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First-Generation Student: A Sociohistorical Analysis

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Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions

Synonyms

Family academic capital; Family cultural capital

Definition

Students whose parents do not have higher education or who did not obtain a higher education diploma.

Context

Over at least the last five decades, with the movement in developed countries to open up higher education to the masses, postsecondary education establishments, especially universities, are welcoming an increasingly diverse student population, in both social origin and previous academic experience. A reconfiguration of the student population is occurring with the increase in female students, adult student, and young people from ethnocultural minorities and economically disadvantaged social environments. Although social inequalities still curb access to higher education, nonetheless, the movement for academic democratization has allowed families and youth disadvantaged in terms of social and cultural resources to have higher academic aspirations, favoring the pursuit of studies beyond the level of compulsory...

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Correspondence to Pierre Doray .

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Doray, P., Groleau, A. (2017). First-Generation Student: A Sociohistorical Analysis. In: Shin, J., Teixeira, P. (eds) Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_338-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_338-1

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