Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Catherine Berheide

Second Advisor

Andrew Lindner

Abstract

Do first-generation college students sleep less than their peers? College students whose parents did not earn a bachelor’s degree have less support from family members and therefore are at a disadvantage. Getting less sleep may cause poor physical and mental health which can lead to poor academic performance, so it is important that they have the proper resources necessary to succeed. I propose that first generation college students report getting fewer hours of sleep and would prefer to get more sleep at night compared to their colleagues. To analyze the relationships, I looked at a sample of 564 college students who participated in the 2006 NCAA Growth, Opportunities, Aspirations and Learning of Students in College (GOAL) survey conducted at Skidmore College. I found that first-generation college students do in fact sleep fewer hours than non-first-generation students and that first-generation students are more likely to be non-white. Results also showed that juniors and seniors prefer to sleep more hours than underclass students and that as hours slept for a student decreases, preferred sleeping time increases. The results confirm that first generation students get less sleep than their peers but does not support that they prefer more time sleeping time. These findings suggest that colleges and universities should implement more programs that cater to the needs of first-generation students, as they do not have the privilege of leaning on their family for academic support or managing their social life at a higher education institution in general.

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