How Low-income Origins Affect Postsecondary Entry and Degree Completion
The enduring connection between socioeconomic background and educational attainment is uncontested. However, it is unclear whether the main barrier to educational opportunity is college access or degree attainment. Using data from a 14-year U.S. survey, this study shows that low-income youth remain...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Hipatia Press
2012-06-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Sociology of Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/rise/article/view/259 |
| _version_ | 1811285013178613760 |
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| author | Cynthia Feliciano Mariam Ashtiani |
| author_facet | Cynthia Feliciano Mariam Ashtiani |
| author_sort | Cynthia Feliciano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The enduring connection between socioeconomic background and educational attainment is uncontested. However, it is unclear whether the main barrier to educational opportunity is college access or degree attainment. Using data from a 14-year U.S. survey, this study shows that low-income youth remain disadvantaged in both entry into college and degree attainment. Nearly half of adults from low-income backgrounds do not complete any postsecondary schooling. For those who do enroll, young adults from low-income families are less likely to earn bachelor’s degrees, partly due to their poorer academic achievement in adolescence, but also due to patterns of part-time enrollment in two-year colleges. While some argue that community colleges provide access to low-income youth who would not otherwise have gone to school, the findings here suggest that access is limited, since many with higher education goals still do not enroll at all, and most others who enroll fail to earn a degree.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T02:38:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-09d08b53488647829e62f8025a30c793 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2014-3575 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T02:38:11Z |
| publishDate | 2012-06-01 |
| publisher | Hipatia Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Sociology of Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-09d08b53488647829e62f8025a30c7932022-12-22T03:06:18ZengHipatia PressInternational Journal of Sociology of Education2014-35752012-06-011210.4471/rise.2012.08How Low-income Origins Affect Postsecondary Entry and Degree CompletionCynthia Feliciano0Mariam Ashtiani1University of California, IrvineUniversity of California, IrvineThe enduring connection between socioeconomic background and educational attainment is uncontested. However, it is unclear whether the main barrier to educational opportunity is college access or degree attainment. Using data from a 14-year U.S. survey, this study shows that low-income youth remain disadvantaged in both entry into college and degree attainment. Nearly half of adults from low-income backgrounds do not complete any postsecondary schooling. For those who do enroll, young adults from low-income families are less likely to earn bachelor’s degrees, partly due to their poorer academic achievement in adolescence, but also due to patterns of part-time enrollment in two-year colleges. While some argue that community colleges provide access to low-income youth who would not otherwise have gone to school, the findings here suggest that access is limited, since many with higher education goals still do not enroll at all, and most others who enroll fail to earn a degree. https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/rise/article/view/259postsecondary educationpovertystratificationadolescencecollege access |
| spellingShingle | Cynthia Feliciano Mariam Ashtiani How Low-income Origins Affect Postsecondary Entry and Degree Completion International Journal of Sociology of Education postsecondary education poverty stratification adolescence college access |
| title | How Low-income Origins Affect Postsecondary Entry and Degree Completion |
| title_full | How Low-income Origins Affect Postsecondary Entry and Degree Completion |
| title_fullStr | How Low-income Origins Affect Postsecondary Entry and Degree Completion |
| title_full_unstemmed | How Low-income Origins Affect Postsecondary Entry and Degree Completion |
| title_short | How Low-income Origins Affect Postsecondary Entry and Degree Completion |
| title_sort | how low income origins affect postsecondary entry and degree completion |
| topic | postsecondary education poverty stratification adolescence college access |
| url | https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/rise/article/view/259 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cynthiafeliciano howlowincomeoriginsaffectpostsecondaryentryanddegreecompletion AT mariamashtiani howlowincomeoriginsaffectpostsecondaryentryanddegreecompletion |