Overcoming the Odds
First‐Generation College Students' Journey to Higher Education in the Global South—A Phenomenological Study From Ghana
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21446526 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jacob Oppong Nkansah (0000-0002-2280-6828, School of Graduate Studies Lingnan University Hong Kong People's Republic of China, corresponding author), Tual Sawn Khai (0000-0003-4904-5421, School of Graduate Studies Lingnan University Hong Kong People's Republic of China), Elizabeth S Rose (0000-0002-7245-2706, Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville Tennessee USA), Muhammad Asaduzzaman (0000-0001-9048-7980, Department of Community Medicine and Global Health, Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine University of Oslo Oslo Norway, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 60 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0141-8211 • E-ISSN: 1465-3435 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ejed.70064 |
| OpenAlex | W4408767110 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 42 |
This study offers critical insights into the experiences of First‐Generation College Students (FGCS) in Ghana. This phenomenological study included 18 undergraduate FGCS at a large public university in Ghana. By examining the challenges and coping mechanisms of FGCS, the research provides a holistic view of FGCS experiences in West Africa using evidence from Ghana's higher education. These contributions enhance our understanding of FGCS experiences in non‐Western contexts and offer valuable insights for improving support mechanisms. The study findings revealed numerous challenges for FGCS that impede their advancement in university settings. The study identifies various challenges faced by FGCS, such as financial distress, limited social capital, isolation, and psychological distress, thereby contributing to a nuanced understanding of FGCS experiences in non‐Western settings. The study highlights these students' unsustainable and potentially harmful coping strategies, addressing an under‐researched aspect of their experiences. The findings emphasise the need for higher education institutions to address FGCS's unique circumstances, offering insights into policies and practices to improve access, retention, and graduation rates. Practical strategies for supporting FGCS, such as providing logistical support, improving the social environment for FGCS, and collaboratively examining existing processes for impediments, are proposed to guide institutions in developing targeted interventions to simplify the higher education process and journey toward FGCS
Economic growth · Economics · Epistemology · Higher education · Logistic regression · Mathematics education · Odds · Pedagogy · Phenomenology (philosophy) · Sociology · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Global Educational Reforms and Inequalities · Higher Education Research Studies · Medicine · Philosophy · Psychology
Avoiding the manufacture of ‘sameness’
Social Capital and Dropping Out of High School
First-Generation College Students
Competence under challenge
Social Class and Belonging
“What support systems exist for “first-generation students in Ghana's higher education?”
What drives First-Generation College Students to be resilient in pursuing higher education in Africa
The exploration of online academic help-seeking behavior of first-generation college students in developing countries
Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth
Coping With College Obstacles
Decolonizing the university
First-Generation College Students’ Motives to Start University Education
First-generation students
The role of parent, classmate, and teacher support in student engagement
Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture
Naturally Occurring Mentorship in a National Sample of First‐Generation College Goers
College Students’ Sense of Belonging
Qualitative inquiry and research design
An Examination of Academic Nonpersistence Decisions of Latino Undergraduates
What High-Achieving Latino Students Need to Apply to College
Understanding undergraduate student perceptions of mental health, mental well-being and help-seeking behaviour
The Real-Time Social and Academic Adaptations of First-Generation College Students During the Global Pandemic
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |