A review of 70 international research articles and reports on first generation students conclude that educational achievements within higher education are closely related to social background “The higher the social strata students are from, the more likely they succeed in educational institutions” (Spiegler & Bednarek 2013:318). They are more likely to study at less prestigious universities and have lower orientation towards advanced degrees. Everyday life at university can pose difficulties because of a lack of knowledge of their role and they are less involved in student life. However, their academic performance is generally as good as other students, but they have a higher risk of attrition, highest during their two first academic years (ibid). Attrition remains high even after controlling for ethnicity, gender, grades, family income and type of academic institution (ibid). Lehman (2007) has similar findings, and concludes that social class informs which subject in higher education students choose. This presentation will present findings from an ongoing research project that engages with first generation students at three universities in Norway, Denmark and England. These students engage with a multi-national, interdisciplinary team of academics and students as co-researchers so that the students are actively involved in the research, both as interviewers, respondents, analysts and writers. They are part of a joint researcher-student situated learning environment that draws on the experiences of a range of academics and fellow student-researchers across the three countries. They are joining as individuals and become active participants in the social practices of a social, multidisciplinary and multinational community. This way the students can actively construct their academic identity through this environment (Lave & Wenger 1991; Wenger 1998; Wenger et. a. 2002), and obtain academic merits, which can help them stand more firm and secure in the meeting with the academic environment. We will present evidence that the first generation student is experiencing and continuously creating a shared identity in cooperation with the others through engaging and contributing in this community’s practices. The initial findings show that the first generation student enters our research community with an expertise in being in a marginal position in an educational context and that this experience and expertise enhances the insights that can be drawn from co-creation. These students bring new and valuable knowledge and competence into the community, giving them a sense of belonging in the academic milieu.

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