Webster 1

Hailie Webster
UWRT
20 October 2019
Inquiry Thesis
WID 10/21
Some questions that I have are what else can I include to begin and end my paper?
Should I give my own personal thoughts as to why I chose this topic? Or should I keep it very
statistic based and fact based? Also, how should I approach my opposition? I have learned more
about critical reading and knowing what is actually important information versus what is not
relevant.
1. Introduction
a. Explain and define topic
i. First generation students in higher education
1. Academic performance
2. Social outgoingness/social experience
ii. First generation students are students whose parents did not attend college
b. Give background
i. Needed to look into higher education
ii. My parents are both first generation and I wanted to look into how this can
affect academics and social experiences throughout college since they are
both huge factors of college and the college experience
c. Thesis
i. First generation students struggle more in college academically and
socially than those who are not first generation students
2. Pro thesis
a. Basic background
i. Summary #4
1. “On the other hand, college students who do not have parents with
4-year college degrees (i.e., ​first-generation​ students) receive
 Webster 2

lower grades and drop out at higher rates than students who have at
least one parent with a 4-year degree (i.e., ​continuing-generation
students; ​Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak, & Terenzini, 2004​; ​Sirin,
2005​).”
ii. Summary #6
1. “​Specifically, young people whose parents did not attend college
are about one-third as likely to enroll in a four-year institution after
high school graduation (​Choy, 2001​) and are nearly 30% less
likely to graduate in 6 years compared to their peers with a parent
who holds a bachelor’s degree (​DeAngelo, Franke, Hurtado, Pryor
& Tran, 2011​).”
b. First generation students have more financial hardships than non-first generation
students
i. Summary #2
1. “Low-income first-generation students are nearly four times more
likely than their more socioeconomically advantaged peers to
depart after the first year of college (Engle and Tinto ​2008​).”
a. This shows statistics of first generation students and how
they are more likely to end college because of financials
c. Parents of first generation college students often don’t understand and are difficult
to talk to
i. Summary #3
1. “Additionally, these students struggle in communicating with their
parents about college as parents do not possess experiences
encountered in college.”
2. “This reluctance to participate in campus life may be due to the
lack of knowledge and experience about college from their
working-class parents”
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a. Since their parents are unaware of college life, they can’t

give their children the wisdom or experience to help them
through it
ii. Summary #2
1. “Studying first-generation Latino students, Auerbach (​2004​, ​2006​)
argued that parents play a crucial role in facilitating college
pursuits by conveying the message that hard work, studying, and
college attendance are the steps children need to take to improve
their lot in life.”
a. Parents can help instill the ideals to work hard, but may not
know what this looks like in college or how to motivate
them in this way
iii. Summary #1
1. “First-generation students also often lack the familial support and
understanding that other students have from parents who have
attended college (​Boden, 2011​).”
a. This shows how it can be difficult to do well in school
when you do not have full support or understanding from
family members
d. Social aspects of first generation college students
i. Summary #6
1. “FGC students spend fewer hours studying, participate in fewer
extracurriculars and special programs, and spend more hours
working for pay than continuing generation students (Chen &
Carroll, 2005; Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak, & Terenzini, 2004;
Terenzini et al., 1996).”
e. How to help and fix the gaps between first generation students and non-first
generation students
i. Summary #5
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1. “I am not suggesting that first generation student status should be

regarded as the same as ethnic minority status when considering
the composition of a person’s identity. I am suggesting, however,
that it should be regarded as similar in the higher education
sphere.”
f. Opposing views of the topic
i. It is not more difficult to be a first generation student than a non-first
generation student
ii. FIND BETTER SOURCES FOR THIS
1. Quotes
a. “I say”
g. Conclusion
i. Restate thesis
1. First generation students struggle more in college academically and
socially than those who are not first generation students
ii. Recap on some info
iii. Give personal take away