First Generation Asian Americans: Pursuing a Graduate Degree

First Generation Asian Americans: Factors for Pursuing a Graduate Degree Student’s Name School of Education Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Counselling Month Year Committee in Charge First Generation Asian Americans: Factors for Pursuing a Graduate Degree Chapter I Introduction to the Problem Literacy in the modern environment is not only regarded as an approach to eliminate ignorance but also as a prerequisite to better living (Naik & Padmini, 2014). Better living in this aspect could be perceived as gaining employment as a result of the commendable job done while in school. Moreover, the American National Institute for Literacy (2007) and the Education Development Centre (2000), an international non-governmental and nonprofit organization, perceive literacy as an imperative element to today’s survival. Moreover, the Australian government does not only view it as vital to a person’s socioeconomic or educational future, but also for the nation’s role in international affairs. People who have acquired this skill are of immense value to the world and working population as they can relate to “written, numerate, and visual codes and conventions” (Penn-Edwards, 2011). Despite the preconceived benefits of having an educated population, several factors exacerbate this possibility, especially if we are talking about the minorities. There is no denial as to the essence of education in the upward mobility of the lower and middle-class individuals. On the other hand, the growth of the Asian population at a pace that is four times faster than the entire United States (U.S.) between 2000 and 2010 highlights increased diversity (Kim, 2018). The acquisition of a graduate degree among racial minorities has become more prevalent among first-generation students. In the same breath, first-generation students face several struggles such as inability to fully integrate into the campus community, struggling grade point averages (GPAs), lack of family support, and poor graduation rates (Mehta, Newbold, & O’Rourke, 2011). In contrast, these factors can be reversed to play a significant and supporting role in the progression of these students’ careers. Taking into account the socio-economic conditions that surround first-generation students, it is necessary to establish their achievement and success-factors. Research on first-generation students indicates that they face severe challenges and thus, unlikely to join a graduate school in comparison to continuing-generation students. Minimal literature is existent in regards to the motivational factors that lead them to further their studies. Background of the Problem First-generation students refer to students whose parents were unable to attain a college degree. In the 2007-2008 period, this number stood at an astonishing 55.9% level (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). A report formulated from various national surveys in the ‘90s indicates that “while 34.2% of college graduates with one or two parents who graduated from college enrolled in graduate programs, only 24.6% of graduates whose parents’ formal education ended with one or two high school diplomas did likewise” (Kniffin, 2007). It takes great zeal for these students to further their studies. Access to higher education is increasingly becoming possible to the masses with the current degree inflation being the testament. Catherine Rampell (2014), The Washington Post reporter outlines that “the college degree has become the new high school degree.” This change implies that there is increased enrollment in various course programs and above that, a bachelor’s degree has lost much of its significance. Thus, students are advised on pursing degrees beyond the undergraduate level. Need for the Study As mentioned earlier and will probably be mentioned in the ongoing report, first-generation Asian American is a different category to study because they are a racial minority and this mere status, places them in a conspicuous situation. This is a notion that is predominant among many people and to some extent, it could regard as one that gained some sense of social conformity. On the other hand, it is in very few circumstances that these people will be given recognition and assistance they deserve. Similarly, reports that would advance information dissemination to a larger audience are lacking implying that these people are left to face these challenges alone. This point marks the necessity of a study that places the motivating factors they hinge upon despite the obstacles. Besides, the investigator makes relentless effort to unearth both the academic and non-academic variables that originate in this scenario. Eventually, a precise relationship that exists in these variables is carefully analyzed to offer the audience a more vivid picture of the situation. This research is formulated to the fit of a broad specter of audience and more importantly, concerned administrative stakeholders and underrepresented populations. In the former case, the goal is to act as a form of encouragement to them taking into account that they are victims at the extreme of things. It is an honor to serve humanity in this manner –encourage them to attend graduate school- as education is a vital element to a better life. Purpose of the Study This research predominantly focuses on the motivational factors that will drive first-generation students into pursuing a graduate degree. First-generation Asian American students belong to a tricky category of the population and thus, are bound, by their natural circumstances, to face clear obstacles in