The Effect of Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Activities on College Enrollment: A Path Model for College Enrollment

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research in Progress Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: College Selection, College Enrollment, International Grant-Making, and Social Media Analysis of a Higher Education Scholarship Program (Table 2)

Abstract

Obtaining a college degree, commonly called postsecondary attainment, is the primary key to upward social mobility, providing college graduates with the opportunity to improve their lifetime earnings (Autor, 2014; McMahon, 2009). In addition to higher earnings and lower unemployment, those with a bachelor's degree are more likely to vote (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), more likely to volunteer (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008), and make more in charitable contributions compared to high school graduates (Trostel, 2015). However, not all students have equal access to postsecondary education with low-income and black or Hispanic students enrolling at much lower rates than their counterparts (NCES, 2020, Table 302.20; NCES, 2020, Table 302.10). Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a competitive U.S. Department of Education grant targeting low-income students and other subgroups of students who have historically low enrollment in postsecondary education to increase college enrollment. This this study uses structural equation modeling to develop a path model that captures the complex factors affecting college enrollment including gender, ethnicity, disability status, English as a second language (ESL) status, income, academic preparedness, college applications, and GEAR UP activities for low-income students and students with historically low enrollment in postsecondary education. Importantly, the well fit model indicates a positive direct relationship between GEAR UP activities and postsecondary enrollment among students who are primarily low-income and minority.

Author

• Julie Jaramillo, University of New Mexico
  Presenting Author