Social Mobility and Highly-Selective Colleges: The Effect of Social Class Background on College Involvement and Outcomes.
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| Title: | Social Mobility and Highly-Selective Colleges: The Effect of Social Class Background on College Involvement and Outcomes. |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Walpole, MaryBeth |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 35 |
| Publication Date: | 1998 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research Speeches/Meeting Papers |
| Descriptors: | College Students, Educational Benefits, Educational Status Comparison, Graduate Study, Higher Education, National Surveys, Outcomes of Education, Selective Colleges, Social Background, Social Class, Social Mobility, Socioeconomic Status |
| Geographic Terms: | U.S.; California |
| Abstract: | Students from low socioeconomic status (SES) families who attend college generally are better off than their parents were, but are these students as well off as their high SES peers? The effect of attendance at an elite college on income, educational aspirations, and educational attainment for students from low SES versus high SES backgrounds is examined. The study used data from the national study of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program 1985 Freshman Survey and the 1989 and 1994 Follow-Up Surveys. The study design includes three sections: (1) descriptive data for comparisons of low and high SES; (2) logistic regression to determine variables associated with graduate school attendance; and (3) logistic regressions to explicate the interactions between variables. Low SES students who attended highly selective colleges and universities, despite their ambition and ability, had distinct patterns of investment within the college environment and different and lower levels of educational attainment and aspirations than did their high SES peers 9 years after entering college. Although low SES students were almost certainly better off economically than their families of origin, this progress did not translate into equity. Areas of future research, such as differential impact and peer selectivity, are highlighted. Appendix A is a list of variables. (Contains 6 tables and 47 references.) (EMK) |
| Notes: | Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (San Diego, CA, April 13-17, 1998). |
| Journal Code: | RIEAUG1999 |
| Entry Date: | 1999 |
| Accession Number: | ED428306 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Students from low socioeconomic status (SES) families who attend college generally are better off than their parents were, but are these students as well off as their high SES peers? The effect of attendance at an elite college on income, educational aspirations, and educational attainment for students from low SES versus high SES backgrounds is examined. The study used data from the national study of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program 1985 Freshman Survey and the 1989 and 1994 Follow-Up Surveys. The study design includes three sections: (1) descriptive data for comparisons of low and high SES; (2) logistic regression to determine variables associated with graduate school attendance; and (3) logistic regressions to explicate the interactions between variables. Low SES students who attended highly selective colleges and universities, despite their ambition and ability, had distinct patterns of investment within the college environment and different and lower levels of educational attainment and aspirations than did their high SES peers 9 years after entering college. Although low SES students were almost certainly better off economically than their families of origin, this progress did not translate into equity. Areas of future research, such as differential impact and peer selectivity, are highlighted. Appendix A is a list of variables. (Contains 6 tables and 47 references.) (EMK) |
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