Sponsored and Contest Mobility and the School System

Turner, Ralph H.

doi:10.2307/2089982

Cited by 586 publications

(386 citation statements)

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“…From a sociological perspective, students' pathways to college exist within more general models of status attainment and social mobility (e.g., Grodsky, 2007;Karen, 1990;Lucas, 2001;Rosenbaum, 1978;Turner, 1960). Educational achievement and social ties partially determine the levels of social capital accessible to students, which in turn provides assistance in obtaining additional education and making effective educational choices (Coleman, 1988;Lin, 1999).…”

Section: Models Of College Choicementioning

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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Section: Models Of College Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

Pervasive Inequality in the Stratification of Four-Year College Destinations

Engberg

2012

Equity & Excellence in Education

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“…Since managers tend to have higher social-class origins (Granick 1962-, Poole et al 1981 (Kram 1985), because it takes a great deal of time, and the amount of management attention available for devoting to such activities can be quite limited (Mintzberg 1973). Additionally, it may be politically wiser for managers to wait and see who has survived promotion tournaments (Turner 1960;Rosenbaum 1984) (Kram 1985). By supplying these resources a 'coat-tail' effect may operate by which prot6g6s become members of a mentor's coalition (Cyert and March 1963;Weick 1979).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship of Career Mentoring to Early Career Outcomes

Whitely

Coetsier

1993

Organization Studies

125

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“…Building on Bourdieu's (1996) exposition of the consecration and legitimation of elites through prestigious high schools as well as the concept of sponsored mobility (Turner 1960), we have outlined a case study about Singaporean scholars studying at Oxbridge colleges. We began this exposition by mapping out the transnational matching processes involved between two "feeding" institutions in SingaporeRaffles and Hwa Chong -and the highly desired academic accreditation available from Oxbridge programmes.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Altbach 1989 Following Ralph Turner, the role of the Singaporean government in promoting elite student migration can be seen as a kind of sponsored mobility. Turner (1960) characterises sponsored mobility as one which favours a controlled selection process where the elite (or their agents) are seen to be best qualified to judge merit and choose individuals for elite status. He contrasts the sponsored ideal type with 'contest mobility' which he describes as a system of mobility where elite status is won, or battled over, through individualized means.…”

Section: Elite Schooling and The Transnational Tendencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…And that really put a lot of doubts into my head at the application stage. 16 The practice of filtering out unsuccessful leads by elite schools gels with Turner's (1960) proposition that early selection in sponsored mobility regimes is necessary to prevent the brewing of discontentment. The inclusion and exclusion of students thence alters the way students from Raffles and Hwa Chong approach the application process and highlight cleavages that exist within elite schools.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The transnational track: state sponsorship and Singapore’s Oxbridge elite

Nylander

2014

British Journal of Sociology of Education

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This paper explores the process of transnational institutional matching between elite institutions in Singapore and Great Britain, and the role of state-sponsored scholarships in enabling this process as political and administrative elites are selected and groomed. Using data gathered from in-depth interviews conducted with Singaporean undergraduates studying at Oxbridge and a dataset compiled of the institutional origins of 580 Singaporean government scholars, the analysis illustrates how students are being matched from two Singaporean junior colleges to Oxbridge and back to the higher strata of the Singaporean Public Service. We show that the educational trajectories of these government scholars need to be addressed in relation to the informational capital acquired in specific elite schools as well as the governing roles these individuals are meant to obtain within the state upon graduation.

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Sponsored and Contest Mobility and the School System

Cited by 586 publications

References 1 publication

Pervasive Inequality in the Stratification of Four-Year College Destinations

Pervasive Inequality in the Stratification of Four-Year College Destinations

The Relationship of Career Mentoring to Early Career Outcomes

The transnational track: state sponsorship and Singapore’s Oxbridge elite

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