High School and College Choice Factors Associated with High-Achieving Low-Income Students’ College Degree Completion

Abstract

Gaps in college degree completion between low-, middle-, and high-income college students are typically attributed to differences in academic preparation and ability. However, high-achieving, low-income students are still less likely to graduate from college than their high-achieving, high-income counterparts. This study explores completion rates at the end of the Great Recession, using a community cultural wealth framework to examine additional pre-college factors and college attendance behaviors that contribute to the degree completion of high-achieving, low-income students. Longitudinal data using the Freshmen Survey and National Student Clearinghouse were collected from 2004 to 2010, comparing 9300 high-achieving students entering 455 colleges from low-, middle-, and high-income backgrounds. Hierarchical linear modeling (HGLM) was used to identify student and institutional factors that predict college completion during this era. Findings indicate that navigational capital and college attendance patterns (attending a summer session, selective college, and/or private institution) are key factors for high-achieving, low-income student completion. Cultural wealth anti-deficit measures could not explain the low-income Latinx lower likelihood of college completion nor gender differences across income groups. Implications of the results address concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic recession in terms of what institutions can do to support students.

The Impact of Students’ Cultural Capital on their Learning Experiences in an EFL Programme in Higher Education

“…Hence, their families lacked the knowledge, perspective, and expertise required to assist them in the higher education experiences. The lecturers in this study tended to describe these students as lower middle-class and to highlight the low educational background of their families, thereby confirming Alvarado et al's (2020) observation that low-income students lack academic preparation and guidance available to their affluent peers. The consequent lack of cultural capital and the absence of parental assistance with assignments can be deemed responsible for the poor English proficiency manifest by low-income students and their concomitant difficulty in adapting to the demands of university level study.…”

“…As already noted, students who are exposed to the English language at home, as a form of cultural capital, demonstrated markedly superior level of English language proficiency when they began the EFL programme. Therefore, as observed by Alvarado et al (2020), first-generation students do not benefit from family assistance in the university application process. Moreover, these students frequently experience additional challenges on the EFL programme, not least because many erroneously anticipate being instructed in the fundamental of the English language when they join the programme.…”

“…These attitudes explain why many disadvantaged students prefer to apply for programmes in STEM subjects, with acceptance on to the EFL programme comprising a poor second choice. Research conducted by Alvarado et al (2020) confirms that many low-income students are compelled to work whilst studying because they receive less financial support from their families and are often expected to contribute financially to their families whilst at university. S12 summarizes the economic challenges faced by such students:…”

Examining Recruitment Practices for Servingness during COVID-19: Perspectives from Institutional Agents at an Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

“…Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, postsecondary institutions shifted outreach and yield efforts targeting these prospective students to online formats. Culturally responsive recruitment efforts are critical for Latinx/a/o students and families as enrollment in selective 4-year universities increases the likelihood of these students attaining a bachelor's degree [1]. Given the findings in our preliminary pre-COVID research that indicated that creating a sense of community is one of the determining factors for admitted Latinx/a/o and Chicanx/a/o students to enroll at an emerging HSI, this study contributes to these institutions' success by understanding how to better convey a sense of community in the college choice process and effectively incorporate culturally responsive practices online.…”

“…These recruitment practices generally convey college information and perceptibly influence students' enrollment decisions. As enrollment in selective universities increases the likelihood of degree completion among racially minoritized groups, including Latinx/a/o students [1], such culturally responsive recruitment efforts are especially critical at institutions that are among the most selective. In this paper we use the term Latinx/a/o, and in particular the use of the "X" as a gender-neutral alternative to destabilize the gender binary that the Spanish language ascribes ("Latino" as male and "Latina" as female), while also embracing diversity by foregrounding the multiplicity of identities rendered invisible by umbrella terms [2,3].…”