In this proposed research, we plan to investigate (a) the secondary and postsecondary educational attainment of rural youth; and (b) the role of curricular and extracurricular experiences in the educational attainment of rural youth. Little research has sought to clarify the factors and processes underlying the educational attainment of rural youth. Yet, over 50% of U.S. districts and 10 million students are located in rural areas. In addition, rural youth have the lowest rates of school completion in the U.S. when they live in high poverty areas and, in general, rural youth less often complete a bachelor's degree. We will use a national data set to examine how rurality, poverty, and curricular and extracurricular experiences coalesce in relation to the educational attainment of rural youth. We will also investigate whether this is different for urban and suburban youth and use propensity score matching to examine causal relations.
The proposed study is designed to conduct longitudinal analyses of the role that curricular and extracurricular experiences have in the educational attainment of rural youth. Rural youth have not been the focus of such research. Yet, they comprise 30% of the U.S. student population and have lower levels of secondary (e.g., higher rates of school dropout) and postsecondary (e.g., less apt to enroll in a 4-year college) educational attainment. Propensity score matching methods will be used to estimate causal effects. The results of this work would be important to public health as these may prevent underachievement and identify educational practices (e.g., provide advanced mathematics courses or opportunities for participation in school activities) that can improve the educational attainment of rural youth.
| Byun, Soo-Yong; Irvin, Matthew J; Bell, Bethany A (2015) Advanced Math Course Taking: Effects on Math Achievement and College Enrollment. J Exp Educ 83:439-468 |
