Data mining
A Survey of the First Generation of College Students
After controlling for background variables such as gender and college entrance examination scores, there are no significant differences in the number of subjects, professional rankings, and scholarships of the first-generation college students from the family during their undergraduate studies.
The first-generation college students' recognition of their majors is significantly lower than that of non-first-generation college students. It is recommended that the focus of assistance for the first-generation college students of the family be advanced to the major selection of the college entrance examination volunteering stage.
The self-reported abilities of the first generation of college students from rural families are lower than those of other students, and the assistance work needs to distinguish between urban and rural students.
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As the gross enrollment rate of higher education has increased from 17% in 2003 to 51.6% in 2019, my country has officially entered the stage of popularization from the popularization of higher education.
On the whole, the school-age population has a higher chance of receiving higher education than their parents.
This means that more and more families train their first college students.
According to existing domestic research, the proportion of first-generation college students (that is, their parents are both in high school and below) in colleges and universities is between 46.8% and 75%.
They not only carry the hope of family upward mobility across generations, but also strengthen the diversity and heterogeneity of the composition of college students, but also reflect the policy orientation of promoting equity in higher education.
Especially after the implementation of the special plan for targeted enrollment of colleges and universities in poverty-stricken areas since 2012, this policy preference has increased the opportunities for the first generation of college students in their families to enter higher education, and also reflects that this group is mostly composed of rural students from poor areas, which are higher education. The bulls-eye point of the poverty alleviation work in the phase.
Previous studies have paid more attention to the fairness of entrance in the enrollment process of colleges and universities, but the overall performance and continuous growth of this group after entering the school cannot be ignored.
Under the superposition of the double difference between the micro family culture atmosphere and the macro urban and rural social economy, what is the academic performance of the first generation of college students in the family?
Have professional and core competencies improved?
Can you agree with the university and the major you are studying?
Are their development in these areas different from other student groups (ie, non-first generation college students whose parents have received higher education)?
The author analyzes and discusses the above issues, hoping to provide empirical evidence so that policy makers and university administrators can design targeted assistance programs and implement the poverty alleviation work of higher education; it can also be the first generation of families Provide data-based improvement ideas and action suggestions for the comprehensive development of college students, abilities, and attitudes during the undergraduate period.
The first generation of college students in the family accounted for about two-thirds of the survey sample
The author's research data comes from the "China Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Survey" conducted by the Institute of Higher Education of East China Normal University in 2019.
The survey invites current undergraduates to complete the electronic questionnaire through the questionnaire star online platform.
In terms of regional distribution, the initial invitations to answer questions were sent to Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Changchun, and Zhengzhou, which have a relatively large number of universities. In the later period, universities in the central and western regions were added according to the recycling situation.
The number of valid questionnaires reviewed was 4461.
The gender composition of this survey sample is relatively balanced, and is nationally representative in terms of urban and rural distribution and family background.
Rural students (that is, students whose household registration is located in rural areas and townships) account for 34.63% of the sample.
From the perspective of parents’ educational background, 67.25% of the samples whose education levels of both parties are in high school (including technical secondary school) and below are 67.25%.
The sample's grade distribution is also relatively balanced, with only a small percentage of seniors.
This is because the answer period (May to August) coincides with the fresh graduates leaving school.
In terms of subject distribution, engineering subjects account for more than half of the samples.
In terms of the distribution of colleges and universities, the colleges invited to answer questions include not only 25 "double first-class" construction colleges and universities, but also 18 ordinary local colleges and universities.
The "Double First-Class Construction" college undergraduates who participated in the answer accounted for more than 60% of the effective sample.
The sampling design of this study is nationally representative in terms of the location of the source of students and the distribution of family backgrounds. On this basis, it is appropriately inclined to the non-graduate engineering students of the "double first-class" construction colleges and universities.
The academic performance of the first generation of college students in the family is not inferior
After controlling for background variables such as gender and grade, the study shows that the academic performance of first-generation college students from rural or urban families is not significantly different from that of non-first-generation college students.
The academic performance of this study includes three indicators: students' self-reported number of missed subjects during school, professional ranking according to academic performance, and scholarship level obtained.
