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WEEK #3

Hossler’s Model of the College Choice Process 1. Predisposition Phase – student decides whether to

attend college, student decides “I want to go to college”

2. Search Phase – student searches for general information about colleges, forms a choice set, considers several specific colleges, visit colleges, seeks guidance,

3. Choice Phase – narrows down to a single college/university

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• Cultural Capital can be considered anything in your personal and social background that helps or hinders you during your life:

– Income – Social status/class– educational qualifications– gender– race & ethnicity – even religion can under certain circumstances be an

advantage or disadvantage for your life changes

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• Forms of Capital = Economic, Social and Cultural

Types of Cultural Capital• Embodied – character, way of thinking, speaking,

beauty• Objectified – purchased, something owned,

inherited• Institututionalized – institutionally recognized, like

education, degree, career, job classification

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• Habitus – It is a common set of subjective perceptions held by all members in the same group or class that shapes an individual experiences, attitudes and aspirations. A learned habit or behavior.

• Bounded Rationality – students will limit the # of alternatives actually considered and will rationalize their decisions for the college they will attend. Student’s choice will make sense in the context of that’s student’s friends, family and outlook.

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Social Class + Counseling/Guidance = College Educational Opportunities

BACKGROUND FACTORS – the total of a person’s experience, knowledge and education, one’s upbringings, how you were raised, training, family SES and values

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS - defined as ones surroundings, all the conditions affecting the development of…where you live, who you grew up with who and what is in your community, school, neighborhood, family.

PERSONAL FACTORS - are the individual characteristics, qualities, attributes, motives, skills, abilities, intrinsic within the student, physical or mental. It’s what the student possesses.

Week #3

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“African Americans & College Choice: the Influence of Family & School” – K. Freeman

Channeling – defined as the environmental forces (individual, institutions, circumstances - services) that impact, influence college choice of students (internal to the home and outside the home). It cuts across social and cultural capital and economic and financial capital.

• Freeman’s study explored Af Am HS students’ perceptions of barriers and the forces that might be preventing students from acting upon their aspirations and offers solutions for addressing the problem.

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• Channeling long and wrong – Freeman examines the gap of African American students who have high aspirations and strong desires to attend college, but the low attainment due to a lack of cultivation of those aspirations.

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Channeling Influences on College ChoiceInternal to the home

BACKGROUND factors

• Family

• Economic Expectations

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Channeling Influences on College ChoiceExternal, outside of the home

Environmental factors

• Geographic locations – rural, urban, suburban

• School – teachers, counselors

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Economic Barriers • Fear of not having enough money to attend

college • lack of job opportunities • Not getting a job that pays sufficiently to

justify completing higher education level

Psychological Barriers • college not being an option • loss of hope, no motivation • the intimidation factor

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Solutions

1. Structured Counseling Programs

2. Develop a Culture of Expectations: Belief in Students’ Abilities - provide interested teachers and active counselors who instill hope and encouragement. Getting ready for college is a mind set that must be developed early.

3. Develop Linkages with Colleges & Universities to help instill possibilities early –start college prep early, in elementary grades

4. Mentoring Programs and Role Models- Expand cultural awareness – validate culture

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Principles of a College Culture1. College Talk

2. Clear Expectations

3. Information & Resources

4. Comprehensive Counseling Model

5. Testing & Curriculum

6. Faculty Involvement

7. Family Involvement

8. College Partnerships

9. Articulation

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The Tipping PointWhat is the tipping point?• epidemics in action, contagious behavior• little changes that have big effects• possibility of sudden change

What are the three agents of change?• Law of the Few: exceptional people, sociable, energetic,

knowledgeable can be influential among peers • Stickiness Factor: simple messages that make a big

impact• Power of Context: people are more sensitive to their

env’t than they seem

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The College Choice Process (CCP) for Asian Pacific American in the context Ethnicity and SES

• Research on “Access and Equity in higher education” almost always excludes Asian Pacific Americans.

• influences on APA in the CCP are similar to other minority groups. In some respects the factors impacting CCP are almost universal. Constants - SES, family education level, geographic all affecting –“Predisposition – Choice Phases”

• Asian are always viewed as one single homogeneous group – “the model minority in their college destination and college experiences

• However the study points out that there are distinct differences among the sub-ethnic groups on their college choice process and the influences

– Chinese & Korean – high SES choose more selective colleges, private colleges, benefited from test prep,

– South East Asian & Filipino – lower SES, choose public colleges, close to home

• 39% total UC enrollment is Asian American• intuitional ranking of colleges is a factor/college reputation

• Stereotype Threat (is the threat of being viewed through the lens of a negative stereotype or the fear of doing something that would inadvertently confirm that stereotype.) However sometimes is a positive factor for some Asians, i.e., All Asians are smart, could have a positive influence on SEA, Filipino who may not be strong academically.

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“College Knowledge: What Latino Parents need to know & why they don’t

know it” – TRPI 66% of Latino parents failed a mini-test of college knowledge unless these knowledge deficits are remedied Latino children are likely to miss out at being

prepared adequately for college admission

Three Groups of Latino1) SES endowed (2/3 generation Latino, US born, high SES, college educated)2) SES challenged (less English, lower EA, lower skilled jobs, no personal networks or

social capital) 3) Positive Outliers (achieve despite their circumstances, low SES, Low Educational

Attainment, RESILIENT students, achieved against all odds)

WHAT DO WE KNOW Students need challenging curriculum, informed strategies for gaining college access Parental involvement in child’s educational–talk with child about class selection, SAT,

grades, activities, college, etc; however parents must be knowledgeable Parental involvement school activities – parent conference, back to school, volunteer Concerned parents seek out information from a variety of sources, build networks, Latino parents relied heavily on counselor and teaches for college information

Note - Language barriers are a major obstacle to increase college knowledge of parents