their quest to further their education. Further, this research area is yet to hit the mainstream studies as few scholars and academicians have emphasized the same. Considering that these individuals are part of the greater society, it is fundamental that they are involved in ensuing conversations. In this regard, the investigator forged to create a better understanding of conditions that encouraged and motivated them to stay on the course and amid these motivations, accompanying challenges. Results were solely based on first-generation Asian American students who were keen to attain a doctoral degree as the primary target population. Research Question Research questions are essential to this study. Their role is more than being mere handy tools because they determine the procedural development in conducting the research. This purpose holds even if this research was not for academic purposes. It is through the research questions that whatever is wanted is of this research could be easily answered. Therefore, having drawn this definition, it is right to outline the primary questions of this report. 1 What are the major motivating factors for first-generation Asian American students to pursue a doctoral program? 2 What are the precise living standards of this sample population in their real-life situations? 3 What is the first-generation students' perception from both a societal perspective and individually? 4 What is the situation of these students in the school environment comparing with the rest of the group? Significance of the Problem Formal education is held in high regards because it contributes significantly to both individual and societal development. Scholars such as Thompson described it as the factor that unlocks the door to development (Arko & Addison, 2009). Educated people’s contributions to the growth and development of the community are immense. This relationship has been recognized in various surveys conducted in more advanced countries such as Japan, Denmark, and the United States (U.S.). In all these nations, a positive relationship exists between the quality of formal education and their economic growth (Thompson, 1981). This reason justifies the much insistence on formal education in both developed and developing countries because it is a pre-requisite to their progress in the future. Thus, the United States’ concerns over a portion of the population lacking this need are warranted. Even then, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 bear clauses that postulate similar provisions (United Nations, n.d.). In this case, it is clearly ascribed that every child has the right to attain education and even though the concern here is on doctoral studies, governmental efforts are necessary to ensure that those willing to proceed have the opportunity. The U.S. government can borrow a leaf from the African governments who acted upon becoming aware of this right and also amidst the fact that it was an investment that would provide major economic returns. The countries constructed very many institutions and in the process, mobilized their citizens to seek education (Antwi, 1992). This right is a guiding light for nations rather than one to be enforced. First-generation Asian Americans need to enjoy the benefits that higher education brings. Higher education is imperative to high-paying jobs, which leads to better living standards. This factor presents itself as the most convincing as to why this group needs education at this level. It sounds appropriate that the motivating factors towards the successful integration of such a system into their lives are offered more thoughts so that they can have more psyche towards this level of education. Continual approval of this system of education would eventually result in administrative stakeholders partaking an active role in the process. Important people in the process such as Graduate Office staff would gain a better perception of the reasons that influence the first-generation students’ enrollment and completion of their graduate education. This presupposition is developed from Tinto’s propositions on the various areas that demanded research on this issue. Associated concerns included the role of the family and related relationships in influencing graduate persistence, experiences of the beginning doctoral students, and studying the persistence of these students in various disciplines of study and in institutions. On the other hand, research findings would articulate the most basic programs and services that can be integrated to help this student population develop the sense of belonging to the institution and more importantly, from a social perspective. According to Lewis, Ginsberg, Davies, and Smith (2003), precise institutional mechanisms contributed massively to improved academic achievements for the racial minority groups. A similar study conducted in a Brazilian university yielded similar results indicating academic improvements for children who were a group of the minor ethnic group and undertaking a course in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) (Childs, 2015). Examples of such support systems include creating positive relationships with faculty and peers, social integration, and help with adjustment issues. Similarly, people in leadership positions would mitigate the scale of the negative situation by ensuring that they are great mentors to these students. An example of this scenario is the deliberate creation and subsequent acquisition of Asian American mentors into these institutions. Most of the Asian American people are closely to institutions that have people of their ethnic background, a trait