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In Summer 2023, the University of Kentucky embarked on an exciting global education module with AIFS Abroad: the Explore First program. Explore First is a comprehensive summer session designed to support first-generation college students’ career readiness, using an evidence-based approach to provide first-gens with the support they need and the opportunities they seek. A collaboration of the UK Education Abroad Office, First-Generation Student Support team, UK Career Center, and AIFS Abroad onsite directors in England and Ireland, the program’s multi-pronged student engagement, curriculum, and data collection help us learn from students in groundbreaking ways.
University of Kentucky researchers Kayla Johnson and Stephen Farley grounded their data collection in the program’s goals: to support career exploration and meet first-gen students where they are. High-impact educational experiences like study abroad can be particularly powerful for first-generation college students, who may experience limited funding and resources, lower college readiness as first year students, or lack of familial guidance to navigate college opportunities. Given the positive impacts of study abroad like intercultural competence, network connections to certain industries, and increased independence, the access gap for first-generation college students is one Dr. Johnson calls troubling.
“These underscore the need for targeted support and intervention—and an appropriately framed research design—to help first-gen students overcome these challenges and fully engage in study abroad. We developed a multi-method research design that engaged two research questions: How does Explore First contribute to: 1) career readiness, and 2) academic self-efficacy,” says Johnson.
The Results (So Far)
Of the four assessed areas—Academic Self-Efficacy, Career Preparedness, Job Search Skills, and Workplace Effectiveness—Explore First students showed growth in every category.
| Academic Self-Efficacy | Career Preparedness | Job Search Skills | Workplace Effectiveness | Overall Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre (N=50) | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.8 |
| Mid (N=54) | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 5.1 |
| Post (N=46) | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.5 | 5.3 |
Additionally, students self-reported substantial personal change, including a sense of “expanded possibilities” and a newfound confidence in their abilities and futures:
“As an English major, I felt stuck between being a teacher/professor or becoming a lawyer. On the very first day, these expectations that I had put on myself were broken, because they immediately talked about how accounting firms want English majors.”
“I think that I will have no problem being in a company that works with people globally in different locations because I see now that networking and communication across different cultures and countries isn’t that scary.”
“Being first-gen is a gift.”
What’s Next
The annual Explore First program continues to evolve for students, University of Kentucky researchers, and AIFS Abroad staff. In Summer 2025, data collection will advance to include new questions and methods exploring how the program impacts behavior upon return to campus, and what it takes to develop similar models. Eventually, researchers will track post-graduation success to construct a larger picture of education abroad’s impact on first-gens.
This always-learning approach imbues the efforts of UK’s faculty and administrators, as well as AIFS Abroad staff, to support these students in effective ways—and brings tangible meaning to our work.
“As a first-generation student myself, I had my life changed forever because of my own study abroad experience. Seeing the same phenomenon playing out with these students is an incredible feeling that gives me the energy to push forward with important research on the power of study abroad programming for first-generation and other marginalized students,” said Dr. Johnson.
To learn more about this program and its research approach, see Dr. Johnson’s full research brief here.