Does variation lead to stratification? Understanding the role of information utilized by students in their college enrollment and choice

A college education is important for society and individuals. However, not all high school graduates pursue a postsecondary degree. Elements that reduce the rate of college enrollment, particularly for low-income students and students of color, fall primarily into three categories: that include poor academic and social preparedness, financial hardship, and insufficient information. This study focused on the role of information with the knowledge that low-income students and students of color often lack sufficient and timely information about college preparation, matriculation, and success. This lack of information was thought to be a cause of the overrepresentation of low-income and minority students at two-year institutions. Understanding predictors of choice between a two-year and four-year institution is important to explore because many of the known benefits from college attendance are enhanced by graduating from a four-year institution. A partial replication of an earlier study and using multinomial logistic regression and social capital theory, this study explored the relationship between use of different sources of college entrance information and the dependent variable, type of postsecondary institution attended (i.e., two-year or four-year college compared to no enrollment). The study was conducted using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), the most current national longitudinal dataset available and thus an important contribution to previous research in this area. The primary independent variables included in the study measured family and peer, school, and college sources of college entrance information, as derived from the ELS:2002 questionnaire. This dissertation identified patterns of information use based on socioeconomic status, gender, race, and academic achievement. The findings from this study showed that sources of information do not account for observed differences in college enrollment and choice across these groups. Results from the multivariate analyses revealed that, after controlling for other variables, reported use of different sources of information has a limited relationship to postsecondary enrollment choices and does not account for observed differences in college enrollment and choice. The results of this study highlight the need for additional research in this area