"Makin' It": A Study of First Generation College Graduates Lives Out of Poverty

275 Pages·2014·2.1 MB·English

University of South Carolina
Scholar Commons
Teses and Dissertations
1-1-2013
"Makin' It": A Study of First Generation College
Graduates Lives Out of Poverty
Sharla Benson-Brown
University of South Carolina
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Benson-Brown, S.(2013). "Makin' It": A Study of First Generation College Graduates Lives Out of Poverty. (Doctoral dissertation).
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“MAKIN’ IT”: A STUDY OF FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE GRADUATES
LIVES OUT OF POVERTY

by

Sharla Benson-Brown

Bachelor of Arts
University of South Carolina, 2001

Master of Arts in Teaching
University of South Carolina, 2006
___________________________________

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in

Foundations of Education

College of Education

University of South Carolina

2013

Accepted by:

Michelle L. Bryan, Major Professor

Kara Brown, Committee Member

Tambra Jackson, Committee Member

Peter Moyi, Committee Member

Lacy Ford, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies
© Copyright by Sharla Benson-Brown, 2013
All Rights Reserved.
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There is not enough space here to acknowledge all of the many people who
helped me through this process. However, I will attempt here to scratch the surface of
‘thank you’s’.
I give thanks to the Most High for providing me with people in my path to set
forth opportunities and preparation for this work. To my husband, Jeffrey, thank you for
your encouragement, for listening to my ideas, rants and raves, but most importantly for
your willingness to go and grow with me through this process. To my children, Jahliah,
Jackson and Charlie, thank you for being patient with mommy. You all are the greatest
of cheerleaders and inspire and motivate me - even when you are sleeping. To my
parents, let me count the ways you have provided support: picking up the children,
feeding them dinner, taking them to dance or music and a host of innumerable ways so
that I can get to class/write/read/teach. Most importantly thank you for your love in
addition to teaching AND showing me from an early age what thinking critically and
social justice looks like. But most importantly - how to be resilient! To my sister for
always offering words of encouragement and believing in her little sister.
To my advisor, Dr. Bryan, and each committee member for contributing to my
understanding of all theories presented in this study which helped to shape my thinking in
and outside of class. Thank you for pushing my thinking and putting wonderful books
and articles to read in my hand.
v
ABSTRACT
1
Scholars across various disciplines concur that poverty , especially when
experienced generationally, is difficult to escape (MacLeod, 2009; Bowles & Gintis,
2002; Nieto, 2005; Corak, 2006; Sawhill & Haskins, 2008). Yet, while much is known
about the existence and persistence of pove rty, we know less about how and why those
individuals who successfully escape poverty are able to do so (Hardaway & McLoyd,
2009).
Guided by critical social and institutional theory this qualitative study, examined
the experiences of individuals who grew up in generational poverty (with parents who
had no high school diploma), yet became first - generation college graduates, and entered
2
the American middle/ upper class . Specifically, this study examined the educational
journeys of thre e African American adults, two male and one female, and one White
male. Through the use of interviews and historical document analysis, this study’s
findings revealed that many factors served as protective processes in the lives of the
participant’s to support their resilient responses to adversity. I also employed the use of
discursive strategies in this study to examine how the participant’s explain their ability to
escape generational poverty.

1
According to Bishaw and Macartney (2010), poverty is defined as living at or below the federally
calculated poverty threshold.

2
I recognize definitions of middle - class to be ambiguous. For example, a Pew study of middle - class
ho useholds (2012) found 46% of Americans with incomes of $100,000 identified as middle class, as well
as 65% of Americans with incomes of $50,000 to $99,999, 51% of households with annual incomes of
$30,000 to $49,999 and 35% with incomes of under $30,000.
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I argue that the participant’s educational journeys are unique in that they illustrate
not only how they made it out of poverty, but also that there is much to be found beyond,
their simple explanations of being able to execute resilience in times of adversity, hard
work and inner resources to end generational poverty. Particularly, I argue that educators
and policy makers will require shifts in ideological views on the bootstrap theory or the
use of individualism as the main attributing factor in helping one get out of college.

