This article examines barriers to college persistence for low-income, single mothers at a public university in the Northeast, and the strategies the women used in their efforts to overcome the barriers. Data for the study were drawn from in-depth interviews with 14 current and former university students. The women's strategies and resources for persistence included faith in the benefits of a college education, building of social networks among students, faculty relationships, university services such as child care and financial aid, strategic compliance with TANF requirements, choice of more flexible academic programs, and support from family and community. The article concludes with the recommendations for policies to enhance single parents' college persistence.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ArnoldK. D. (1987). Values and vocation: The career aspirations of academically gifted females in the first five years after high school. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association. Washington, D.C.
2.
AstinA. W. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25, 297–308.
3.
AstinA. W. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
4.
BeanJ. P., & MetznerB. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of Educational Research, 55, 485–540.
5.
BeckerG. (1993). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education (3rd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
6.
BergerJ. B. (2001). Understanding the organizational nature of persistence: Empirically-based recommendations for practice. Journal of College Student Retention, 3(1), 3–21.
7.
DanowskiF. (1983). The single parent network: Addressing the needs of a subgroup of older students. Journal of College Student Personnel, 24(3), 280–281.
8.
DesJardinsS. L.AhlburgD. A., & McCallB. P. (1999). An event history model of student departure. Economics of Education Review, 18, 375–390.
9.
GittellM.GrossJ., & HoldawayJ. (1993). Building human capital: The impact of post-secondary education on AFDC recipients in five states. New York: Ford Foundation.
10.
GittellM., & MooreJ. (1989). Denying independence: Barriers to the education of women on AFDC. In HarlanS. & SteinbergR. (Eds.), Job Training for Women (pp. 445–479). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
11.
GittellM.SchehlM., & FareriC. (1990). From welfare to independence: The college option. New York: Howard Samuels State Management and Policy Center, the City University of New York.
12.
HagenJ. L., & LurieI. (1993). Child care service and JOBS: Local implementation. Albany, NY: Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.
13.
HosslerD. (1984). Enrollment management. New York: College Entrance Examination Board.
14.
HurtadoS.MilemJ. F.Clayton-PedersenA. R., & AllenW. R. (1998). Enhancing campus climates for racial/ethnic diversity through educational policy and practice. Review of Higher Education, 21(3), 279–302.
15.
HurtadoS.MilemJ. F.Clayton-PedersenA. R., & AllenW. R. (1999). Enacting diverse learning environments: Improving the campus climate for racial/ethnic diversity. ASHE/ERIC Higher Education Reports Series, 28(6). Washington, DC: The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
16.
KahnP., & PolakowV. (2000). Struggling to stay in school: Obstacles to postsecondary education under the welfare-to-work regime in Michigan. Center for the Education of Women, University of Michigan.
17.
KimballM. M. (1989). A new perspective on women's math achievement. Psychological Bulletin, 105(2), 198–214.
18.
MetznerB., & BeanJ. P. (1987). The estimation of a conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Research in Higher Education, 27, 15–38.
19.
MurtaughP. A.BurnsL. D., & SchusterJ. (1999). Predicting the retention of university students. Research in Higher Education, 40(3), 355–371.
20.
NoraA. (2001). The depiction of significant others in Tinto's “Rites of Passage”: A reconstruction of the influence of family and community in the persistence process. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 3(1), 41–56, 2001–2002.
21.
NoraA., & WedhamE. (1991, April). Off-campus experiences: The pull factors affecting freshman-year attrition on a commuter campus. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
22.
OakesJ. (1990). Lost talent: The under-participation of women, minorities, and disabled persons in sciences. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation.
23.
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (2000). Digest of Education Statistics, 1999. U.S. Department of Education.
24.
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (2001). Digest of Education Statistics, 2000. U.S. Department of Education.
25.
PandeyS.ZhanM.BarnesS. N., & MenonN. (2000). The higher education for poor women with children. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 17(4), 109–170.
26.
PascarellaE. T., & TerenziniP. T. (1991). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
27.
Regents of the University of Michigan (2000). The compelling need for diversity in higher education. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
28.
SchlossbergN. K.LynchA. Q., & ChickeringA. W. (1989). Improving higher education environments for adults: Responsive programs and services from entry to departure. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
29.
SchulmanK.BlankH., & EwenD. (2001). A fragile foundation: Child care assistance policies. Washington, DC: Children's Defense Fund.
30.
StampenJ. O., & CabreraA. F. (1986). Exploring the effects of student aid on attrition. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 16, 28–40.
31.
StampenJ. O., & CabreraA. F. (1988). Is the student aid system achieving its objectives? Evidence on targeting and attrition. Economics of Education Review, 7, 29–46.
32.
StoneV. N.NelsonJ. R., & NiemanJ. (1994). Poor single-mother college students' views on the effects of some primary sociological and psychological belief factors on their academic success. Journal of Higher Education, 65(5), 571–583.
33.
StraussA., & CorbinJ. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
34.
StrentaA. C. (1994). Choosing and leaving science in highly selective institutions. Research in Higher Education, 35(5), 513–547.
35.
TintoV. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45, 89–125.
36.
TintoV. (1987). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
37.
TintoV. (1988). Stages of student departure: Reflections on the longitudinal character of student leaving. Journal of Higher Education, 59, 438–455.
38.
TintoV. (1993). Leaving college. Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
WolfeL. R., & TuckerJ. (2000). Getting smart about welfare policy: Research on the impact of welfare reform on low-income women enrolled in college. Washington, DC: Center for Women's Policy Studies.
