A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing: How Perceptions of Costs ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

So, there is definite evidence both that a) Canadians mis-estimate the costsand benefits of education and that b) the extent of this mis-estimation isinversely related to income. This is an important result because - in theoryat least - this problem should represent a major deterrent to the pursuit ofhigher education by low-income individuals. Care should be taken in puttingtoo much weight on theory, however. While the results of this investigationclearly show the potential deterrent effect of poor information on access, itdoes not represent actual empirical proof of such an effect. Such findingsawait a more definitive study.Policy Implications and Future ResearchThe main policy implications of these results are twofold:Where costis an accessissue,overestimationsof costexacerbatethe problem,particularlyamong low-incomefamilies1. The precise effects of educational costs upon access to post-secondaryeducation are unknown. Given the results of this paper, however, wecan be certain, that to the extent cost is an issue, overestimations of costmust be exacerbating the problem, particularly among low-incomefamilies. Governments at all levels that are interested in reducingbarriers to education need to pay attention to this issue and ensure thatfamilies have better information about educational costs. The sameholds true for educational benefits.2. If it is true that Canadians tend to view the benefits of post-secondaryeducation in other than monetary terms, then this may help to explaintheir resistance to post-secondary education financing solutions thatrely on personal borrowing. While increased borrowing to make a“good investment” might seem a reasonable expectation, the attractivenessof this proposition declines if the positive nature of the return isperceived to be non-monetary. In this context, schemes that combinehigh tuition with high aid, however attractive they may seem in theory,are therefore unlikely to be perceived as fair by citizens until a betterunderstanding of costs and benefits is reached.Obviously, this result has serious implications for policies relating to access,cost-sharing and student loans. Left unexplored in this research is why individualshave such a poor understanding of the costs and benefits of educationand how their understanding can be improved. These would appear tobe urgent research tasks, given the magnitude of the policy problem hereindescribed.Educational Policy Institute 19
BibliographyAcumen Research Group (2002). University Applicant Survey Final ReportAndres-Bellamy (1993): Life Trajectories, Action and Negotiating theTransition from High-School in P. Anisef and P. Axelrod (eds.) Transitions:Schooling and Employment in Canada.Anisef , P and Sweet, R., (2002) Financial Planning for Post-SecondaryEducation: A Social-Demographic Profile of Canadian Families. PacificDemographics: Vancouver. Unpublished.Bernstein, Peter L. (1996) Against the Gods. John Wiley and Sons: NewYork.Boothby, G and McMullen, K (2002) At a Crossroads: First Results for the18 to 20-Year-Old Cohort of the Youth in Transition Survey. StatisticsCanada: Ottawa.Brunson, L, Butt, K and Deziel, Y (2002): Deciding about Post-SecondaryEducation: Hearing the Voices of Non-Attendees. Canada Millennium ScholarshipFoundation: Montreal.Canadian Association of University Teachers (2003). Tuition fee increasesdeterring qualified students. Available at: http://www.caut.ca/english/publications/news_releases/20030812statscan.aspEvans, K (2002). “Challenging Inequality, Choosing Inclusion: HigherEducation in Social Landscapes” in A. Hayton and A Paczuska (eds.)Access, Participation and Higher Education: Policy and Practice. Kogan Page:London.Finnie, R (2004b) The Case for Student Loans: Why, When, How. Paper forCMEC-OECD-Canada Seminar, May 2004. Toronto: Council of Ministersof Education. Available at http://www.cmec.ca/stats/quebec2004/Finnie.en.pdfGoldthorpe, J H, (1998) “Rational action theory for sociology”, BritishJournal of Sociology, vol 49, no. 2, pp. 267-92. 1998.Heller, D. (1999) “The effects of tuition and state financial aid on publiccollege enrolments”, Review of Higher Education. Vol 23, no 1, pp. 65-89.1999.Hemingway, F. (2003) Assessing Canada’s Student Aid Need AssessmentPolicies. Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation: Montreal.Educational Policy Institute 20
Page 3: Erholung am Gartenteichdas ganze Ja
Page 8 and 9: IntroductionThe literature on acces
Page 10 and 11: well-understood, so that families a
Page 12: The Unit of AnalysisMost consumer g
Page 17 and 18: tion costs and foregone income, but
Page 19 and 20: Figure 3 - “Subjective” Cost-Be
Page 21: The Disconnect Between Stated Belie
Page 25: www.educationalpolicy.orgCopyright

A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing: How Perceptions of Costs ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?