Community College Attendance and Socioeconomic Plans

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, 1988 (NELS: 88), this paper documents differences in the socioeconomic plans of students in two-year and four-year colleges. We found attendance at a two-year college led to a modest but statistically significant disadvantage in socioeconomi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Community college journal of research and practice 2010-09, Vol.34 (9), p.700-716
Main Authors: Park, Sueuk, Pascarella, Ernest T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Aspiration
Cognitive Processes
College Attendance
College Students
Community Colleges
Correlation
Gender Differences
Goal Orientation
Longitudinal Studies
Occupational Aspiration
Socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomic Influences
Student Characteristics
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Summary:Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, 1988 (NELS: 88), this paper documents differences in the socioeconomic plans of students in two-year and four-year colleges. We found attendance at a two-year college led to a modest but statistically significant disadvantage in socioeconomic plans. However, the impact of attending a community college on educational and occupational goals are conditional rather than general. That is, the negative impact on socioeconomic plans of attending a two-year college held for women but not men. Finally, according to our research, the negative effect of attending a two-year college differed in magnitude by an individual's tested cognitive preparation. In particular, attending a two-year college significantly reduced subsequent socioeconomic plans only for students with relatively high precollege test scores.
ISSN:1066-8926
1521-0413
DOI:10.1080/10668920701831589