Research Blog #4: Research Proposal

Effects of Socioeconomic Status and Financial Aid on College Completion and Success

Topic

It is generally accepted that in today’s economy, a college degree is a necessity for young adults to acquire a worthwhile career.  However, the path taken by student’s towards a college degree has changed significantly over the past few decades.   Most notably, the rise of financial aid as a driving force for college enrollment has changed the outlook amongst campuses across America.  As inspired by Paying for the Party, the college experience seems to be unique for each individual, largely based upon their financial background.  As a result, students enjoy varying levels of success both during their collegiate years as well as post-graduation.  The financial factors, which would include parents’ annual income, financial aid received, and the necessity, or lack there of, of employment during the school week, all play a role in the academic success of the individual.  These may play a part initially, as represented in enrollment rates, during college years, as shown by completion rates and GPAs, or post-graduation, as students career opportunities.  

Research Questions

Does socioeconomic status affect students’ college success which perpetuates, and even escalates, inequality in America? For this paper’s purposes socioeconomic factors will include but are not limited to, parents’ salary, financial aid, and in-college employment, and college success will be represented by university enrollment, degree-completion, academic performance, and post-college career prospects.

Theoretical Frame

To attempt to answer this question, I must define why students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may enjoy a distinctly different experience during collegiate years than their more affluent counterparts.  The first theory in which to explore is the Human Capital theory, which states that humans behave rationally and are well informed about their choices.  Students from lower economic backgrounds may find that if their parents did not attend college themselves, their ability to navigate the enrollment process may be much more difficult.  The understanding of financial aid, the ability to identify the real cost of a college education, and the perceived value of having a college degree, may be far lower in students from the lower financial brackets and may prove to be a limiting factor in their decisions.  

Furthermore, it is important explore theories on time management and how socioeconomic factors affect how students utilize their time.  Depending on if students choose to apply their time to studying, partying, or outside employment, they may experience varying levels of academic success.  It is important to find trends correlated with socioeconomic status the management of time to accurately assess these effects.

In addition, career prospects post college have become increasingly more important with the rise of student loans.  Students’ must repay their loans immediately upon graduation, and they may hamper the ability of students to efficiently find relevant employment based on their college degree.  Students from lower socioeconomic classes may find an inability to accurately perform a lengthy job search as compared to their richer cohorts, resulting in underemployment.  

Research Plan, Case or Additional Questions

There are a wide varieties of topics that fall under this particular topic, and luckily, there are many scholarly journals that relate to it.  To effectively answer the posed research question, an extensive amount of literature must be consulted.  As is, the research question includes many facets, and can still be expanded.  It will be essential to clearly define each aspect of the question, including socioeconomic status, college success, and perceived inequality.  The question may be too broad to answer as is, but until enough research has been sifted through, it cannot be refined.

It is necessary for factual, statistical evidence be proposed throughout the paper to ensure empirical evidence supports the theories of the author.  Merely, anecdotal evidence would not suffice for a monetary based argument.  Therefore, the paper should include a strong mathematical graphs and charts that suppor the theories proposed.