Should I Stay or Should I Go? Perceived Barriers to Pursuing a University Education for Persons in Rural Areas

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Friesen, Laura Purc-Stephenson, Rebecca J.
Copyright Year	2016
Abstract	A university education can provide an individual with greater employment options, higher income potential, and improved health and quality of life, yet young persons from rural areas remain less likely to attend university than their urban counterparts. This study explores the perceived personal, social, and cultural factors that might create barriers for young persons from rural areas. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 individuals living in rural areas in Alberta, aged 18 to 23 years, who had not attended university. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, we identified 11 major themes, which were then organized into a conceptual model to illustrate the interacting nature of these factors and their influence on a person’s decision to pursue a university education. An examination of this model and its associated themes may help reveal the possible barriers young persons from rural areas experience when deciding whether or not to attend university. Resume Une formation universitaire peut permettre aux individus d’avoir un plus grand nombre d’options d’emploi et de meilleurs salaires, en plus d’ameliorer leur sante et leur qualite de vie. Malheureusement, les jeunes des milieux ruraux demeurent moins enclins a frequenter l’universite que leurs homologues citadins. Cette etude se penche sur les facteurs personnels et socioculturels percus qui pourraient eriger des barrieres limitant l’acces universitaire aux jeunes adultes des milieux ruraux. Une etude basee sur des entrevues semistructurees a ete realisee aupres de 17 individus âges de 18 a 23 ans habitant
Starting Page	138
Ending Page	155
Page Count	18
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
Volume Number	46
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1098268.pdf
Alternate Webpage(s)	http://journals.sfu.ca/cjhe/index.php/cjhe/article/download/185944/pdf_1
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article