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ERIC Number: EJ1172898
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Apr
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0038-0407
EISSN: N/A
Providing a ''Leg Up'': Parental Involvement and Opportunity Hoarding in College
Hamilton, Laura; Roksa, Josipa; Nielsen, Kelly
Sociology of Education, v91 n2 p111-131 Apr 2018
Although higher education scholars are increasingly exploring disparities within institutions, they have yet to examine how parental involvement contributes to social-class variation in students' experiences. We ask, what role do parents play in producing divergent college experiences for students from different class backgrounds? Relying on interviews with 41 families, including mothers, fathers, and their daughters, we find that affluent parents serve as a ''college concierge,'' using class resources to provide youth with academic, social, and career support and access to exclusive university infrastructure. Less affluent parents, instead, describe themselves as ''outsiders'' who are unable to help their offspring and find the university unresponsive to their needs. Our findings suggest that affluent parents distinguish their children's college experiences from those of peers, extending ''effectively maintained inequality'' beyond the K-12 education. Universities may be receptive of these efforts due to funding shifts that make recruiting affluent, out-of-state families desirable.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A