Educational expectations: a life course perspective

Ardavan Darab Davaran

Researchers have long sought to understand the determinants of educational aspirations and expectations because of their positive relationship with educational attainment. While there is a large literature focused on the determinants of educational expectations prior to high school completion, there is less research focused on the determinants of educational expectations after high school. Therefore we know substantially less about the factors that influence the post-high school educational expectations of nontraditional students who have not followed the normative age graded life course. I use qualitative data gathered from in depth interviews with mothers from low socioeconomic standings enrolled in New Orleans community colleges when Hurricane Katrina hit, August 29th, 2005. The women interviewed were participants in the Opening Doors program, an experiment designed to study the effect of financial assistance and college advising on community college student's retention and graduation rates, so the interviews include information appropriate for studying the post-high school educational expectations of nontraditional students facing adversity. The interviews revealed that education, work, and family experiences influenced students' educational expectations. Most notably, having children was identified as a critical factor that influenced the women to raise their educational aspirations. They wanted to create a better life for their children and believed the most effective way to do so was to further their education. Additionally, employment experiences influenced the women to raise their educational aspirations when they were not satisfied with their current career paths and were able to identify concrete pathways to career development. Whether their educational expectations aligned with these aspirations was dependent on their ability to manage role conflict that emerged for the women trying to juggle three statuses - student, employee, and mother. Finally, their previous educational experiences in low quality New Orleans public schools had lasting effects, compelling many of the women to enroll in remedial courses at community college, often leading to lowered expectations. As the transition to adulthood has become increasingly prolonged and diverse, learning about factors that influence the post-high school educational expectations of nontraditional students is salient to educators and educational institutions so that they can better serve these populations.

Educational expectations: a life course perspective

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