Mistretta, Molly
(2014)
MAKING CHOICES: THE INFLUENCE OF THE PITTSBURGH PROMISE ON THE
COLLEGE-GOING DECISIONS OF PITTSBURGH PUBLIC AND CHARTER
SCHOOL STUDENTS.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
This study describes the college choice experiences of high school students eligible for the Pittsburgh Promise, a place-based merit-aid scholarship. The Pittsburgh Promise provides scholarships of up to $10,000 to eligible students graduating from Pittsburgh public and charter schools who enroll at postsecondary institutions within the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
This phenomenological study explored how the Pittsburgh Promise award influenced the college choice processes of 17 eligible award recipients. Participants in this study represented a variety of demographic backgrounds, as well as made enrollment decisions across the postsecondary educational spectrum. Using Hossler and Gallagher’s (1987) three-stage model of college choice and Perna’s (2006) conceptual model of college choice to examine students’ college choice experiences, this study found both theories provided a useful framework for understanding the college choice experiences of the study’s respondents. However, Perna’s (2006) focus on the influence of contextual experiences better illuminate obstacles students from low-income and minority backgrounds face when navigating the college choice process. This study also explored the ways in which the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship promoted human agency in the college choice process. Using Bandura’s (2006) theory of human agency, respondent experiences were analyzed for examples where the Pittsburgh Promise promoted choices and actions related to college matriculation. This study found that the Pittsburgh Promise positively influences human agency in the college choice process in several ways. The Promise scholarship directly affects college choice through programmatic efforts and financial awards. The Pittsburgh Promise has
also likely positively influenced a college-going culture within the Pittsburgh Public Schools and the larger Pittsburgh community. Those least likely to be directly influenced by the Pittsburgh Promise were students opting to attend elite postsecondary institutions ineligible for Promise funding.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
22 May 2014 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
10 December 2013 |
| Approval Date: |
22 May 2014 |
| Submission Date: |
21 April 2014 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
220 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Education > Administrative and Policy Studies |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
college choice, Pittsburgh Promise, place-based scholarship, qualitative research, phenomenological study, low income, first generation college students, minority college students, human agency |
| Date Deposited: |
22 May 2014 15:26 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 14:19 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/21380 |
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