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Abstract Based on 602 academic papers about first-generation college students (FGCS) in the Web of Science core collection database from 2001 to 2020, this study uses software CiteSpace to measure and visualize the literature. Efforts have been made to analyze the distribution to international researchers, research themes and research frontiers, hence to provide predictions and suggestions for the development of FGCS studies in China.During 2001 and 2020, the number of international FGCS literature has been on the rise, among which, the growth during 2015-2020 is rapid, and the number of papers published during the period accounts for 80.1% of the total papers in 2001-2020. In terms of the distribution of countries and regions, research institutions and journal sources, scholars from a total of 27 countries have participated in the FGCS studies, and the number of papers published by American scholars is far ahead, with three universities, namely the University of Wisconsin, the University of Michigan and the University of California Los Angeles having the largest number of publications. The papers are mainly published in Journal of College Student Development, Research in Higher Education and The Journal of Higher Education.The current research mainly focuses on four themes, namely the theoretical models, university experience, influential factors and support strategies of FGCS. With regard to the theoretical models, scholars mainly use the Cultural Capital Theory and Cultural Mismatch Theory to explain the learning experience and outcomes of FGCS. The former analyzes the relationship between habits, capital possession of FGCS and their university experience, while the latter is mainly used to analyze the learning situation and causes of FGCS. With regard to the university experience, scholars mainly discussed the challenges and disadvantages of FGCS throughout the opportunity, process as well as outcomes of receiving higher education. Concerning the opportunity of getting access to higher education, the group is relatively inferior in the levels of colleges, time of enrollment and choices of majors. Even if successfully crossing the threshold of university, they are also faced with higher risk of dropping out of school, and are more likely to have such situations as poor academic performance, inadequate interactions with teachers, insufficient participations in extracurricular activities and lack of peer support. Regarding the influential factors, the impacts of their families and their secondary education background are mainly discussed. The family impact refers to the motivation of enrollment, resource support and emotional interaction; and secondary education background is mainly reflected in academic preparation and education expectations. Supporting strategies include academic guidance, psychological intervention, cultural assistance and economic support. Academic promotion is composed of bridge programs to help students achieve transition from high schools to universities and comprehensive projects for academic cohesion and specific subjects. Psychological intervention includes utility-value intervention and values-affirmation intervention, of which the former is mainly used for students’ value perception and participation in curriculum, while the latter pays more attention to students’ well-being. Cultural assistance mainly helps FGCS through providing differentiated education support. The financial supports include two aspects, namely educational grants and student loans.With regard to research frontiers, by analyzing 22 key words with the strongest citation bursts, this study proposes that the research has transformed from “paying attention to the particularity of FGCS” to “exploring the influential factors and solving strategies”, including cultural differences, mental health, career development, solutions, attribution reflection and so on. The bibliometric analysis of international researches of FGCS is conducive to strengthening the attention and construction of this field in China. It is of great importance to further carry out theoretical research, comparative research and support system research on the basis of China’s national conditions, so as to promote high quality undergraduate education.
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Received: 08 May 2021
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2022, Vol. 52 
