Access to and Retention in Higher Education: Illuminating First-in-Family Students' Experiences at University

While the persistence of educational inequalities has been studied extensively in the past, little is known about how individuals break intergenerational cycles of educational attainment and what enables them to do so. This presentation sheds light on (1) why First-in-Family students’ access higher education and what studying means to them and (2) how they navigate their transition into university. Drawing on the narratives of students in Austria and applying a theoretical understanding of familial interactions and Bourdieu’s habitus theory, three types of drivers for breaking intergenerational cycles were reconstructed. The presentation will conclude with implications for how we can gain a deeper understanding to better support diverse learners and create a more inclusive higher education system.

Franziska Lessky is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. She is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies Vienna and an Adjunct Professor at Curtin University. Her research and teaching focus on student equity in higher education, educational transitions, graduate employability and careers in academia. Franziska serves as a co-convenor of the Bourdieu Study Group of the British Sociological Association (BSA) and coordinates a network for early career scholars in the fields of higher education studies (HoFoNa).