Uncharted path: understanding the experiences of first-generation students on their journey toward the education doctorate in the California State University system

In 2005 the California legislature amended The Master Plan for Higher Education by passing Senate Bill 724 authorizing the California State University (CSU) system to offer education doctorate degrees (Ed.D.). The purpose was to prepare future leaders of pre-school through twelfth grade schools and community colleges to develop and implement measurable improvements in student achievement. The problem is that although the legislation defined how Ed.D. program graduates are to address diversity, equity and opportunity for P-12 and community college students once they graduate, there is little attention given to the variance of the demographics of the student that enrolled in the programs. The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics, motivators and barriers for current and former first-generation students in the CSU Ed.D. programs. Specifically, this study seeks to understand the experiences of first-generation students on their educational journey toward the doctorate in the CSU. The findings from this mixed-methods study suggest that the CSU Ed.D. program is fulfilling its goal of diversifying the pool of doctoral trained administrators. Although participants for this study were also likely to be White (48.1%) and female (71.8%), other ethnic groups were better represented than the national average. Additionally, this study found that nearly half of all respondents were first-generation (49%). Further, the results of this study suggest that a sense of personal fulfilment both to themselves and to their communities was a greater influence for their continuance toward the doctorate for both first-generation students and their non-first-generation peers. Participants expressed that they were not likely to know about or utilize student support services during their academic journey.