“We Don't Know How to Do This”: Rural Parents' Perspectives on and Roles in Enrollment at a Private, Selective Liberal Arts College
Publication Title
Rural Sociology
Document Type
Article
Department or Program
Education
Publication Date
1-7-2020
Abstract
Rural youth trail their non-rural counterparts in college enrollment and attainment, especially for degrees from selective schools; these gaps further spatial inequality in the United States. Much research has focused on rural parents as impediments to rural college-going: many rural parents did not attend college, and their educational aspirations for their children are lower than those of urban parents. However, every year, thousands of rural students do head to college, even to selective schools, and little is known about their parents' influence on their enrollment. This qualitative study focuses on rural parents without a bachelors degree, investigating the roles they play in their children's aspirations and enrollment at a private, selective liberal arts college and examining their perspectives on this type of school. The results suggest that parents are an important source of social capital, supporting aspirations and enrollment. They also show that these parents see a liberal arts education as a path to a remunerative and rewarding career, and, in supporting their children's college choice, they value factors—financial aid, proximity, and a welcoming school culture—that mitigate the social, cultural, and moral boundaries separating home from college.
Recommended Citation
Tieken, M. C. (2020). “We Don’t Know How to Do This”: Rural Parents’ Perspectives on and Roles in Enrollment at a Private, Selective Liberal Arts College. Rural Sociology, 85(3), 706–729.
Comments
Original version is available from the publisher at: https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12316