A Case Study of the Experiences of First-Generation Female Students in the United Arab Emirates
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
First Statement of Responsibility
Sepideh Mahani
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
McNamara, Patrick
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Northcentral University
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2014
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item
204
GENERAL NOTES
Text of Note
Committee members: Cleghorn, Dana
NOTES PERTAINING TO PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC.
Text of Note
Place of publication: United States, Ann Arbor; ISBN=978-1-321-09628-6
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
Ph.D.
Discipline of degree
School of Education
Body granting the degree
Northcentral University
Text preceding or following the note
2014
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
As many as 80% of the current students enrolled in the United Arab Emirates' federal colleges and universities are first-generation students. Although the number of first-generation students is tremendously high, there is a lack of information on the experiences of these students. The lack of information on the academic, social, familial and financial experiences of the Emirati female first-generation students stymies governmental and educational initiatives to address special needs of these students. For that reason, investigating the problem could help identify programs and resources that can assist first-generation students meet their academic aspirations. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of the academic, social, familial and financial experiences of first-generation Emirati students in a higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates. Six female first-generation Emirati Bachelor students from the Higher Colleges of Technology participated in open-ended, in-depth, semi-structured interviews to discuss their academic, social, familial and financial experiences. A series of in-depth and follow-up interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached. Eight themes emerged from the data: (a) parental influence and support, (b) sibling influence and support, (c) marital status influence and spousal support, (d) cultural influences, (e) financial experiences, (f) academic experiences, (g) social experiences, and (h) future aspirations. The findings of this study showed that first-generation female students experience a variety of academic and non-academic challenges such as succeeding in their foundation math courses, facing English language difficulties, effectively using college resources, finding their way in the college, choosing courses and selecting their degree programs. Meanwhile, since the participants were unable to reach out to their parents for help and guidance, many of them reached out to their older siblings, mostly their sisters for help.