Doctoral Dissertation Research: Paying for College and Uncertainty

职务名称：支付大学和不确定性这个项目将研究学生贷款债务，大学准入和美国梦之间的复杂关系。超过1.3万亿美元的美国学生贷款债务总额不断上升，引发了公众的担忧，但人们对学生借款人的经历知之甚少。研究表明，基于债务的经济援助影响大学入学和完成大学学业，但很少有研究探讨大学生如何理解他们的贷款使用与大学经历，抱负目标和未来计划的关系。该项目将扩大有关学生如何决策的知识，因为他们导航金融市场和金融风险，以满足他们的社会流动性和/或生活方式的目标。该项目产生的知识将对美国决策者、利益相关者和寻求或支持提供高等教育机会的有效和公平手段的公众成员具有价值。 为达到研究目的，本计画采用混合法纵向设计。第一阶段调查注册老年人（N=975）在公立旗舰大学，并收集了深入的采访与战略子样本的调查参与者（N=111）。这一阶段的主要目标是评估：1）学生对借贷支付大学学位的风险和社会合法性的看法; 2）如何通过大学采取的途径？包括专业的选择、生活方式和消费习惯？与支付方式有关; 3）债务资助的大学学位在学生如何想象他们的未来发展中发挥的作用。该项目的第二阶段将在学生毕业后约15-18个月重新访问最初的面试者进行第二次面试。第二阶段的目标是解决债务取向如何影响毕业后的生活策略，例如住在哪里，做什么工作，以及如何管理未来的财务风险。第二阶段还将用于比较学生毕业后对未来的看法如何变化。 结合起来，这两个阶段的研究将有助于公众和学术辩论的道德和影响，资助高等教育与学生贷款。

Title: Paying for College and UncertaintyThis project will examine the complex relationship between student loan debt, college access, and the American Dream. At over $1.3 trillion, rising total US student loan debt has sparked public concern, yet the experience of student borrowers is poorly understood. Research has shown that debt-based financial aid affects college access and college completion, but few studies have examined how college students understand their loan use in relation to the college experience, aspirational goals, and their plans for the future. The project will expand knowledge about how students make decisions as they navigate financial markets and financial risk in order to meet their social mobility and/or lifestyle goals. Knowledge generated by this project will be of value to US policymakers, stakeholders, and members of the public who seek, or support, efficient and fair means of providing access to higher education. To achieve its research objectives, the project employs a mixed-method longitudinal design. Phase 1 surveys registered seniors (N=975) at a public flagship university and collects in-depth interviews with a strategic subsample of survey participants (N=111). The main objective of this phase is to assess: 1) student perceptions of the risk and social legitimacy of borrowing to pay for a college degree; 2) how pathways taken through college?including choice of major, lifestyle and consumption habits?are framed in relation to means of paying for it; and 3) the role a debt-financed college degree plays in how students imagine their futures unfolding. Phase 2 of the project will revisit the original interviewees for a second interview approximately 15-18 months after the students have graduated. The objective of Phase 2 is to address how orientations to debt affect life strategies after graduation, such as where to live, what jobs to take, and how to manage future financial risk. Phase 2 will also be used to compare how student views of their futures change after graduation. Combined, the two phases of research will contribute to public and scholarly debate about the ethics and implications of financing higher education with student loans.