More than a scholarship: College and career outcomes of Mitchell Institute Promise Scholars
Conference Year
January 2020
Abstract
The transition into and out of higher education is often challenging for first-generation college students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Variability in the forms of social, cultural, and economic capital first-generation college students possess may contribute to how they navigate these critical transitions. This qualitative study examines the college transitions of 9 Mitchell Institute Promise Scholarship recipients through two phases of interviews: one during college and one post-college. This study contributes to the ongoing interest in ways to increase degree attainment for all students, specifically those from first-generation and low socioeconomic backgrounds. Schlossberg’s theory of counseling adults in transition and Bourdieu’s social reproduction theory are utilized to understand how the capital provided by the Mitchell Institute influences the Promise Scholars’ experiences in higher education and their career outcomes. This study will aid in evaluation of the programmatic efforts of the Mitchell Institute and will improve higher education institutions’ knowledge of the resources socioeconomically diverse students require to have positive college to career transitions.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Jason Garvey
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Education and Social Services
Program/Major
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Primary Research Category
Social Sciences
More than a scholarship: College and career outcomes of Mitchell Institute Promise Scholars
The transition into and out of higher education is often challenging for first-generation college students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Variability in the forms of social, cultural, and economic capital first-generation college students possess may contribute to how they navigate these critical transitions. This qualitative study examines the college transitions of 9 Mitchell Institute Promise Scholarship recipients through two phases of interviews: one during college and one post-college. This study contributes to the ongoing interest in ways to increase degree attainment for all students, specifically those from first-generation and low socioeconomic backgrounds. Schlossberg’s theory of counseling adults in transition and Bourdieu’s social reproduction theory are utilized to understand how the capital provided by the Mitchell Institute influences the Promise Scholars’ experiences in higher education and their career outcomes. This study will aid in evaluation of the programmatic efforts of the Mitchell Institute and will improve higher education institutions’ knowledge of the resources socioeconomically diverse students require to have positive college to career transitions.