Racial differences in factors associated with bachelor's degree completion: A nine-year follow-up

This study employed a sample of 5,577 students initially enrolling in 352 four-year colleges and universities. The study's purpose was to investigate racial differences in the factors associated with bachelor's degree completion. The sample was followed over a nine-year period, from 1971 to 1980. Tinto's (1975) theoretical model guided the selection of 19 predictor variables. This set of predictors accounted for between 15% and 29% of the variance in attaining the bachelor's degree for white and black men and women. For all race and sex subgroups, measures of the collegiate experience (e.g., number of institutions attended, academic and social integration, and subsequent institutional commitment/satisfaction) had the strongest and most consistently positive regression weights with degree completion. Only a small number of significant race or sex differences were found in the factors associated with degree completion. For black men, the number of institutions attended and the size of the institution initially attended had significantly stronger negative associations with degree attainment than they did for white men. Institutional commitment/satisfaction had positive regression weights for all subsamples, but the magnitude was greater for men of both races than it was for women. Within samples, academic integration was a somewhat stronger predictor of degree attainment than social integration for whites but not for blacks.     

The impact of community college attendance on baccalaureate attainment

Community colleges are seen as contradictory institutions. Supporters contend that community colleges increase baccalaureate attainment by providing access to higher education for students who would otherwise not attend college, while critics argue that these institutions decrease baccalaureate attainment for students who would otherwise attend a 4-year institution. Using the National Education Longitudinal Study, this article advances the literature on the impact of community colleges on baccalaureate attainment by estimating new models that allow controlling for pathways of enrollment while using different measures of educational expectations and correcting for college choice. Findings suggest that community colleges significantly reduce the probability of attaining a bachelor’s degree, as compared to 4-year institutions, an effect that remains after having taken into account non-traditional enrollment pathways, educational expectations, and self-selection into 2-year and 4-year institutions.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the November 2004 Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.     

College tuition costs and early career socioeconomic achievement: do you get what you pay for?

The effects of college tuition costs on early career educational, occupational and economic achievements were estimated for a national sample of black and white college students. The findings suggest that attending a relatively high tuition college has a net positive influence on such outcomes as educational attainment, occupational status, income and women's entry into sex-atypical careers. These effects remained significant even when controls were made for student background characteristics (e.g., socioeconomic origins, secondary school achievement, educational and occupational aspirations); the academic selectivity, private/public control, size and graduate orientation of the college attended; and one's specific college experiences (e.g., academic major, academic achievement and social involvement). The findings are discussed in terms of several plausible causal mechanisms.     

Changes in the returns to education and college quality

This paper estimates changes in the effects of educational attainment and college quality on three cohorts of students observed during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Consistent with most of the prior literature, I find that educational attainment and college quality raise earnings, and the magnitudes of these effects have increased over time. The new contributions of this paper are the following: (1) changes in these effects are disaggregated by sex, race, and parent's SES, and include estimates of effects on earnings, labor force participation, family formation, and civic participation; (2) evidence of larger increases in the effects of education on earnings and labor force participation for men, Blacks, and Hispanics; (3) declining effects of educational attainment on voter registration; and (4) increasing effects of college quality on delaying marriage and childbearing, particularly for males.     

What does the decline in the international ranking of the United States in educational attainment mean for community colleges?

This article was written in response to concerns that have been expressed about the possible consequences of an increasing number of countries overtaking the United States in educational attainment. International statistics on educational attainment were analyzed, questions about comparability of data were discussed, and the impact of different approaches to the organization of higher education on attainment rates was examined. The author concluded that comparing the rate of attainment of subbaccalaureate credentials between the United States and other countries is problematic both because of definitional issues, and as a consequence of the major transfer function of American community colleges. The article explains how colleges that previously offered short term vocational training in many European countries have evolved into vocationally-oriented baccalaureate granting institutions that have enabled their nations to achieve rapidly rising levels of baccalaureate degree attainment. It suggests that the experience of these countries may provide useful lessons—and cautions—for policy makers and educational leaders with respect to expanding the role of community colleges in awarding baccalaureate degrees.     