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ v
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... vi

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1
Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................... 4
Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 6
Study Significance........................................................................................................... 7
CHAPTER 2: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................. 10
Researcher’s Situated Knowledge ................................................................................. 10
Theoretical Framing of the Study.................................................................................. 15
Review of Related Research ......................................................................................... 26
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN .............................................................................. 39
Methodological Approach ............................................................................................. 39
Participants .................................................................................................................... 46
Selection criteria. ........................................................................................................... 46
Methods of Data Collection .......................................................................................... 49
Data Analysis ................................................................................................................ 55
Methodological Considerations..................................................................................... 59
CHAPTER 4: EDUCATIONAL JOURNEYS OF OUT POVERTY ............................. 64
Mr. Seas Educational Journey from Kindergarten to Bachelor’s Degree ..................... 65
Elementary years. ...................................................................................................... 65
Transition to High School Years. .............................................................................. 65
High School. .............................................................................................................. 66
College. ...................................................................................................................... 68
A Fourth Chance. ....................................................................................................... 69
v
Dr. Jeffrey’s Educational Journey from Kindergarten to Bachelor’s Degree ............... 70
Elementary and Middle. ............................................................................................ 71
High School. .............................................................................................................. 74
College. ...................................................................................................................... 77
Mr. Smith’s Educational Journey from Kindergarten to Bachelor’s Degree ................ 78
Elementary. ................................................................................................................ 79
High School. .............................................................................................................. 80
College. ...................................................................................................................... 82
Mrs. Evans’ Educational Journey from Kindergarten to Bachelor’s Degree ................ 84
Elementary. ................................................................................................................ 84
Middle School............................................................................................................ 88
High School. .............................................................................................................. 90
College. ...................................................................................................................... 91
CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION .................................................................. 92
Research Question 1: ..................................................................................................... 92
Research Question 2: ................................................................................................... 126
Research Question 3: ................................................................................................... 157
CHAPTER 6: IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSION................................................ 187
Implications for Educational Policy Practices ............................................................ 187
Implications for Educators .......................................................................................... 196
Implications for Mentor Programs .............................................................................. 201
Implications for Future Research ................................................................................ 203
Reflections on Developing My Research Agenda ...................................................... 205
Concluding Thoughts .................................................................................................. 208

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 210

APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................. 227
APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................. 228
APPENDIX C ................................................................................................................. 229
APPENDIX D ................................................................................................................. 230
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APPENDIX E ................................................................................................................. 231
APPENDIX F.................................................................................................................. 232
APPENDIX G ................................................................................................................. 239
APPENDIX H ................................................................................................................. 241
APPENDIX I .................................................................................................................. 243
APPENDIX J .................................................................................................................. 246
APPENDIX K ................................................................................................................. 247
APPENDIX L ................................................................................................................. 248
APPENDIX M ................................................................................................................ 249
APPENDIX N ................................................................................................................. 250
APPENDIX O ................................................................................................................. 251
APPENDIX P.................................................................................................................. 252
APPENDIX Q ................................................................................................................. 253
APPENDIX R ................................................................................................................. 254
APPENDIX S.................................................................................................................. 255
APPENDIX T ................................................................................................................. 256
APPENDIX U ................................................................................................................. 258
APPENDIX V ................................................................................................................. 264
APPENDIX W ................................................................................................................ 265

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Few tragedies can be more extensive than the stunting of life,
few injustices deeper than the denial of an opportunity to strive or even to hope,
by a limit imposed from without, but falsely identifies as lying within.
~ Gould (1996, p.50)

Economist Thomas Hertz (2006) declared in his report on economic mobility in
America that, “children of the poor are likely to remain poor” (p. 2). Scholars across
3
various disciplines concur that poverty , especially when experienced generationally, is
difficult to escape (Corcoran, 1995; Bowles & Gintis, 1972; Bowles & Gintis, 2002;
Nieto, 2005; Corak, 2006; Sawhill & Haskins, 2008). Indeed, findings from research
studies on i ntergenerational transmission poverty in the U.S. (e.g. Corak, 2006; Hertz,
2006; Sawhill& Haskins; 2008) confirm that just 6% of children from the bottom quintile
of the income distribution ma ke it to the top quintile (above $98,000). Furthermore,
Hertz (2006) and Sawhill et al. (2008) found that only 1% of children in the United States
born into the bottom quintile were able to make it to the top five percentile of the income
distribution (ab ove $108,000). Yet, while much is known about the existence and
persistence of poverty, we know less about how and why those individuals who
successfully escape poverty are able to do so (Hardaway & McLoyd, 2009).

3
According to Bishaw and Macartney (2010), poverty is defined as living at or below the federally
calculated poverty threshold.
1