Assessing the “Mismatch” Hypothesis: Differences in College Graduation Rates by Institutional Selectivity

Alon, Sigal; Tienda, Marta

doi:10.1177/003804070507800402

Cited by 229 publications

(168 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Alon and Tienda (2005), Arcidiacono et al (2012), Arcidiacono et al (2013), Black, Daniel and Smith (2005, Light and Strayer (2000), and Sander and Taylor (2012) -students deciding where to attend college will have to wait a while to get a clear signal regarding the evidence. We have our own paper, Dillon and Smith (2013) underway on this topic, building on the data and findings in this paper.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Determinants of Mismatch Between Students and Colleges

Dillon

Smith

2013

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We use the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort to examine mismatch between student ability and college quality. Mismatch has implications for the design of state higher education systems and for student aid policy. The data indicate substantial amounts of both undermatch (high ability students at low quality colleges) and overmatch (low ability students at high quality colleges). Student application and enrollment decisions, rather than college admission decisions, drive most mismatch. Financial constraints, information, and the public college options facing each student all affect the probability of mismatch. More informed students attend higher quality colleges, even when doing so involves overmatching.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Determinants of Mismatch Between Students and Colleges

Dillon

Smith

2013

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“…The researchers concluded that the fit hypothesis did not hold true and African American students with the lowest SAT scores actually graduated at a higher rate than similar students attending less selective institutions (Bowen & Bok, 1998). Alon and Tienda (2005) coined a similar term, the "mismatch" hypothesis, to explain whether racial/ethnic minority students who attended college during the 1980s and 1990s would have achieved similar benefits if they attended a higher academic profile institution compared to their individual academic profiles. Similar findings were revealed from this study, with higher graduation rates significantly related to increased levels of selectivity, and higher benefits derived for minority students in relation to white students.…”

Section: Fit Mismatch and Undermatching Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pervasive Inequality in the Stratification of Four-Year College Destinations

Engberg

2012

Equity & Excellence in Education

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Rooted in sociological models of educational transitions and tracking, this study examines patterns of stratification in the educational trajectories of low-and high-socioeconomic students.Utilizing longitudinal data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, this study describes qualitative differences in students' choice sets based on a number of metrics obtained from the Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS). Additionally, multinomial logistic regression models are used to demonstrate the relative probabilities of attending a low, moderate, or highselectivity undergraduate institution between students of low and high-socioeconomic statuses.Overall, the results demonstrate the pervasiveness of inequality in the college choice decisions of low-and high-SES students and the continued stratification of opportunity for students based on their family background. The study concludes with implications for policymakers and practitioners working within secondary and postsecondary educational sectors.Educational access, particularly as it relates to postsecondary education, remains a critical social justice concern of the 21 st century. While numerous technical reports point to the opening of opportunity for all groups (NCES, 2007) and the concomitant attenuation of educational inequality (Arum, Gamoran, & Shavit, 2007), few studies have examined how more qualitative forms of stratification (e.g., selectivity of institutions) pervade the college choice process, especially among those students who go on to four-year institutions. Rather, most studies have 2 highlighted how social origins and access to capital manifest in the unequal distribution of lowincome and underrepresented racial/ethnic minority students within different hierarchical tracks (i.e., two-year versus four-year; Arum et al., 2007;Engberg & Allen, 2011;Perna & Titus, 2005).The expansion of higher education, however, has led to a graduation erosion of the value of a college degree (i.e., a baccalaureate degree no longer ensures a good job for all; Arum et al.,2007), placing an overall higher premium on qualitative differences in degree attainment.Research has demonstrated the benefits of attending a more prestigious college or university, particularly as it relates to labor market outcomes (Brewer, Eide, & Ehrenberg, 1999;Thomas, 2000) and social mobility (Breen & Jonsson, 2000). Other researchers have argued that the general expansion of higher education has led to a more differentiated and stratified system that continues to protect those institutions that enroll students of higher socioeconomic means (Thomas & Perna, 2004).The mechanisms that drive stratification in higher education have been explored through a number of different paradigms and institutional perspectives. Economic theories point to differences in access to information when determining the benefits and costs of attending college, whereas sociological theories highlight status attainment and access to social networks (Perna, 2006). These theoretical paradigms, howev...

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“…Claims that post-graduation returns depend on the quality of institution attended further fueled interest in institutional quality (Hoxby, 2001;Hossler, et al, 1989), heightening competition for access to the most selective colleges and universities (Alon and Tienda, 2006). Concomitantly, scholarly attention to college choice was spurred by the release of nationally representative longitudinal data spanning the transition from high school to college (Manski and Wise, 1983), and controversies about unequal access to selective institutions (Bowen and Bok, 1998;Bowen, Kurzweil and Tobin, 2005;Massey, Charles, Lundy & Fischer, 2003;Alon and Tienda, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%