Author ORCID Identifier
Jayson Seaman - https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6555-6171
Abstract
This study examined the normative messages that inform youth postsecondary decision making in a predominantly rural state in the northeastern U.S., focusing on the institutionalization and circulation of identity master narratives. Using a multilevel, ecological approach to sampling, the study interviewed 33 key informants in positions of influence in educational, workforce, and quality of life domains. Narrative analysis yielded evidence of a predominant master narrative – College for All – that participants described as a prescriptive expectation that youth and families orient their postsecondary planning toward four-year, residential baccalaureate degree programs. Both general and domain-specific aspects of this master narrative are elaborated, as well as findings indicating that the College for All ideology appears to both obscure and stigmatize the development and institutionalization of alternative postsecondary pathways. Implications for rural communities, rural mobility, and future research on narratives informing postsecondary options for youth are discussed.
Date Created
December 7, 2023
Department
Recreation Management and Policy; New Hampshire Youth Retention Initiative
Publication Date
12-7-2023
Subject
Youth Development
Grant/Award Number and Agency
UNH Collaborative Research Excellence Program
Journal Title
Frontiers in Education
Language
English
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1257731
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Seaman J, Coppens AD, Hartman CL, Sharp EH, Jusseaume S and Donovan M (2023) Youth identity and postsecondary decision making in a rural state: evidence of a College for All master narrative. Front. Educ. 8:1257731. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1257731
Included in
Developmental Psychology Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Education Policy Commons, Higher Education Commons, Rural Sociology Commons, Vocational Education Commons