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“They will go like I did”: How parents think about college for their young children in the context of rising costs

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Listed:
  • Friedline, Terri
  • Rauscher, Emily
  • West, Stacia
  • Phipps, Barbara
  • Kardash, Nadzeya
  • Chang, Karin
  • Ecker-Lyster, Meghan

Abstract

Rising college costs and student loan burdens have triggered national debates about whether a college degree is “worth it.” Parents raising children in the midst of these debates may be evaluating the value of a college degree relative to its costs and adjusting their educational expectations for their children, shaping future generations' socialization toward college. In this context, it is unclear how theoretical models on college attendance decision-making perform in explaining parents' thoughts about college for their children. This qualitative study elicited early perspectives on college through in-depth interviews with 37 parents of kindergarten children from one school district in a mid-sized, Midwestern city. Almost unanimously, lower-income parents with some college education saw a college degree as a catalyst of their children's upward mobility, though very few thought they could help their children afford college. Higher-income parents more often expressed doubts about pursuing a college degree or the value of that degree acquired with debt.

Suggested Citation

  • Friedline, Terri & Rauscher, Emily & West, Stacia & Phipps, Barbara & Kardash, Nadzeya & Chang, Karin & Ecker-Lyster, Meghan, 2017. "“They will go like I did”: How parents think about college for their young children in the context of rising costs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 340-349.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:81:y:2017:i:c:p:340-349
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.08.027
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Elliott, William & Friedline, Terri, 2013. "“You pay your share, we’ll pay our share”: The college cost burden and the role of race, income, and college assets," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 134-153.
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    4. Elliott, William & Destin, Mesmin & Friedline, Terri, 2011. "Taking stock of ten years of research on the relationship between assets and children's educational outcomes: Implications for theory, policy and intervention," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 2312-2328.
    5. Terri Friedline, 2015. "A Developmental Perspective on Children's Economic Agency," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 39-68, March.
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