Research Blog #8: Case

Case: Armstrong and Hamilton's "Paying for the Party"

I will be using the examples of Emma and Taylor and other characters in Armstrong and Hamilton's "Paying for the Party" to further drive my argument concerning Undecided students and the detrimental effects that it can have on a student's education. It will help me further develop my argument in the following areas:

• Parental Resources: One of my arguments is that parental resources and involvement is a major factor in their child's education. When a student has a parent who is an active participant in their education, they are more likely to make an informed decision and have support in following out tasks that support their decision. This relates to the term Developmental Task Theory: When young people are more engaged in their academic domain, they are more likely to actively engage in their career choice. Taylor's parents were able to help her find information about the requirements she needed to fulfill in order to get into graduate school–something that Emma did not have the support to do, therefore putting her behind.
• “However, Valerie’s father–unlike the parents of other bright strivers–had some college education and was aware of programs like the one that Valerie joined. Valerie was advantaged simply by knowing that such programs existed...It is unlikely that Valerie, without his involvement, would have realized that she should apply” (149).
• “[My parents] played a big role in it, and my mom always encouraged me to really get involved, and my dad, too, both of them. They helped me a lot in my process in terms of reaching and things I needed to do.” (183).
• “Emma’s parents, though college educated, were less familiar with academia then Taylor’s...It was not until junior year that Emma realized this career was not good match...Without a new viable goal, Emma was left adrift as she began her senior year” (184).
• “These stories highlight the central role that the achiever parents played in helping their children identify a field that fit their interests and abilities. Students who did not arrive focused could easily get lost, lured into sexy alternatives, or delayed by bouncing major to major” (184).
• “Parents of underachievers often had limited knowledge of what graduate programs or jobs really required” (185).

• Academic Advising: Another one of my arguments is that although most students who are undecided lack a parent who can guide them through the decision process, they still can seek out help from academic advisors. However, many students are hesitant to seek out academic advisors because they feel as if they won't be helpful or won't give them advice that they are looking for. These students have what is known as Delayed Development: students who are unaware or unwilling to learn decision-making skills.
• “The most common problem for underachievers was a never-resolved mismatch between their aspirations and their preferences or abilities. For example, Olivia was a premed major and English double major until sophomore year, when she realized that she did not actually enjoy science classes...One might think that an advisor could have prevented this. However, no one had suggested dropping the pre med major” (185).
• “Olivia found that advisors were not helpful even on the basics, like what classes were required for her majors. As she noted: ‘I find it pointless...They’re just there...I don’t see them [much]... and a lot of times they’re wrong about what you need and what you don’t need and I just don't want to fall on them...for everything that I need’” (185).

• Post-College Transition --> "Delayed Adulthood": The final argument of my paper will be the effects that remaining undecided has on a student's outcome as an adult. They experience what is called Delayed Adulthood or the more optimistic term, Emerging Adulthood: graduate college students who only partially transition into traditional adult roles after college due to their delayed-adulthood and lack of career motivation. As shown in the examples below, Taylor was prepared for adulthood while Emma had difficulty finding a job while living at home with her parents and not having the resources to network.
• “Achievers were the products of successful social reproduction: Parental resources–time, money, social connections, and familiarity with college and the professional world–helped them to extract the credentials and experiences they needed from the university’s professional pathway” (197).
• “The task for underachievers was more daunting. Their experiences on the professional pathway were less rewarding, leaving them unfinished. The burden remained on their families to create self-supporting professionals in the face of less than ideal academic records” (197).
• “After graduation, Emma had hoped to leave her hometown–a working-class city hard hit by the recession. She quickly ran into problems...Her parents did not have job connections in Capital City, nor were they able to assist financially by setting her up there as she hunted for work. Eager to help, they offered her free room and board at home. This had the unintended effect of further restricting her from job opportunities” (207).