In other words, the overall performance of the three types of student groups in the sample-first-generation college students from rural families, first-generation college students from urban families, and non-first-generation college students during the undergraduate period are all Comparable.
Other factors that affect the academic performance of undergraduates are also worthy of attention.
The first is that the college entrance examination results have a significant predictive effect on the performance of undergraduates.
The higher the score of the college entrance examination, the fewer the number of subjects that students have during the undergraduate course, the higher the professional ranking, and the higher the scholarship level they receive.
The second is that disciplinary differences cannot be ignored.
Compared with liberal arts, science and engineering students have more subjects, which reflects the differences in the assessment methods and difficulty of different subjects.
Compared with oral reports or written essays in liberal arts, science and engineering have a more rigid way of assessing students through problem-solving or hands-on operations.
The third is that the difference between institutions is reflected in the construction of "first-class universities" (mainly in the former 985 colleges), and the performance of undergraduates in the two indicators of the number of missed courses and scholarships is significantly better than that of non-"double-class" Construction of college students.
In short, family backgrounds such as parents’ academic qualifications can indirectly affect the academic performance of undergraduates through the academic preparation and voluntary reporting before entering the university, such as college entrance examination scores, major selection, and school selection. However, after controlling for the above variables, the first generation of college students in the family does not Not at a disadvantage in the dimension of academic performance.
The 8 ability improvement of the first generation of college students from rural families is low
Whether it is professional basic knowledge, subject frontiers or practical operations, or core communication expression, information literacy, critical thinking, problem solving, or future planning, the same first-generation college students in their families, in comparison with any of the above abilities, come from The difference between first-generation college students and non-first-generation college students in urban families is not significant.
However, the first-generation college students from rural households have improved self-perceived in these eight abilities, which is lower than that of other students.
The subject difference needs to be distinguished for different abilities.
Science and engineering students are better than liberal arts students in practical operation; science students are also better than liberal arts students in basic professional knowledge and subject frontiers; compared with liberal arts students, there is still room for improvement in communication expression and critical thinking of engineering students.
Institutional differences are also worthy of attention: the effect of the construction of "first-class universities" on the improvement of students' abilities is significant in both professional and core capabilities; the construction of "first-class disciplines" colleges is superior to other non-"double first-class" in terms of professional ability training There is no significant difference in the cultivation of core competence between the two universities.
The author believes that this reflects from the side that "first-class university construction" colleges and universities have "two-handed" in talent training, not only attaching importance to explicit teaching focusing on imparting professional knowledge, but also not relaxing and improving various core abilities that can be transferred, such as communication. Hidden courses for abilities such as, planning, etc.
In addition, the author analyzes that the improvement of abilities brought about by university experience may depend on the macro-urban-rural duality background of the students, rather than the micro-family environment in which they grew up.
Are the first-generation college students from urban families better at using the support system provided by the school, such as tutors, counselors, clubs, etc., to make up for the lack of family resources?
Are the first-generation college students from rural families more conservative in self-evaluation and reporting on all aspects of their growth?
The differences between the two groups in terms of help-seeking behavior and self-efficacy need to be further explored.
It is urgent to strengthen the professional recognition of the first generation of college students after entering the school
The degree of professional recommendation reflects the degree of recognition and sense of belonging of undergraduates to the department during their stay in school, which can reflect the psychological development of students from another angle.
Regardless of whether they are from urban or rural areas, the recommendation of the first generation of college students for their majors is significantly lower than that of non-first generation college students.
This is consistent with the conclusions of the previous literature. High school advancement and career planning are the support that the first generation of college students in the family cannot get from home, which will make it difficult for them to choose a major that they know enough or are really satisfied with when they apply for the college entrance examination.
Other background variables that affect professional recommendation are also worthy of attention.
An example is the overall atmosphere of colleges and universities. Undergraduates studying in a "first-class university" school construction university have a "double high" recommendation for the college and major; There is no significant gap between the degree of professional recommendation and non-“double first-class” construction universities, which reflects that enhancing the professional identification of undergraduates is a direction that universities still need to work hard on.
