The Role of Schools, Families, and Communities in Rural Students' Postsecondary Decision-Making Processes

• In Event: 31.078 - Rural Postsecondary Aspirations and Access

Abstract

Although rural students represent nearly one quarter of all students in the United States, they appear much less often than their non-rural counterparts in the existing postsecondary transition literature. When examining how and why students chose what to do after high school, researchers have often focused on non-rural populations. This study examines how rural students from three school districts in Ohio made their postsecondary choices, paying particular attention to the influence of students’ schools, families, and communities. This study aims to address the gap in the existing literature and problematize the assumption that rural students’ postsecondary decision-making processes do not differ from their non-rural counterparts by examining the degree to which rural participants’ choices align with existing postsecondary transition theories.

Author

• Kessa Roberts, The Ohio State University