Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education
Date of this Version
2016
Citation
Kim, Jeong-Hee; Morales, Amanda R.; Earl, Rusty; and Avalos, Sandra, Being the “First”: A Narrative Inquiry into the Funds of Knowledge of First Generation College Students in Teacher Education (2016). New Prairie Press, eBooks # 7. http://newprairiepress.org/ebooks/7
Abstract
This study documents the life stories of eight First Generation College (FGC) students and alumni in education. Using narrative inquiry as our methodology, we the researchers sought to better understand the lived experiences, struggles and triumphs shared through stories of three postgraduates and five current students in teacher education. With this approach, we aimed to explore what it means to be a FGC student in teacher education. FGC student narratives serve as windows of understanding into their lives—bringing to the surface evidence of their funds of knowledge and what makes them successful teacher candidates and in-service teachers. The compelling stories that these FGC students/alumni tell and retell have profound implications for higher education, and more specifically, teacher education.
Individual videos and transcripts are available on the Kansas State University companion website at: http://coe.k-state.edu/being-first/
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons
Comments
Published by New Prairie Press.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License.
Acknowledgement -- This research project was undertaken as a part of the Kansas State University College of Education’s annual documentary film series, “A Walk in My Shoes.” We thank our Dean, Debbie Mercer, for her support on this project. Without her commitment to promoting diversity and social justice, this project would not have been possible. Finally, and most of all, we would like to thank the participants and their families for sharing their stories with us. They opened their hearts, their homes and their lives to us, providing powerful glimpses into the lived experiences of FGC students in the Midwest.