Closing the Achievement Gap for First- Generation College Students Nicole M. Stephens Kellogg School of Management Student Support Services Webinar January 15, 2015

First Year Intervention Closed Achievement Gap  Compared with control condition, first- generation participants in intervention:  earned higher grades.  sought out more campus resources.  showed more adaptive coping with academic stressors. (Stephens, Hamedani, & Destin, 2014: Stephens, Townsend, Hamedani, Destin, & Manzo, in prep)

Intervention Method  Designed transitional program, which took place at beginning of fall term (intervention).  Participants: incoming students (Half first-gen and half continuing-gen).  Panelists: junior and senior students told stories about learning to navigate college.

First-generation Story Because my parents didn’t go to college, they weren’t always able to provide me the advice I needed. So it was sometimes hard to figure out which classes to take and what I wanted to do in the future. But there are other people who can provide that advice, and I learned that I needed to rely on my adviser more than other students.

Continuing-generation Story I went to a small private school, and it was great college prep. We got lots of one-on-one attention, so it was a big adjustment going into classes with 300 people. I felt less overwhelmed when I took the time to get to know other students in the class.

Implementing this Intervention at Your School Key Components of this Approach:  Show how social class background matters – for both good and bad.  Show how all students can experience college differently.  Let senior students share their own stories.  Deliver a powerful but subtle message. Suggested Resources: Science-2014-Stephens pdf students-talking-about-issues-social-class