Rural High School Aspirations Study

This three-year research project is designed to generate new information about the educational opportunities and needs of rural high school students in relation to their current educational opportunities and their preparation for adulthood. Using surveys and interviews of students, parents, teachers, and key school administrators, the specific purposes of the study are to address three distinct but related tensions: (1) place-based education vs. national standardized college preparatory curricula; (2) commitment to the community and rural life vs. career and lifestyles opportunities; and (3) pursuing educational and personal goals that may reflect cosmopolitan values while simultaneously maintaining rural linkages and identity. The study involves a national survey of over 8000 high school students (grades 9-12), their parents, teachers, and administrators. The students represent 73 randomly selected rural high schools from geographically and economically diverse communities across the United States. Survey data were collected in the early spring of 2008 and included a focus on educational and career aspirations, adult residential plans, relevancy of academic curriculum, career planning activities, school performance and engagement, and school social networks. Parents and teachers were asked to complete forms that parallel the student surveys. In addition, focus groups were conducted in 12 school sites to provide an in-depth analysis of the role of school-community relations on the future aspirations of rural youth. The study will examine commonalities and differences across geographic, economic, community, and school characteristics, with the goal of generating information that can be directly translated into the development and evaluation of high school intervention programs for rural youth.

Why This Matters

Current educational policies and practices focus on schools in suburban and metropolitan areas of the country even though rural schools comprise nearly 40% of the national school population. Research to facilitate the post-secondary transition of rural youth is not readily available. Before effective high school reform programs can be developed for rural districts, there is a need to clarify tensions between various perspectives (i.e., students, parents, educators), to identify the types of outcomes that are desired by the various groups, and to gain their viewpoints on the types of programs that work best to prepare rural youth for adult life. The goal of the Rural High School Aspirations project is to generate information regarding the future aspirations of rural youth and the availability of high schools programs and activities to help them prepare for their futures.

Rural High School Aspirations Staff

Dr. Judith Meece— Principal Investigator

Dr. Thomas Farmer— Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Kim Dadisman— Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Glen Elder— Investigator

Dr. Matthew Irvin—Investigator

Dr. Vonnie McLoyd—Investigator

Dr. Kai Schafft - Investigator (2009-2010)

Dr. Dylan Robertson— Investigator (2006-2007)

Dr. Soo-yong Byun - Postdoctoral Scholar (2007-2010)

Dr. Margaret Weiss - Research Scientist (2009-2010)

Rural High School Aspirations Study and Affiliated Research Publications

Estell, D., B., Farmer, T. W., Irvin, M. J., Hutchins, B. C., McDonough, E. (2007). Patterns of middle school adjustment and ninth grade adaptation of rural African American youth: Grades and substance use. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 477-487.

Farmer, T. W., Dadisman, K., Latendresse, S. J., Thompson, J., Irvin, M. J., Zhang, L. (2006). Educating out and giving back: Adults' conceptions of successful outcomes of African American high school students from impoverished rural communities. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 21 (10).

Farmer, T.W., Irvin, M., Thompson, J.H., Hutchins, B.C., & Leung, M. (2006). Social adjustment and the academic success of rural African American early adolescents. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 21(3), 1-14.

Irvin, M.J., Farmer, T. W., Leung, M-C, Thompson, J. H., & Hutchins, B. C. (in press). School, community, and church activities: Relationship to academic achievement of low-income African American early adolescents in the rural Deep South. Journal of Research in Rural Education.

Irvin, M.J., Petersen, S., Meece, J. & Farmer, T. Educational expectations of rural African American adolescents: Longitudinal relations with math and English achievement. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Schaefer, V. (2009). I have a dream? Rural adolescents’ educational aspirations and achievement. Unpublished dissertation study, University of North Carolina-CH.

Rural High School Aspirations Study Presentations

Askew, K.J., Meece, J.L., Irvin, M., Byun, S., & Hutchins, B.C. (2010, March). Rural adolescents' extracurricular activity involvement. Paper presented at biennial meeting of Society for Research on Adolescence, Philadelphia, PA.

Byun, S., Meece, J., & Irvin, M. (2010, May). Rural-nonrural differences in educational attainment: Results from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988-2000. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.

Byun, S., Meece, J., & Irvin, M. (2010, May). Rurality, social capital, and college completion. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.

Dadisman, K. & Cleary, M. (2007, October). Rural students’, parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of the transition from high school to adult life. Paper presented at the Research Symposium of the National Rural Education Association, Oklahoma City, OK.

Hutchins, B. (2009, October). Where do rural high school students go to find information about their futures? Results of the Rural High Aspirations Study. Paper presented at the Research Symposium of the National Rural Education Association, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hutchins, B., Meece, J., Byun, S., Locke, B., Shaffer, L., Sogo, W., & Wilson, P. (2010, March) Educational and occupational aspiration alignment among rural high school youth. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society of Research on Adolescence, Philadelphia, PA.

Irvin, M.J., Petersen, S., Meece, J., & Farmer, T.W. (2009, April). Educational expectations of rural African American adolescents. Longitudinal relations with math and English achievement. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.

Meece, J. (2009, November). Overview of rural high school aspirations study. Presentation at the Supporting Rural Schools and Communities Research Conference, Chapel Hill, NC.

Meece, J. (2009, November). Schooling influences on rural youths’ educational aspirations. Presentation at the Supporting Rural Schools and Communities Research Conference, Chapel Hill, NC.

Meece, J., & Farmer, T. W. (2009, June). The rural high school aspirations study. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Institute of Educational Sciences, Washington, D.C.

Meece, J., & Farmer, T. W. (2008, June). The rural high school aspirations study. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Institute of Educational Sciences, Washington, D.C.

Schaefer, V. & Meece, J. (2009, April). Facing an uncertain future: The educational aspirations and achievement of rural youth. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. San Diego, CA.