Where Do Rural High School Students Go to Find Information About Their Futures?

Abstract

Using data from a national study of rural high school youth, the authors examined where students go to receive information about their futures and which sources are most helpful. Results indicated that students in rural and low‐income schools were more likely to report going to teachers and found teachers to be most helpful compared with students in small town and higher income schools. Patterns of differentiation were also found on the basis of gender, ethnicity, and grade level.

Rural-Nonrural Disparities in Postsecondary Educational Attainment Revisited

“…In addition, parents in rural areas have lower postsecondary educational attainment and educational expectations for their children than parents in nonrural areas (Provasnik et al, 2007; Roscigno & Crowley, 2001; Roscigno et al, 2006). Furthermore, rural youth are more likely than nonrural youth to experience a narrow school curriculum and limited access to career counseling and college preparatory programs (Graham, 2009; Griffin, Hutchins, & Meece, 2011; Lapan, Tucker, Kim, & Koscuilek, 2003; Monk, 2007; Provasnik et al, 2007). A substantial body of evidence suggests that these precollege factors (i.e., family income, parents' education and educational expectations, and academic preparation) predict youth's college enrollment, persistence, and completion (Adelman, 2006; Adelman, Daniel, Berkovits, & Owings, 2003; Attewell, Heil, & Reisel, 2011; Bozick, 2007; Goldrick-Rab, 2006; Goldrick-Rab & Pfeffer, 2009).…”

Exposure to, Knowledge of, and Interest in Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy as Career Options

“…Even though the students in this study demonstrated better knowledge about the PT profession than they did about the OT profession, this did not translate into increased interest in the PT profession as a career choice. Many factors have been shown to influence career aspirations, including race and ethnicity; socioeconomic status; gender; the influence of friends, peers, teachers, and parents; and intrinsic personal factors (Griffin, Hutchins, & Meece, 2011;Howard et al, 2011). The interactions between these factors can be complex and dynamic.…”

The Move to Middle School: Parents’ Expectations and Early Adolescents’ Adjustment in Rural Communities

“…However, studies of parents have addressed expectations of adolescence in general (i.e., as a stormy and stressful period of life), not specific milestones in adolescents' lives, such as the middle school transition. Understanding parents' expectations for the move to middle school may be particularly important, given that rural adolescents look to their parents, more so than to peers or teachers, for information and advice about schooling experiences (Griffin, Hutchins, & Meece, 2011).…”