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Supporting first generation college freshmen with small group intervention.

Article Excerpt
The Freshman Empowerment Program is a group process designed to support first generation freshmen. This article discusses the research compiled regarding the success of this program following its initial implementation. Results indicate that GPA was significantly higher for those students involved in the program compared to similar students who chose not to be involved.

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Incoming students who are from low-income families and/or who are first-generation college attendees are often at-risk in the university setting. They have transitional needs not generally met by traditional support services and often find themselves in academic limbo. These students will often either fail out or drop out when they cannot discover a meaningful connection between themselves and the university community. A student's willingness and ability to participate fully in his or her own education is necessary for holistic learning to take place. Studies show that many students who do not succeed at the university level are either reluctant students and/or passive students (Upcraft & Gardner, 1990). They need assistance in developing relationships with other learners and with the university setting; they need assistance in developing a strong sense of their academic selves.

Traditional academic remedies fail these tentative, yet often talented students. When they lose at education, society loses their potential as enthusiastic, professional individuals. And the students themselves lose their academic identity and sometimes their economic stability. These tentative seekers have a great deal at stake, as does the community at large.

The numbers at our medium-sized, mid-western university were, at first glance, puzzling. Freshmen enrollment had risen slightly over the past few years from 2,575...