Discrimination Undermines Belonging and Academic Success for First-Generation Students

Le, T. P., Forbes, N., & Raposa, E. B. (2026). Associations between discrimination and first-generation college students’ belonging and academic well-being. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000914

Introduction

Le and colleagues (2026) used a cross-sectional, multisite study to examine how everyday campus discrimination is associated with first-generation college students’ social belonging and academic well-being. Grounded in the Critical Cultural Wealth Model, the study shifts attention away from individual-level deficit explanations and toward campus climate as a structural contributor to inequitable academic outcomes. The authors focus on social belonging as a key psychosocial mechanism linking discrimination to students’ grade point average and motivation to persist in college.

Methods

Data were drawn from 276 first-generation college students enrolled at three U.S. institutions that varied by size, mission, and racial composition. Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing everyday discrimination, sense of social belonging, GPA, and motivation to return to college in the fall 2020 semester. Analyses controlled for demographic characteristics, institutional site, and COVID-19–related stressors, as the study was conducted during the early months of the pandemic. Regression and mediation models were used to test whether belonging statistically linked discrimination to academic outcomes.

Results

Discrimination was common, with nearly two thirds of participants reporting at least one discriminatory experience, most frequently attributed to gender and race. Higher levels of discrimination were significantly associated with lower social belonging. Social belonging, in turn, statistically mediated the associations between discrimination and GPA, as well as discrimination and motivation to return to college.

Discussion

Findings indicate that discrimination undermines first-generation students’ academic functioning by eroding their sense of belonging on campus. Results support theoretical models emphasizing social climate as a driver of inequity and highlight belonging as a salient pathway through which discrimination shapes academic trajectories.

Implications for Mentoring Programs

Mentoring programs may serve as a critical intervention point by fostering consistent, identity-affirming relationships that strengthen students’ sense of belonging. Intentional mentor matching, early outreach, and training that prepares mentors to recognize and respond to discrimination may help buffer its academic consequences.

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