Abstract:
The purpose of this thesis is to supplement the empirical literature on student post-secondary educational attainment. The present research examines students with high educational expectations at age 16 (N = 1,335) and low educational expectations at age 16 (N = 551). It identifies the different factors among students with high expectations and low expectations that increase their likelihood of earning a four-year degree by age 30. I use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 Cohort (NLSY97), which is sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.
There are seven predictors (gender, race, student academic excellence, mother’s educational attainment, household structure, parent expectations, and perceived school climate) that are included in the two models. I perform logistic regression analyses. Model 1 analyzes students with high educational expectations and found all factors as statistically significant in predicting receiving a four-year degree by age 30. Model 2
ix
investigates students with low educational expectations and revealed math honors courses taken, mother’s educational attainment, and parent expectations as statistically significant in predicting attaining a four-year degree by age 30. Potential explanations for these findings are addressed.
