Oral histories of first-generation Oklahoma college graduates who earned doctoral degrees

Abstract

Education has always been a tool for individual and social advancement in Oklahoma. Even before statehood, an education system began to develop in the territories that both educated individuals and served as a tool for transforming society. The modern education system in Oklahoma continues to serve as a catalyst for growth and advancement in a dynamic culture and economy. However, research shows certain student populations struggle to matriculate through to graduation. One such population is first-generation college students. This study records and examines oral histories of first-generation college students who earned doctoral degrees in Oklahoma in order to preserve their stories, provide glimpses into their schooling experiences, and explore the forces that shaped them. These participants/narrators, who ranged in age from 43 to 99 at the time of interview, represent schooling experiences across different decades in Oklahoma's history. One unique characteristic of the data is that it includes the stories of three brothers, aged 99, 90 and 84 at the time of interview. Though all three came from the same background--the same parents, the same high school, and the same family farm in rural Oklahoma--their experiences as first-generation college students varied tremendously. Together these stories portray the value of education to the participants and the value of the participants to education. Bourdieu's theories of cultural reproduction and social reproduction (1973) as well as his uses of capital (1977, 1986) served as lenses to analyze participants' experiences. The broad historical perspective captured in the participants' oral histories presents insight into education in Oklahoma's dynamic economy, culture, and education system.