Academic Pressure and Anxiety: A Comparison Between the Experiences of First-Generation and Continuing-Generation College Students

Abstract

There is evidence to suggest that first-generation and continuing-generation college students vary in their experiences navigating institutions of higher education. This study quantitatively examines the relationships between generational status, academic pressure, and anxiety. Results showed no significant difference in the overall academic pressure, and in the academic pressure these groups experience from family, friends, professors, romantic partner(s), athletic coach(es), and themselves. The study showed no statistical significance in the difference in means reported across the six scales of test anxiety and in the total scores for GAD-7. There was an insignificant difference in the strength of the correlations between academic pressure and anxiety in first-generation and continuing-generation college students. Future directions include the creation of more validated and culturally informed measures of academic pressure for college students in the United States to assess if the findings replicate themselves. We also recommend a qualitative approach to understanding why specific sources of academic pressure are cited by first-generation and continuing-generation college students and to assessing differences in the factors contributing to their anxieties. This research is important in informing the kind of support students need to thrive in colleges and universities in the United States.