Longitudinal analyses of educational outcomes for youth transitioning out of care in the US: trends and influential factors

ABSTRACT

This paper draws on data collected from two of the most extensive longitudinal studies of care leavers in the US. The Midwest Study (2003–2011) included 732 youths in foster care in three Midwestern states, and the CalYOUTH Study (2012–present) includes 727 youths in California foster care. The paper has three objectives: (1) describe trends in secondary and postsecondary educational attainment at different ages; (2) summarise findings on predictors of educational attainment; and (3) summarise findings on the impact of extended foster care (EFC) on educational attainment. Results from these two studies show that by age 21, 77–85% of care leavers finish a secondary credential and 31–52% enrol in college. By age 25, about 8% have earned a college degree. Results from multivariate analyses find that youths’ educational background and parental status were consistently associated with later educational attainment. Specific aspects of social support also influenced college outcomes. Life demands after enrolling in college (e.g. employment, parenthood) played a more influential role in college degree attainment than did aspects of youths’ background. Characteristics of colleges also predicted youths’ odds of degree completion. Finally, existing evidence suggests that EFC promotes secondary credential completion and college entry, but not college persistence or degree completion.     

The Effect of Father's Presence on Postsecondary Educational Attainment Among Whites and Blacks

Previous studies (e.g., Wolfle, 1985) that have examined black-white differences in models of educational attainment have in general only looked at intact families, with fathers present. But such family configurations are less characteristic of blacks than of whites. The analysis reported here compares a model of educational attainment for whites and blacks that explicitly measures the presence of the father in the household. The results indicate that no substantial differences are to be found in the process of educational attainment for whites and blacks when father's presence is controlled.     

高职院校大学生职业道德教育必要性及其方法

当前高职院校学生职业道德教育在教育理念、教育方法等诸方面还存在着问题,因此,应该进一步提高对职业道德教育的认识,通过各种针对性形式,全面加强当代大学生在职业情感、职业道德规范及职业纪律等方面的教育,提高高职院校学生职业道德素养,从而增强高职毕业生的就业能力和创业能力。     

Administrator and Faculty Perspectives Regarding Community College Baccalaureate Degrees in Texas

This quantitative correlational study examined administrator and faculty perspectives regarding factors that may have contributed to the development of community college baccalaureate degrees in Texas. It was hypothesized that factors such as student need, workforce need, college relations, and college mission were linearly and positively correlated. To test the hypothesis, an online survey was administered to a random sample of 530 faculty and administrators at the three baccalaureate granting community colleges in Texas. Correlation coefficients were computed for all possible pairs of the four variables to determine whether or not there were statistically significant correlations between variables. The results of the Pearson's correlation analyses produced four statistically significant correlations among variables at the p = .008 level. Results revealed a strong positive correlation between student need and workforce need r(359) = .82, p < .008. Findings of the study indicated that respondents perceived factors of student need for baccalaureate degrees and employers’ need for employees with bachelor's degree had the strongest influence on the development of community college baccalaureate degrees in the three community colleges in Texas.     

School district size and student educational attainment: evidence from Denmark

This paper analyses the effects of the size of school districts on educational attainment of students after compulsory school in Denmark. Using administrative microdata for individual students and their parents, logit models for the probability of obtaining different levels of education are estimated where the explanatory variables include district size, per student expenditure, and a wide range of controls for family background and district socioeconomic characteristics. It is found that attending schools in districts with a population of less than 15,000 (corresponding to less than 1800 students in public primary and lower secondary schools) has negative effects on educational attainment later in life: The probability of completing a secondary education (upper secondary school or vocational education) or a further or higher education is reduced by approximately 3 percentage points compared to having attended primary and lower secondary school in a district with more than 15,000 inhabitants.     

教育与工作匹配性研究：本专科毕业生就业差异

本研究运用大学毕业生调查数据,比较分析了当前本科、专科毕业生就业中的教育与工作匹配状况、影响因素、工资效应等方面的差异.研究发现:超过四成高职高专毕业生的教育与工作不匹配;教育与工作匹配性在两类大学毕业生之间存在显著差异,普通本科生的匹配性明显高于高职高专生;教育与工作匹配性还受到性别、专业以及实习经历等因素的显著影响;教育与工作不匹配给两类毕业生均带来工资效应,但两者的差异并不显著.     

