Formative Assessment for the Development of an Undergraduate Research Experience for College Students from Farmworker Families, North Carolina, 2020

Abstract

BACKGROUND: College students from families with migrant and seasonal farm work and agricultural processing experience face many barriers to educational attainment in the United States: sporadic schooling experiences, cultural and communication barriers, low pay, discrimination, and health issues from farm work. Retaining students from families with agricultural experience in higher education and research is critical for addressing educational and health inequities. In an effort to develop experiences that could serve as a pipeline for undergraduate students from farmworker and agricultural backgrounds into research careers, we conducted interviews to inform program development by exploring the research experiences of university students and recent graduates.

METHODS: Ten college-age students or recent graduates from four North Carolina universities from families with migrant or seasonal farmworker experience or agricultural processing experience were interviewed by phone between March 25, 2020, and June 17, 2020. We used a qualitative approach with inductive and deductive thematic coding of interview transcripts.

RESULTS: Three themes were identified that should be taken into consideration in the development of programs to promote research experience. The themes were: (1) Consideration of students’ lived experiences, which described the importance of a program recognizing the context of students’ experiences often as first-generation students in primarily White Institutions; (2) The importance of providing mentorship and resources, which participants highlighted the value of networks of resources and experience in navigating college; and, (3) Include strong marketing and outreach efforts, which highlighted potential barriers to hearing about opportunities.

DISCUSSION: Our findings show that research programs for undergraduate students from MSFW families are of interest to students. Such programs should consider the context of students’ experiences as (often) first-generation students in (often) primarily White institutions, include advice to successfully navigate college, and have strong marketing and outreach efforts to reach potential participants.