Journal article
Family Structure Changes During High School and College Selectivity
Research in Higher Education, Vol.58(7), pp.695-722
11/2017
DOI: 10.1007/s11162-016-9445-8
Abstract
Research has shown that family structure changes negatively influence educational attainment, but they overlook qualitative distinctions in college choice, such as college selectivity. Yet, college choice research has largely focused on static measures of family structure, failing to account for year-to-year family structure changes that occur during high school. We merge literature in family and college choice to investigate the role of family-life events on college choice. We found family structure changes that occur early and late in high school influence the selectivity of the college where a student applies, and this relation persists in spite of controls for race, gender, family background, and pre-high school family structures. Including educational expectations, parent–student discussions, and coursework rigor account for the negative association between family structure changes during high school and the selectivity of the college where a student applies. However, late family structure changes during high school continue to correlate negatively with a student’s college enrollment, potentially reflecting realities and financial burdens of attending college, especially selective colleges.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Family Structure Changes During High School and College Selectivity
- Creators
- Brian An - Educational Policy and Leadership Studies University of Iowa 493 Lindquist Center North Iowa City IA 52242 USAKia Sorensen - Assessment and Accountability Oregon Department of Education 255 Capitol Street NE Salem OR 97310-0203 USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Research in Higher Education, Vol.58(7), pp.695-722
- Publisher
- Springer Netherlands; Dordrecht
- DOI
- 10.1007/s11162-016-9445-8
- ISSN
- 0361-0365
- eISSN
- 1573-188X
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/2017
- Academic Unit
- Sociology and Criminology; Educational Policy and Leadership Studies; Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9983980097002771
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