What Individual, Familial, and Contextual Factors Predict the Postsecondary Completion Status of Rural Men and Women?

• In Event: Poster Session 14
  In Poster Session: Familial and Cultural Contexts in Human Development

Abstract

Compared to students in metropolitan areas, students in rural communities are less likely to complete postsecondary education. However, the reasons behind this persistent trend are not widely understood. The current research investigates how individual, familial, and contextual variables (e.g., mothers’ and fathers’ expectations, economic hardship, school valuing, and school belonging, etc.) affect postsecondary completion rates as a function of gender. This research uses follow-up data gathered from a nationwide investigation of transitions to adulthood in rural high schools called the Rural High School Aspirations Study (RHSA). Results show a clear difference in the predictors of college completion of rural men and women, with the expectations of mothers and fathers playing a particularly significant role.

Authors

• Charlotte Agger, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Judith L. Meece, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Bryan C. Hutchins, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Soo-yong Byun, The Pennsylvania State University