THE IMPACT OF INSTITUTIONAL CHOICE AND ENVIRONMENTS ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND WHITE STUDENTS' DEGREE EXPECTATIONS

This study examines the effects of individualcharacteristics, institutional characteristics andexperiences, and financial aid measures onAfrican-American and white college students' degreeaspirations. The main theoretical foundations for this studyare the status attainment models developed in the early1970s and Weidman's (1989) model of undergraduatesocialization. The study used the BeginningPostsecondary Students (BPS:90/92) data set, and the findingsshow that regression models between the two groups havemany similarities: Students' aspirations are mostly theresult of socioeconomic factors, initial degree aspirations, and institutional characteristics.Financial aid measures are not significant predictors ofaspirations for African-American students, although workstudy awards and fewer hours per week spent working significantly affect white students'aspirations. There are quite a few differences betweenthe groups' regression models. For instance,intellectual selfconfidence has opposite effects onaspirations for African-American and white students.African-American enrollment and faculty contactpositively affect AfricanAmerican students' aspirations,while tuition cost and peer contact have positiveeffects on white students' aspirations.