歐敏靜

Abstract: This essay discusses what factors might affect a students decision on whether or not to go to university. Finance, academic self-concept and friends attitude might be some factors, but the most important factor that affects the students decision to go to university is the SES. High-SES students are more likely to go to university in contrast with the low-SES students.

Key Words: Higher education, go to university, Socioeconomic status, Finance, Academic self-concept, Friends attitude

Despite rapid expansion of higher education (HE) in the 1960s, Britains participation rate was relatively low when compared with similar developed countries. In the year 1988, the rate was about 18.7 per cent at age 18-19 in full-time education and training England, Scotland, and Wales (OECD, 1990), while about 55 per cent in the USA, 60 per cent in France, and 65 per cent in Germany. There were many factors affecting a students decision on transitions to university, for example: finance, academic self-concept, academic achievement, friends and family. Most of the factors were related with the socioeconomic status (SES).

Socioeconomic status was relatively standing in the society based on income, power, background, and prestige. (Socioeconomic status include: environment, stress; low expectations - low academic self-concept; peer inferences and resistance cultures; tracking: poor teaching; Woolfolk, 2007). Academic self concept may affect your decision. The higher scores you think you can get in your A-level, the stronger attitude you will have to go to university. The school achievement is one of the main factors that affect students decision on whether or not going to university. Normally, people who get higher scores in A-level more tend to go to university.

According to the Expectation states theory, peoples status is based on the expectations about others performance. Thus, other peoples expectations may play an importance role on students decision. Lets discuss it in detail as follow:

SES and academic achievement are closely related. High-SES students of all ethnic groups show higher average levels of achievement on test scores and stay in school longer than low-SES students. Low-SES students may have low self-esteem, teachers lowered expectations of them, helplessness in learning, and understimulating home environments. A striking finding is that low-SES children lose academic ground outside school over the summer, while higher-SES children continue to advance. Because poorer students may wear old clothes, speak in a dialect, or be less familiar with books and school activities, teachers and other students may assume that these students are not bright. The teachers may avoid calling on them because they want to protect them from the embarrassment of giving wrong answers or because they are made uncomfortable by the students. Thus, low expectations become institutionalized and the educational resources provided are inadequate. Ultimately, the children come to believe that they are not very good at schoolwork. Thus, they will be poor on school achievement. There are also the internal and external factors that affect the school achievement. When you get a good score in one course, and then you will think this course is more interesting than others and you will work harder on this course, then you will get better scores next time. In contrast, if you study hard on a course but get a low score and you might hate and give up this course. The teachers expectation, questioning you in the class and your knowing the answer might make the teacher more like you.

Friends attitude is another factor that affects peoples decision. In general, people make friends with the ones from similar social status. They share similar education and SES background. In addition, they make the similar decision. If most of your friends decide not to go to university, that might affect your attitude of going to university. You may think that you will be the only one to go to university, and you will have no friends there. You may be scared because your friends may have a different life, and they will be alienated from you so you will not be in the group any more. In contrast, if most of your friends decide to go to university, then you are more likely to make up you mind to do so. It is because you want to be the same with others (the group norm). People tend to be more readily influenced by reference groups, because they are psychologically significant for our attitudes and behaviour, than by membership groups, as they are simply groups to which we belong by some external criterion.

Finance is another main factor that affects students decision to go to university. Financial issues appear to increase its significance at the time of entry to Higher Education (HE). According to the UK youth parliament (2008), one in three young people wanting to go to university cannot afford it. Connor (2001) found that the main concern prior to gaining a place was more about securing grades than the ability to finance study. After the place and grades are secured, financial concerns will become significant, particularly among lower social groups.

What kind of family you come from is also a factor affecting your decision to go to university. If you are from a HE family and everyone else in your family is higher educated, you are more expected to go to university, ever further. If you are in a low educated family you are less expected to go to university. On average, the low educated families are poorer than the higher educated families. The expectations from these families are low, because they are from the poverty area, thus what they want is few and is soon satisfied. Other people (sometimes including their families) think they have been already good enough, and it is time for them to start their career after high school, thus they can increase family income. However, it is hard to find a highly-paid job without a university diploma. Often people find few rewards awaiting them in the work field. The pay of many available jobs is only enough to get by. As a result, there circle goes viciously.

From the evidences presented above, it appears that high-SES students are more likely to go to university in contrast with the low-SES students. Normally, the students with the low-SES and poorer academic achievement are less expected by families and teachers, which cause them to tend to be less self-esteem and think they are not good in the schoolwork. Some other people may think they are impossible to go to university. The Expectation states theory supports this view, and peoples decision is affected by other peoples expectation.

In my opinion, the most important factor that affects the students decision to go to university is the SES. As presented above, low-SES students need to face many problems before they make the decision to go to university, for example, finance. According to other studies, low-SES also has an effect on health and living environment. These factors may have a significant effect on school achievement, which may also be a factor affecting the students decisions on whether or not to go to university (Evans, 2004; McLoyd, 1998).

References

[1]Brooks, R. (2002). Edinburgh, Exeter, East London - Or Employment? A Review of Research on Young Peoples Higher Education Choices. Educational Research, 44, 217-227.

[2]Hogg, M. A., & Vaughan, G. M. (2005). Social psychology (4th Edition). Pearson Education Limited, England.

[3]Lipsett, A. (2008), Abolish tuition fees, says youth parliament. Retrieved May 1, 2008, from http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/tuitionfees/story/0,,2268155,00.html

[4]Whitehead, J. M., Raffan, J., & Deaney, R., (2006). University Choice:What Influences the Decisions ofAcademically Successful Post-16 Students? Higher Education Quarterly, 60, 4-26.

[5]Woolfolk, A. E., (2007). Educational psychology (10th Editon). London: Allyn and Bacon.