Ma, Y. (2009). Family Socioeconomic Status, Parental Involvement, and College Major Choices—Gender, Race/Ethnic, and Nativity Patterns. Sociological Perspectives, (2). 211. doi:10.1525/sop.2009.52.2.211. Reviewed by Cassandra Leon
The purpose of this article, “Family Socioeconomic Status, Parental Involvement, and College Major Choices- Gender, Race/Ethnic, and Nativity Patterns,” is to identify what factors affect one’s college major choice and level of education. The researchers look at many variables such as gender, race/ethnicity, immigration status, family socioeconomic status, and parental involvement. While a person’s education can make their future, there are many aspects that can influence someone’s college major choice and also their level of education.
The first topic of discussion for this article is gender and its relationship to college major decisions. Studies have shown that women are discriminated subjects such as physical science and engineering, and the main fields of choice for women yield a lower annual salary than men. With this being noted, gender is not the only apparent to college major and future occupation of choice. Race and ethnic patterns have also been proven to be an impact in the choice as well. It has been said that African Americans are more likely to choose a major with a lower
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income to college graduates such as social sciences. On the other hand, Asian Americans are mostly majoring in fields that have a high earning potential like engineering or business. This helps the Asian Americans ensure upward social mobility. While the previous factors discuss precollege experiences and how they take part in college major choices, another characteristic is too important.
The focal question in this topic is, “Are families influential, and if so, in what ways?” (Yingyi Ma, 2009) This perspective branches off into our main idea in our research topic. A family’s socio economic status plays a crucial role in a child’s college major choice. This specific topic also branches out to family SES similarities and differences on male and female and on whites and other races/ethnic groups. They also identified how a parent’s involvement in the school influences a child’s major
choice. Through the research studied in this article, it is shown that children from a lower SES household choose higher paying fields upon graduation. Also, students from this same category and their families are more encouraged to make sure that their college education is the best route to success. The results from this article show that men and women from a lower SES are equally likely to choose a lucrative college choice; yet women from a higher SES are more likely to choose a less lucrative college major than the men from a higher SES.
The parents as the role models for their children that means many children will do what their parents mostly do, hence, is really important that the parents teaching their child. However, the research find out that the parents with higher socioeconomic states are more involved in their kids’ schooling (Chu et all, 1996) The reason seems obvious to me due to the importance of parents’ education, if the parents having more school, than parents could be like a ‘coach’ for their kids, that parents could guide the road of succeed. Also, the parents with higher education might provide a favorable environment since is easier to get a steady job with higher education. According to Kean, (2005), the parents with higher education have positive influence on children’s outcome, cause the majority of parents who are very educated might influence their kids though beliefs and behaviors, that will lead children and youth to a positive outcome (Kean, 2005). Parents’ educations have an influence on children in many different ways, although the parents’ expectation can affect children as well. Kean illustrated if parents expect high achievement, then it predicts better chance for achievement for their children (Kean, 2005). Moreover, sometimes parents’ expectation showed how
Obtaining higher education is regarded as the ultimate symbol of status in the United States (US). Access to a college education in this country is seen as an expression of academic excellence and can provide access to unlimited possibilities. In the US, Ivy Leagues are considered the elite and represent the most powerful ideogram of educational opportunity. According to the National Center for Education Statistics [NCES] (2012), from 1999–2000 to 2009–10, the percentages of both master's and doctor's degrees earned by females increased from 1999–2000 to 2009–10 from 58 to 60 percent and from 45 to 52 percent. The NCES report (2012), found that in 2009-10, of the 10.3 percent Black students who earned Bachelor degrees; 65.9 percent were women. Of the 12.5% of Black students who earned Master’s degree in 2009-10, 71.1 percent were women; and of the 7.4 percent of Black students who earned doctoral level degrees (this includes most degrees previously regarded as first-professional, i.e. M.D., D.D.S., and law degrees), 65.2 percent were women (NCES, 2012)...
Minorities are a growing segment of the population. However, this group continues to be underrepresented in the area of post secondary education. Obtaining an advanced degree remains a likely predictor of future career success. The problem facing the minority student is that barriers persist which continue to hinder enrollment, retention, and graduation rates in institutions of higher education. These barriers must be identified and examined and solutions offered if college completion rates are to be increased for this population.
