Students who are the first in their families to enter higher education are more likely to choose their studies for economic reasons than generational students, a Brussels-based team of researchers found.
More and more first-generation students – people who come from families where neither parent has obtained a bachelor's or master's degree – are starting higher education studies in Belgium. Previous studies already showed that first-generation students, or so-called "pioneer students," are more likely to choose courses such as business economics than arts or human sciences.
One postdoctoral researcher at the Flemish University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel - VUB), Dr Gil Keppens, surveyed 2,338 first-year university students to investigate what drives them to do so based on three possible motives: economic motives, self-fulfilment and investing in one's community.
"For first-generation students and students with a migration background, being a role model is an important motive relevant to their study choice and educational outcomes," said Keppens.
Awareness of stereotypes
The survey highlighted that first-generation students shared the large consensus seen among all first-year students that self-development is an important reason for studying at university. "Besides the importance of self-fulfilment, our results show systematic differences."
For one, these students consciously choose an education that they believe can lead to economically profitable professions, and could potentially help them reinvest in their community. Keppens explained that both elements can largely be explained by the students' migration background, regardless of the educational level of their parents.
He found that for this group of students, the two motives are more likely to go hand in hand: Those who pursue traditionally profitable studies can become role models. "Fellow students whose parents did pursue higher education have less ambition to do so. If they want to become a role model, they usually do so through less financially rewarding courses, such as arts."
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Keppens explained that, for first-generation students, the motivation to become a role model often relies on the explicit awareness of the stereotypes and difficulties that people like them face in accessing and succeeding in higher education. "While this awareness can act as a motivating factor, research shows that it also leads to feelings of tension, ambivalence, alienation and ultimately frustration," he concluded.
