College Aspirations and Access in Working-Class Rural Communities

This book explores how a working-class rural environment influences students’ collegiate aspirations and access. Centered on a case study of the concepts of college knowledge and university jargon in rural public high schools, it offers analysis as well as strategies for helping students and counselors learn academic language.

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College Aspirations and Access in Working Class Rural Communities: The Mixed Signals, Challenges, and New Language First-Generation Students Encounter explores how a working class, rural environment influences rural students’ opportunities to pursue higher education and engage in the college choice process. Based on a case study with accounts from rural high school students and counselors, this book examines how these communities perceive higher education and what challenges arise for both rural students and counselors. The book addresses how college knowledge and university jargon illustrate the gap between rural cultural capital and higher education cultural capital. Insights about approaches to reduce barriers created by college knowledge and university jargon are shared and strategies for offering rural students pathways to learn academic language and navigate higher education are presented for both secondary and higher education institutions.