Rural Parents Navigating College Choice
Open AccessThis study aimed to investigate the college choice process and roles of parents or guardians through the in-depth interviews of rural parents and students. Existing college choice literature has primarily used an institutional lens to inform admissions and retention strategies that support postsecondary institution enrollment limiting rural qualitative voices related to college choice. The study identified the strategies and consequent challenges faced by rural parents who had not attended college themselves as they prepared their children for college admissions. Overwhelmingly parents involved in the study relied heavily on school support, the internet, and social capital networks for assistance, while specific barriers included poor communication between parents and school personnel, limited travel outside the region, and deficient outreach and college preparation programs.Hossler and Gallagher’s (1987) college choice model and Coleman’s (1988) social capital theory, were used to develop a semi-structured interview protocol that allowed 28 participants including parents and their children in rural southeastern North Carolina to share their experience navigating college choice. The study uniquely captures the experience of rural African American, Native American, and White families. Student engagement in the study was strategically used to validate parental experience. Cross-analysis of rural student and parent experiences with college choice highlighted the salience of parent-child interactions, revealed striking similarities among families based on socioeconomic status, and negated any inequities based solely on race. Results from the study are consistent with the literature indicating that parents heavily influence the college aspirations of their children. However, results contradict and expand research by demonstrating rural parental ability to assist children in developing high educational aspirations despite deficits based on limited navigational capital, closed social networks, socioeconomic status, and geographic location. To assist in understanding the unique experience of rural parents, a new nautical-themed model was developed detailing the manner in which parents serve as the premier college choice navigators for their children. Implications for practitioners, policymakers, and future research focus on the need to acknowledge the influence of all rural parents on the college choice process and promote program development to adequately address the expressed needs of participants. Finally, policy implications and recommendations were discussed.
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