Review of Much of the research on student decision-making employs economic and
Literature sociological theoretical frameworks to examine the phenomenon of college
choice (Hearn, 1984; Jackson, 1978; Tierney, 1983). These frameworks have been
used to develop conceptual models of the choice process.
There are three strands of theoretical approaches used to examine the college
choice process. These three strands produce 1) economic models, 2) status-
attainment models, and 3) combined models.
We chose a combined model for our study. The factors most commonly
associated with a comprehensive college choice model include student
background characteristics (Hanson & Litten, 1982; Jackson, 1982), aspirations
(Chapman, 1984; Hossler et al., 1989; Jackson, 1982), educational achievement
(Hanson & Litten, 1982; Jackson, 1982), social environment (Hossler &
Gallagher, 1987), financial variables ( St. John, 1990, 1991; Somers, 1993), net
cost (Chapman, 1984; St. John & Starkey, 1995), institutional climate (Chapman,
1984; Hanson & Litten, 1982), and institutional characteristics (Hanson & Litten,
1982; Hossler et al., 1989).
We use the comprehensive college choice model shown in Figure 1:
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b
les
ound
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acteristics
a
tions
aria
ear Colleg ear Colleg
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Bac Char Student Aspir High Sc Experience Price & Subsidies Expected Colleg Experience BPS V T F
our-Y
PREDISPOSITION CHOICE SEARCH
This model is based on a three-stage college choice process. It includes all of
the previously identified factors that have been found to influence the college
choice process.
Research Questions
We examine factors that influence the two-year college choice process of
students using the National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey, 1996 (NPSAS:96)
and the Beginning Postsecondary Survey (BPS) datasets. The following
questions guided this study:
• What factors (background, aspirations, high school experiences, college
experiences, price and subsidies, and Beginning Postsecondary Survey
variables) significantly influence the decision to enroll in a two-year college?
• How much variance do these factors explain in the two-year/four-year choice
dichotomy?
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators 5
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