Graduation Year
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Communication
Major Professor
Steven Wilson, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Patrice Buzzanell, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Aubrey Huber, Ph.D.
Committee Member
John Ferron, Ph.D.
Keywords
First-generation, Identity, Organizational Socialization, Privacy
Abstract
This longitudinal study examines the experiences of first-generation graduate students (FGGS; students whose parent(s) do not hold a 4-year undergraduate degree). Specifically, it considers how FGGS manage their private information throughout the first year of their graduate program, and how the intersection of their FGGS status with other aspects of their identity may shape those experiences (e.g. the overlapping of FGGS status, race, and socioeconomic status). While there is substantial research on the first-generation student experience at an undergraduate level, FGGS have largely been left out of the conversation (exception: Levin, 2022). Guided by theories of organizational socialization (Jablin, 1985), communication privacy management (Petronio, 2002), and intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991), this research extends our understanding of the role of power and privacy management during organizational socialization processes. 20 FGGS from programs in the humanities/social sciences completed two in-depth interviews at the beginning and end of the first year of their graduate programs. Interview transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, using my own positionality as a first-generation graduate student as a strength in understanding FGGS stories. Results of this study showed that FGGS encountered barriers in forming connections with peers/faculty and in information seeking, experienced a lack of privacy control that was influenced by power structures of academia, and functioned within a liminal state between their families and graduate communities due to their FGGS status. Findings of this study led to important theoretical and practical implications focused on incorporating the role of power into discussions of privacy control, considering how FGGS experiences are influenced by structural expectations and ideals, and suggesting a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to delivering information to new graduate students.
Scholar Commons Citation
Mccormick, Melissa L., "It’s Not Me, It’s U(niversity): A Longitudinal Study of the First-Generation Graduate Student Experience Navigating Privacy and Identity During Socialization" (2026). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/11349
