Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Journal

A first-generation college student is the first of their family to enter higher education (RTI International, 2019). This study examined whether first-generation college students adopt avoidance goals (i.e., goals focused on avoiding negative outcomes) more often than continuing-generation college students, and how these goals may impact their campus resource utilization. We hypothesized that first-generation college students at UCSB would report less resource utilization compared to continuing-generation students, and that this association is mediated by the strength of their approach goal orientation. For first-generation college students, we expected higher endorsement of avoidance goals and lower endorsement of approach goals, compared to continuing-generation college students. Lastly, we hypothesized that for those with higher agreement towards avoidance goals and lower agreement towards approach goals, these students would utilize fewer campus resources. In our study, generational status was associated with goal orientation and campus resource utilization. However, generational status and goal orientation together did not appear to predict campus resource utilization. Additionally, first-generation college students used significantly more academic resources compared to continuing-generation college students. Future studies should continue to investigate the relationship between generational status, goal orientation, and resource utilization to develop more insight on how to better support minoritized communities.