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The Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success acknowledges Indigenous peoples across Australia as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which the nation’s campuses are situated. With a history spanning more than 60,000 years as the original educators, Indigenous peoples hold a unique place in our nation. We recognise the importance of their knowledge and culture, and reflect the principles of participation, equity, and cultural respect in our work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and consider it an honour to learn from our Indigenous colleagues, partners, and friends.

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You are reading: Parental expectations for young people’s participation in higher education in Australia

Michael Dockery, Richard Seymour, and Paul Koshy

Published in Studies in Higher Education
August 2017

Abstract

This paper examines factors affecting parental expectations of higher education prospects for their children using Australian household survey data. We find that a variety of factors influence parental expectations, of which parents’ assessment of their children’s academic performance is the strongest. Factors known to impact upon actual higher education participation, such as parental education and remoteness, are already evident in parental expectations, but with limited evidence of expectations being shaped by financial constraints. We also find evidence of a ‘same gender’ effect, with mothers exhibiting higher expectations for higher education for their daughters. This may be in part due to significantly lower expectations held by fathers with sub-bachelor qualifications. These factors contribute to higher expectations overall for girls entering university. The research points to the importance of interventions commencing in early childhood, and accounting for key household background characteristics when designing, implementing and evaluating programmes for widening participation in higher education.

Dockery, Michael, Richard Seymour, and Paul Koshy. 2017. “Parental expectations for young people’s participation in higher education in Australia.”Studies in Higher Education. Taylor and Francis Online. 41(9): 1-16. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2017.1363730

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Parental expectations for young people’s participation in higher education in Australia
M Dockery, R Seymour, P Koshy, 2017
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