The Cultural Resonances of Higher Education in Enrollment Narratives of Adult Undergraduates

• In Event: 25.068 - Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: 25.068-20 - The Cultural Construction of Identity and Equality of Educational Opportunity

Abstract

"Higher education" and "being college educated" have multifaceted and profound meanings in our culture. Yet our notion of why people obtain education pays these meanings little attention. Drawing on in-depth interviews with adult undergraduates, I present evidence suggesting that these students' motivations for enrolling are shot through with awareness of such cultural resonances.

Author

• David Monaghan, Wisconsin HOPE Lab, University of Wisconsin-Madison