty engagement with their students so that students can in turn, reap the potential benefits.

In order to best track and measure the impact of your university’s work, a pre-requisite is to decide how to consistently define and code for first generation and low-income student populations. Faculty cannot be asked to effectively work towards inclusive classrooms when they do not know the type of identities their students may hold. In turn, by understanding the student population, universities can work long-term to increase funding, and resources to better meet the needs of their students.

While some students may be first generation and low-income, it is important to not assume this is the norm for everyone. This intersectionality (or lack thereof) is a challenge in the field as it can lead to blanket suggestions that do not address key differences between the two populations.

For the purposes of this post we will be adhering to  the U.S. Department of Education’s breakdown of “low-income”, which defines low-income as those whose family’s taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level amount (Office of Post-Secondary Education, 2019). We also follow the  NASPA Center for First-Generation Student Success for an overview of defining “first-generation”,  which are students whose biological parents did not complete four-year degrees (Center for First-Generation Student Success, 2017).

Recommended Best Practices for Faculty

The recommendations for faculty outlined below represent a starting point for every institution’s resources or best practices. These are rooted in student feedback from institutional data collected by our university’s library system (Daly, Hartsell-Gundy, Chapman, and Yang, 2018) and expanded upon by informal student interviews, and our personal experiences as educators and former students on our own campus.

Why should your university encourage faculty to implement these recommendations? Because regardless of demographic sub populations, data shows that these interventions are helpful for all students (Daly et al. 2018).

Normalize Everything

As Daly et al. write, “1G challenges are challenges common to many Duke students (pg.13 2018).” As mentioned above, one of the most important aspects to this guide is that all of these tools are helpful for all students, not just at Duke but every university. Normalizing these resources in your classroom as something that all can benefit from is crucial to de-stigmatizing help-seeking behaviors.

For example, making one-on-one meetings at the beginning of the semester with your students a class requirement instead of an optional resource. Making it mandatory at the beginning can open the door for a student to visit you on their own accord later on, as you have demonstrated this is a resource you not only expect your students to use, but also encourage. This is also a best practice now during virtual learning when faculty are increasingly becoming the main point of consistent contact for students to their broader campus and institution. Virtual office hours over Zoom or a check-in call over the phone ensures students have the opportunity and space to confidentially talk with you and begin a professional relationship.

Explain Everything

First generation (1G) and low-income (LI) students often come to campus feeling like they know less about how the academic system works and functions compared to their peers. As Jack (2019a para.5) describes, “many students from low-income families described having to learn and decode a whole new set of cues and terms like professors’ “office hours”.

Even if you feel like you are overly explaining a topic, research opportunity, office hours, etc., it is better to assume that some students do not know what these are than to make the false assumption that all of your students do. There are no negative outcomes of ensuring your teaching instructions are clear and that students know the appropriate resources available to them. Ernst and Ernst (2005, p. 56) found, “students at any level are likely to benefit from instruction that matches their individual interests, learning profiles, and levels of readiness”. For virtual learning, faculty should lean on their online course sites, chat messages during Zoom meetings, or utilize a Coursera page to keep all relevant information and resources readily available for students to find.

Disclose All Classroom Costs

It is academically and financially beneficial for students to add details about required textbooks, materials, items, and special equipment in the course description and learning management system (LMS), as well as put them on your syllabus. While costs may not be known until closer to the actual first day of class, it is important to let students know as soon as possible so they can plan ahead

1G/LI students bear a financial burden that cannot be overlooked in a classroom setting. As Berg (2016, p. 76) writes, “working long hours while attending college is generally not a matter of choice, but of necessity, one that is clearly more common with students from low-income backgrounds.”

Another recommendation to lessen the financial burden of students is to put all required books and texts on reserve at the library. Have a few extra copies on hand for students to borrow and work with your school’s librarians. Work with your school library to see if copies of the required text can be available for electronic reading, or if you are able to scan and share select pages with students over email. It ensures that students will be able to have access to the text to scan the pages they need without restricting access to other students who may also need to use the library copy.

For items that are consistently used year after year like a required textbook or a clicker, offer a system where students can resell their used items to new students (such as Facebook Marketplace).

If a student is worried about the cost of books, materials, or equipment, advise them to work with your financial aid office. As a matter of best practice, students should be able to find contact info for the financial aid or individual financial aid officers on a student registration portal or somewhere equally accessible. If this information cannot be found there, faculty can include this information in their syllabus, or invite a financial aid representative to come speak to the class at the beginning of term. Providing information on how a student can afford a course, and making any costs as transparent as possible ensures the faculty’s course is more equitable for our low-income students. This lessens the burden on the student to find funding by themselves, or worse not take your course at all due to presumed costs, and allows students to choose a course based on content and interest without finances as a factor. 

Make Individual Appointments Part of Your Class Culture

Instead of generically referencing office hours or teaching assistants (TA’s) as resources for students to use at the end of class, be open during a class discussion about how students can and should use you, your TA’s, or academic help centers as resources. Office hours can only help our students when students feel empowered to go to them. Daly et al (2018 pg. 2) warn, “an ecosystem of supportive offices and people on campus is critical, but knowledge of and willingness to access resources takes time.” Programs like Calendly make it easy for both faculty and students to schedule a check-in over Zoom or by phone without taking additional time to individually schedule each meeting.