that is prominent even choosing colleges (Kim & Gasman, 2011). Even better is when these members are first-generation themselves. It has been highlighted the lack of this group of faculty members diminishes the probability of students from racial minorities completing and graduating in their various graduate and professional programs (McCall, 2007). It is not necessary that these individuals must be hired to prove the point. Another effective strategy would be to use both the first-generation students and employees in workshops and advertisements. Definition of Terms First-generation students refer to the category of students whose parents have no bachelor’s degree. Doctoral degree or doctorate is a post-bachelors degree and takes about four years to complete. It is the highest level of academic achievements ascribed to most disciples. Asian American students are learners who have an Asian origin and live in America studying either through a resident permit or are born in the United States. A graduate student is an individual that has earned a bachelor’s degree Delimitations There were significant limitations to the completion of this research. First, some of the crucial secondary resources to be used in the process were being sold online, and besides, they were costly. Most of the authors found that this is a field that is given less attention and with their research, they have fathomed an income-generating formula. Given financial limitations, access to these resources was impossible. On the other hand, contacting various researchers to gain consent to use their content was challenging. Finally, secondary resources that addressed Asian Americans and their motivating factors, in particular, were very much limited. Chapter II Introduction First-generation students are regarded as those whose parents lack a baccalaureate degree, and in this sense, it is vital to consider the gravity of having one in regards to the private and public benefits it brings (Thomas, 2000). The primary objective for conducting this study is to articulate the major factors that motivate first-generation Asian American students to further their education by pursuing doctoral honors at a four-year public university. In contrast, the researcher perceived a lack of succinct and commendable literature on this issue implying that there is a possibility that it has been disregarded for a while. It is against the most ordinary realms of humanity to disregard a community that could already be facing significant plights in other facets of life. Equally, economic development is dependent on the educational attainment of the citizens of that country. Scholars have highlighted the essence of graduate education as one that is very important in the broader American higher education. Zhang (2005), one of the most vocal and proponents of graduate education, inscribes high social status, greater economic rewards, and prestigious professions as individual benefits that accrue after a graduate degree. When one perceives this from a societal standpoint, they will find that these institutions will offer complex and comprehensive data to learners, and later, this results in socioeconomic gains, technological advancements, and improved research. Doctoral degree enrollment among domestic students in the U.S. has declined by 14% since 1995 (Stewart, 2005). Even though the U.S. is regarded as the most developed nation in the world, it has to make efforts to guarantee that these standards do not subside. Either way, a reversal in this trend would demand the implementation of appropriate methods in the recruitment, retention, and degree completion among learners. A straightforward approach is increasing opportunities available to minorities and women. Scholars concur that this segment of education has been the least studied (Boatman, 2000). The significance of this matter and the underlying challenges thereby compels researchers to comprehend possible influences towards students to pursue post-baccalaureate studies and reasons as to why some people will transcend ordinary expectations to pursue higher levels of education more than others. Isolation, for instance, is one prime example. Graduate students from minority ethnic groups will cultivate the sense of cultural and social solitude while practicing a doctoral program because of probably the Whites’ domination (Lewis et al., 2013). The sense of isolation remains a considerable point to note because it advances psychological distress and eventually, the student opts out of the program. Much understatement on the personal or psychological factors is evident in its evident scarcity in research papers despite the fact that it is the innate conditions that make a person productive (Taylor & Antony, 2000). In this regard, more energy ought to be directed towards the institutional, environmental, and motivational factors that extrapolate the possibility of a student pursuing a doctoral degree. Family lies as the most predominant factor in this course. Family is engaged from both an academic and social aspect as central and very crucial correlates of postgraduate matriculation. Findings from Mullen, Goyette, and Soares (2003) illustrate that parental education was the most influential on matriculation into a doctoral program. A year’s increase in the parents’ education level raised the chances of one enrolling in a doctoral program. However, there were other factors including but not limited to an undergraduate major, learner’s college GPA, private versus public institution, characteristics of students’ undergraduate institutions, and college admission tests. On the other hand, a parent’s educ...