Educational Barriers of Rural Youth: Relation of Individual and Contextual Difference Variables

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation of several individual and contextual difference factors to the perceived educational barriers of rural youth. Data were from a broader national investigation of students ’ postsecondary aspirations and preparation in rural high schools across the United States. The sample involved more than 7,000 rural youth in 73 high schools across 34 states. Results indicated that some individual (e.g., African American race/ethnicity) and contextual (e.g., parent education) difference factors were predictive while others were not. Extensions to, similarities, and variations with previous research are discussed. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are also discussed. Keywords rural, educational barriers, individual differences, contextual differences, high school It is important to study perceived educational barriers as these can prevent youth from formulating or pursuing particular postsecondary aspirations (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994). Furthermore, iden-tifying individual differences in perceived barriers is especially important among youth that may encounter difficulties in reaching their postsecondary goals (Brown & Lent, 1996; Lent et al., 1994; Luzzo & McWhirter, 2001). One problem apparent in the literature examining perceived bar-riers and individual differences in these is that studies have largely not involved rural youth (Ali