Pass along appointment signup sheets during class or have a link to your online appointment scheduler at the bottom of your email. Students will be more likely to take advantage of resources like office hours when faculty make them easily accessible and normalized.  The more easily accessible and normalized your office hours are, the more likely students will take advantage.

Students can feel excluded from access to resource centers and programs on campus due to feeling like they don’t belong or shouldn’t need them. Being overt in class discussion and class materials that campus resources are indeed for all students can be part of minimizing this imposter syndrome.

Include academic advising, tutoring or writing workshops, mental health facilities, student disability access office (SDAO), and financial aid counselors in your syllabus or by directly linking to them in class Zoom meetings or on your online class site.

While students may know what these resources are, they will be more likely to use them if they see a direct linkage between course expectations including participation, grading, and assessment and how these university resources can help them navigate these expectations.

Direct Students to the Appropriate Student Group, or Administrators Within Offices Dedicated to First-Generation and/or Low-Income Students

While professors and advisors are not expected to know everything, it can be extremely helpful to be aware of where to direct students to when it comes to first-generation and low-income resources. Sickles(2004 para. 4) urges that, “advisors must have a comprehensive knowledge of the campus resources that could help these students including programs geared for first-generation students.”

However, for financial aid related questions, always advise students to speak to their financial aid counselor first. It is better to direct them to other resources than potentially give them mis-information. It is helpful to guide them to also talk to peers or student leadership from similar backgrounds such as a club or group for 1G/LI students. Many student groups are continuing to be active during virtual learning through Zoom game nights or connecting on social media. Check their websites or affiliated pages and see if you can send their events out as links.

Conclusion

These interventions, resources, and suggestions are only the beginning of the work needed to be done for our first-generation and/or low-income student populations on college campuses. Both faculty and our larger university system have a charge towards creating inclusive classroom environments for all students.

Supplemental Resources

Thinking of First Generation Students as Pioneers not Problems  

I was a Low-Income College Student. Classes Weren’t the Hard Part 

Things working class 1G students want to know during college 

NACADA General Resources 

College is harder than the classes students take- especially if they are 1G/LI 

Center for First-Generation Student Success 

AL1GN 

The Privileged Poor 

Educated 

Calendar Software Calendly 

Online Learning Platform Coursera 

 

 

Works Referenced

AL1GN Conference. (2017). Retrieved October 21, 2019, from https://al1gnconference.com/.

Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M.W., DiPietro, M. & Lovett, M.C. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. (Pp.169-170).

Berg, G. A. (2016, May 13). Low-Income Students and the Perpetuation of Inequality: Higher Education in America.  Retrieved November 11, 2019, fromhttps://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315593067.

Center for First Generation Success. (2017, November 20). Defining First-Generation. Retrieved October 16, 2019, from https://firstgen.naspa.org/blog/defining-first-generation.

Daly, E., Hartsell-Gundy, A., Chapman, J., & Yang, B. (2018). Understanding the experiences and needs of 1G students at Duke. Understanding the experiences and needs of 1G students at Duke. Duke University Libraries. Retrieved from https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10161/17144/1G-Report-2018-v2.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y

Ernst, H. R., & Ernst, T. L. (2005). The Promise and Pitfalls of Differentiated Instruction for Undergraduate Political Science Courses: Student and Instructor Impressions of an Unconventional Teaching Strategy. Journal of Political Science Education, 1(1), 56. doi: 10.1080/15512160590907513

EdMobilizer. (2017). Retrieved October 18, 2019, from https://www.edmobilizer.org/.

Greenwald, R. (2012, November 11). Think of First Generation Students as Pioneers, not Problems. Retrieved October 10, 2019, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/Think-of-FirstGeneration/135710/?cid=at&goback=.gde_73549_member_186217662&utm_medium=en&utm_source=at.

Jack, A. A. (2019a, September 10). I Was a Low-Income College Student. Classes Weren't the Hard Part. Retrieved October 10, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/09/10/magazine/college-inequality.html.

Jack, A. A. (2019b). The privileged poor: How elite colleges are failing disadvantaged students. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Komarraju, M„ S. Musulkin, & G. Bhattacharya. 2010. Role of student faculty interactions in developing college students' academic self concept, motivation, and achievement. Journal of College Student Development 51 (3): 332-34

Sickles, A. (2004). First-generation students. Retrieved October 19, 2020, from https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/First-generation-students.aspx

NACADA. (2012, November 5). First-Generation Students Resources. Retrieved October 10, 2019, from https://nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/First-Generation-Students-Resources.aspx.

Office of Postsecondary Education. (2019, February 21). Federal TRIO Programs Current-Year Low-Income Levels. Retrieved October 16, 2019, from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/incomelevels.html.

Oldfield, K. (2012, December 3). Still humble and hopeful: Two more recommendations on welcoming first‐generation poor and working‐class students to college. Retrieved October 10, 2019, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/abc.21093.

Young, M. S. (2016, October 16). Not All First-Generation Students Are Low-Income. Retrieved February 12, 2020, from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/10/the-cost-of-being-first/504155/

Sloan Talbot is the Nowicki Fellow for Student Engagement in the Office of Undergraduate Education at Duke University. She earned a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Duke University.

Molly Goldwasser is the Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Undergraduate Education at Duke University. She earned a BA in Public Policy Studies from Duke University, a MA in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Mississippi, and an EdD in Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University.