DESCRIBING THE COLLEGE CHOICE PROCESS OF TRADITIONAL AGED STUDENTS AT WASHBURN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

Selecting a college is a significant and complicated decision for students. The purpose of this study is to describe the college choice process of traditional aged students at Washburn Institute of Technology (Washburn Tech), Topeka, KS. This study pertains to a Spring 2018 cohort of part-time and full-time Washburn Tech students, who completed their secondary education between 2013 and 2017. A forty-six-question, descriptive survey was developed to assess the targeted population’s college aspirations, search methods, and choice process. Seventy-one of the 295 potential Washburn Tech students participated. Kansas Career Technical Education institutions have become a viable postsecondary option for students. There is a lack of existing research concerning Kansas high school students’ selection of sub-baccalaureate programs. Identifying why these specific Kansas students have become interested in Washburn Tech will fill a void in the college choice literature. This study’s theoretical framework is based on Hossler and Gallagher’s 1987 three-stage college choice model. By acquiring accurate, systematic data from a descriptive survey, an assessment of Washburn Tech students’ college aspirations, search methods, and choice process is illustrated. This study provides a foundational description of Washburn Tech students’ college-choice process, revealing patterns and connections for assessing needs, and identifying areas for further research. Survey findings concluded that the sample, representing a quarter of Washburn Tech’s traditional aged students, followed the same college choice process as any other traditional aged college student, supporting and complementing existing literature. The study describes a sample of students who decided before high school that securing their future required a viable postsecondary technical education. Results support research that technical institutions are appealing to low-income students. New discoveries were made, including that survey participants identified themselves as being motivated to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. This was supported by the discovery that participants considered an institution’s job-placement and academic reputation important influences on selecting Washburn Institute of Technology. This descriptive college choice study successfully satisfies a small piece in the large puzzle of understanding the CTE student’s college choice process. Data analysis revealed several beneficial implications. The study’s conclusions can potentially aid prospective students in making their own college choice, it can assist Washburn Tech in meeting stakeholders’ expectations, and act as catalyst for future researchers in further understanding the CTE student’s post-secondary decision journey. Finally, this study advances Washburn Tech’s efforts to adopt a timely, responsive retention plan, placing in the foreground their students’ needs and expectations.