Create a comprehensive support network for the first generation of college students in the family
In summary, the author believes that the whole society should create a comprehensive support network for the first generation of college students in their families.
To this end, the author recommends:
First, the enrollment process focuses on providing guidance for the first generation of college students to choose their majors.
The survey results show that non-economic factors (such as parents' educational background) awakening to higher education needs and the collection of related information will have a greater impact than economic factors (such as family income).
It is difficult for the first generation of college students to obtain direct guidance and other assistance from their parents in the advancement and career planning of high school.
Especially in the context of the frequent introduction of new enrollment reform measures, it is more difficult for parents without higher education to gain insight into policy trends, obtain reliable information and guide volunteers to fill in.
Therefore, the first generation of college students in the family can be used as the key target of college enrollment publicity and answering questions.
If the group is dissatisfied with the initial major selection after entering the school, the university can pay close attention to it and provide it with multi-path support such as secondary selection (transfer of major), minor studies, double degrees, wide-calibre employment, and inter-professional postgraduate entrance examinations.
Second, strengthen the psychological construction of rural students, so that they can draw the strength of continuous improvement from their native family and growth environment.
Due to the dual transition from middle school to university and from rural to urban, the first generation of college students from rural families face greater challenges.
This study shows that after controlling for college entrance examination scores and other background variables, this challenge does not come from academics, but from the group’s self-perceived and reported abilities.
This reflects from the side that rational and objective self-evaluation of professional abilities and core abilities is an urgent need to strengthen the psychological construction of rural students.
The key lies in the tension and concern between the student and the native family.
Ideally, the two parties can reach a reconciliation. For example, students can evaluate their parents and their expectations rationally and objectively, rather than being separated or alienated.
For example, domestic researchers conducted case interviews with the first generation of college students from poor rural families and found that the family still has hope in the absence of material, the parents' persistent belief in knowledge to change destiny, and the mutual care created by actions, pragmatic and strict The five points of a father and a caring mother have a subtle effect.
Case interviews and family field surveys around the first generation of college students in rural families can be used as the next stage of research, which will help reveal the complex psychological mechanisms behind the behavior patterns of this group.
Third, through summer camps, dormitory arrangements, etc., create a comprehensive support network for the first generation of college students in their families.
Family background and growth environment are conditions that individuals can’t choose to “get first”, but a series of behaviors such as entering a higher education and job hunting after adulthood can form and influence “late” cultural and social capital.
Take the transition from middle school to university as an example. This impact depends on the individual students’ coping attitudes, such as the enthusiasm for participating in various extracurricular activities, and the campus environment created by the university, such as whether freshmen are allowed to stay in a new environment Gain self-confidence and a sense of acceptance.
It is one of the measures that colleges and universities can try to set up summer camps for admitted "prospective college students" in the summer vacation after the college entrance examination.
Summer camp courses can not only make up for the shortcomings of the first generation of college students in the family in foreign languages, computers, academic writing, etc., but also help them to meet teachers or meet new students in advance, and they can also get familiar with them by visiting museums, listening to concerts and other activities City and perceive the artistic atmosphere.
Domestic colleges and universities currently have fewer such summer camps officially, and fewer projects are designed for the specific needs of the first generation of college students.
Another measure is the diversification and heterogeneity of roommate matching.
Domestic colleges and universities usually arrange dormitories according to grade and major. Most students live on campus and rarely change roommates in 4 years.
The contact time and frequency of interaction between roommates are much higher than those between students and teachers, administrators or other classmates.
Therefore, the distribution of roommates needs to consider the balance of urban and rural household registration, parental education and other background factors.
Don’t let the dormitory become a “blind spot” for college management. Instead, it is necessary to optimize the peer effect through accommodation arrangements and create an all-round support network for the first generation of college students from the classroom to extracurricular activities to the dormitory atmosphere.
(The author is an associate researcher at the Institute of Higher Education, East China Normal University; this article is reprinted from "Research on Higher Education in China" with the authorization of the author, with deletions and corrections.)
Guo Jiao Source: China Youth Daily