FUTURE AGENDAS FOR WOMEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEADERS AND CHANGE AGENTS

This paper describes results of a five‐year statewide follow‐up study of first‐time, full‐time community college students and documents the academic and career progress of these students from first entry into college to subsequent experiences after leaving the community college. Results detail students’ success in reaching their personal, academic, and career objectives and describe the variables affecting progress in achieving those objectives. Over 75% had achieved their original educational objective and, if starting again, 80% would attend the same community college. Lack of funds, change in life‐style, or a change in goals were most often cited as the reasons for not achieving educational objectives. One surprising finding was that 27% of respondents transferred from one Kansas community college to another during the course of the study. Additional studies are indicated to identify continuing educational pursuits of students who formerly may have been assumed to be community college dropouts.     

College effects on occupational status attainment

This study represents a further examination of the relative importance of social origin and educational measures in the occupational status attainment of former college students. The study is longitudinal and is based on a causal model that incorporates multiple measures of students' precollege characteristics, the undergraduate institutions they attended, and their performance and experiences within these institutions. Separate analyses were performed for those employed in professional and nonprofessional occupations. The results suggest a basic distinction between the characteristics of undergraduate institutions and students' performance and experiences within those institutions that are most influential in the occupational status attainment process for those employed in professional and nonprofessional positions. Occupational status attainment in professional careers appears to be influenced more by cognitive attributes of the college attended and the students' educational performance, whereas the attainment process in nonprofessional careers appears to be influenced more by affective attributes of the collegiate experience.     

民办院校大学生家庭环境测查

以自编家庭一般情况问卷和家庭环境量表 (FES -CV)为测查工具 ,对当地民办院校大一、大二学生家庭环境状况进行调查。结果显示 :除矛盾性外 ,其他家庭环境各因子平均得分极显著低于全国常模 ;男女学生、独生子女和非独生子女对家庭环境的评价存在显著差异 ;家庭一般情况部分对知识性、娱乐性、控制性有显著影响 ;家庭环境各因子与家庭一般情况部分显著相关 ;父亲文化、母亲文化、独生子女、性别进入了家庭环境部分因子的回归方程     

Building career capital through further study in Australia and Singapore

In modern society, individuals are having to assume increasing responsibility for their own career trajectories. One of the key ways in which individuals can engage in such ‘career self-management’ is by taking up learning opportunities through further study. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to explore, using the conceptual framework of career capital, ways in which samples of adults in Australia and Singapore perceive that they are self-managing and leveraging their careers through continuing education, and the nature of the career capital they are accumulating. It draws on data from two different research projects undertaken in Australia and Singapore. These projects involved individuals who had undertaken studies in two different educational sectors: the academic and the vocational. Australian respondents (n=190) had studied in both the vocational education and training (VET) and the higher education (HE) sectors; Singaporean respondents (n=101) had graduated from both the formal tertiary education (PET) and the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) sectors. Data were gathered through online surveys and in-depth interviews. Based on the reports from these samples, the study found that the building of career capital was being played out relatively consistently despite educational, political and cultural differences, but that different emphases were placed on the types of career capital, with ‘knowing-how’ the most important.     

Religious background and educational attainment: The effects of Buddhism,Islam, and Judaism

The effects of Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism on educational attainment in the United States are examined. OLS estimates of educational attainment and Probit estimates of college attainment are undertaken. It is shown that Islam and Judaism have similar positive effects on attainment relative to Protestants and Catholics. The effect of Buddhism is specific to respondents who were living in the United States at age sixteen and/or were born in the United States. Data from the National Opinion Research Center's “General Social Survey: 1998–2008” are used.     

Influences on Community College Students' Educational Plans

This study analyzed data from 285 students attending 5 community colleges to identify the institutional and college experience variables influencing end-of-first-year educational degree plans. Controlling for an extensive array of important confounding influences, the estimated average precollege degree plans of students at the community college one attended had significant, positive total and direct effects on an individual student's end-of-first-year overall educational degree plans and plans to obtain at least a bachelor's degree. In the prediction of end-of-first-year overall educational degree plans, there were significant conditional effects involving sex, race, and precollege degree plans.     

Individual predictors of adolescents’ vocational interest stabilities

The study investigated the predictive utility of interest profile differentiation, coherence, elevation, congruence, and vocational identity commitment and career maturity (career planning and exploration) on the 10-month interest stability of 292 Swiss eighth-grade students: profile, rank, and level stabilities were assessed. Controlling for socio-demographic and vocational interest type variables, measures of differentiated and coherent vocational interests were significant predictors of profile stability. Interest elevation predicted more rank and level stability. The career development variables explained only a non-significant additional amount of variance in the different stability measures.