College majors and social mobility

Wolniak, Gregory C.; Seifert, Tricia A.; Reed, Eric J.; Pascarella, Ernest T.

doi:10.1016/j.rssm.2008.02.002

Cited by 40 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…54-57; Hu and Vargas 2015), which may translate into later earnings advantages (Roksa and Levey 2010). Wolniak et al (2008) suggest that the STEM disciplines reinforce the effects of prior family backgrounds, while business and education degrees provide more scope to change inherited inequalities (p. 135). Borgen (2015, p. 36) notes that when a high proportion of credentials are generic without clear vocational pathways, the hierarchy of institutions is more important as a distinguishing factor in driving family positional strategies.…”

Section: Fields Of Study In Higher Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The worldwide trend to high participation higher education: dynamics of social stratification in inclusive systems

2016

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Worldwide participation in higher education now includes one-third of the age cohort and is growing at an unprecedented rate. The tendency to rapid growth, leading towards high participation systems (HPS), has spread to most middle-income and some low-income countries. Though expansion of higher education requires threshold development of the state and the middle class, it is primarily powered not by economic growth but by the ambitions of families to advance or maintain social position. However, expansion is mostly not accompanied by more equal social access to elite institutions. The quality of mass higher education is often problematic. Societies vary in the extent of upward social mobility from low-socio-economic-status backgrounds. The paper explores the intersection between stratified social backgrounds and the stratifying structures in HPS. These differentiating structures include public/private distinctions in schooling and higher education, different fields of study, binary systems and tiered hierarchies of institutions, the vertical 'stretching' of stratification in competitive HPS, and the unequalising effects of tuition. Larger social inequalities set limits on what education can achieve. Countries with high mobility sustain a consensus about social equality, and value rigorous and autonomous systems of learning, assessment and selection in education.

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Section: Fields Of Study In Higher Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The worldwide trend to high participation higher education: dynamics of social stratification in inclusive systems

2016

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“…Studies show that college quality and college major can impact the level of earnings as well as the pursuit of graduate education (Eide et al 1998;Monks 2000;Thomas and Zhang 2005;Wolniak et al 2008;Zhang 2005a,b). Increased earnings and higher levels of education may be indicators of mobility, but the question to ponder is: Does having a university degree, especially from an elite institution, warrant greater rewards, particularly at the expense of those who may not have had similar educational opportunities?…”

Section: Social Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Unraveling the myth of meritocracy within the context of US higher education

2011

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Framed by historical and contemporary discussions, this article reviews the principal foundations of meritocracy and uses the public University of California system as a point of departure for examining the connection between meritocracy and higher education within the context of the United States. Through consideration of four dimensions that inform the concept of meritocracy-merit, distributive justice, equality of opportunity, and social mobility-this review examines the underlying tenets of meritocracy to better understand how higher education functions within it. In The Coming of Post-Industrial

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“…In a recent study, Wolniak, Seifert, Reed, and Pascarella (2008) examined whether the effects of background and pre-college characteristics such as gender, parents' education, and income differed in terms of college major, taking earnings as the social status indicator. The authors found that college major had a determining effect on individuals' placements as well as their movements along the social ladder.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Students' choice of college major and their perceived fairness of the procedure: evidence from Turkey

Yazıcı

2010

Educational Research and Evaluation

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This study investigated the relative influence of factors and persons in college major choice and procedural justice perceptions of 449 undergraduate students enrolled in 1 private and 2 public universities in Turkey. Results showed that students found themselves to be the most influential person in their choice of college major, followed by parents/other family members. With regard to the factors, interest in the subject, guaranteed employment, expected earnings in the field, the university entrance exam score, and a prestigious career were ranked, respectively. Striking differences were found among majors. Findings also suggested that, whereas male and female students' choices were influenced by very similar factors and persons, female students declared more procedural justice.

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College majors and social mobility

Cited by 40 publications

References 45 publications

The worldwide trend to high participation higher education: dynamics of social stratification in inclusive systems

The worldwide trend to high participation higher education: dynamics of social stratification in inclusive systems

Unraveling the myth of meritocracy within the context of US higher education

Students' choice of college major and their perceived fairness of the procedure: evidence from Turkey

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