Wang, Ming-Te, Jacquelynne S. Eccles, and Sarah Kenny. "Not Lack Of Ability But More Choice: Individual And Gender Differences In Choice Of Careers In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics." Psychological Science (Sage Publications Inc.) 24.5 (2013): 771, 774. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
The author argues that female high-school seniors are more likely to attend a college than male high-school seniors. He also argues that those female students see college education as vital
On the hand, Mannes (2001) suggested that a family/community centered system focus on “families” and considers them principal connoisseurs and decision makers responsible for handling their disputes. According to Mannes (2001), the primary characteristics that influence responsibility for education are an individual relatives’ positions, inspiration, contribution, and demonstration. When I was growing up, education was always emphasized in my family. Even when we were poor, my parents did not let that hinder us.
At an extremely young age, my mother fostered the idea of attaining a college education for my brothers and I. As an adolescent, I assumed that a college education was necessary, but little did I know that my mother 's words and actions served as the familial capital that would lead to my acceptance into the University of California, Los Angeles. With the exposure to vital information, such as Community Cultural Wealth and the Hidden Curriculum, many students of color, such as myself, have the ability to attain academic achievement and successfully navigate through institutionalized forms of oppression. Community Cultural Wealth is the idea that Communities of Color possess a substantial amount of knowledge, skills, contacts, and abilities
College is an important decision to parents, but teenagers are more focused on social lives, rather than their careers. It is a difficult task to understand what their major should be, but more so where they are going to go to study that major. High school influence is the main factor which students base their college choice on, but the activities students choose in school effect where they go more than their out of school activities.
My junior year of high school was filled with high emotions, stressful moments, and tension about where to apply to college and where I would be accepted and ultimately attend. At a “Making the Most out of your Sixth Semester” forum that year, the entire junior class experienced lectures from the school’s college resource counselors about how to prepare for this arduous battle of college admissions. The way Sue Biermert, who is the College Admissions Counselor at my high school, opened the forum was by asking a question to the parents that put everything into perspective: “How many of you parents feel like you are successful?” Every single hand shot up from the 500 parents in the auditorium. Of those that had their hands up, she asked, “How many of you parents received an Ivy League education?” Every hand went down. I could see friend’s mouths sit there in awe that getting an Ivy League education is not necessarily the greatest factor at having a good life. Even though these shocked students were the ones hoping to be accepted by Yale and Harvard, they all simultaneously recognized that going to an Ivy League school is not a guarantee for success in life. The reality about American culture is that success is the result of individual experiences that suit the needs of each person, not necessarily the prestigious institution of learning that one attends.
Trusty, J.; Robinson, C.; Plata, M. (2000). Effects of Gender, Socioeconomic Status, and Early Academic Performance on Postsecondary Educational Choice. Journal of Counseling & Development, 78, 463.
Fan, X., & Chen, M. (1999). Parental Involvement and Students' Academic Achievement: A. Arlington: National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA.; National Center.
Further education gives students an opportunity to develop skills, talents, and discover new interests. It teaches students how to examine, evaluate, and compare arguments with different people. Many young students are undecided about their career path when they think about college. Some people are not ready to decide their majors because they have not received enough information about the different subjects. Fortunately, colleges offer students the opportunity of exploring a variety ...
college students in today 's 21st-century struggle with choosing a college major and deciding on a
Generally, the factors that affect the course preference of a female engineering college undergraduates are personal characteristics (Admissions Education, n.d.), career influences (Michigan Tech, 2013) and limitations. The results in the first question are very close to each other. Even though the overall tallies are near to each other, the career influence is dominant among the other choices. This result is similar to the researched study; According to James et. al the field of study preferences, course and institutional reputations, course entry scores, easy access to home and institutional characteristics significantly influenced applicant’s choice of institution (1999). It also has the similarities on Foskett et al.’s (2006) findings that students consider more carefully economic fa...
D'Arcy, J. (2012, 12 1). Choosing a major in college: Do parents get a say? . Washington Post .