First-Generation Pedagogy: A Case Study of First-Generation College Students in First-Year Writing

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the motivations and attitudes first-generation college students held toward classroom interventions and written assignments. This classroom research took place during one semester in a single English 120 College Composition II class that included fourteen enrolled students with three students self-identifying as first-generation college students. The study was composed of two separate qualitative surveys: a pre-survey and a post-survey and all surveys. The pre-survey was distributed to all fourteen enrolled students during week three of the semester. The post-survey was distributed to all students during the final week of the semester. Based on the findings of this survey, and previous research conducted on first-generation college students, this study argues for three pedagogical interventions that can best engage the needs of first-generation college students. The pedagogical interventions include creating structured peer review groups, creating an empathetic space, or safe space, within the classroom, and demonstrates the importance of teaching genres that open up pathways for an emotional discourse in the classroom. These three pedagogical interventions best benefit first-generation college students, but may also benefit the learning of all students.