Introduction
Nowadays the choice of higher education plays an important role in professional self-determination. Making the choice is not easy as the market of educational services is very wide and varied. To help their children to decide, parents are trying to contribute the right solution resulting in various aspects comprising gender, social class, and ethnic issues.
A Statement of the Research Problem
The article “Gender Issues in Parental Involvement in Student Choices of Higher Education” by David, Ball, Davies, and Reay (2003) provides the reader with information on the impact of gender on parents’ involvement in higher education of their children.
The authors of the article claim that frequently gender is the main determinant of intention to enter a university, particularly girls are often tending to have higher education. Besides, among decisive factors, there might be the number of books in the library and visiting foreign countries (in other words, cultural value), as well as career-oriented factors and higher incomes. In contrast, entertainment orientation becomes an important self-limiting factor. As the research shows, a considerable factor in the choice of university is the father’s education that is more significant than the mother’s. Moreover, parents tend to be “more actively engaged in the education of their daughters rather than that of their sons” (Jeynes, 2011, p. 107). Particularly, it might be connected with the so-called “habitus”, in other words, traditions of the family. Perhaps, that is one of the reasons why girls choose university education more often than their male peers do. In addition, according to David, Ball, Davies, and Reay (2003), “lower-middle-class mothers were intensively involved with encouraging their daughters, across racial and ethnic boundaries” (p. 35). According to the research, mothers are more likely to participate in interviews and speak of their children’s future at the university.
Analysis of the Data
The study was based on interviews with students and their parents. The targeted population was 120 young people from six different institutions in London. There were 22 mothers of female and nine mothers of male students while the whole number of fathers interviewed was only seven. To reveal reliable information, the authors used an interview tool speaking with parents and their children and asking questions like when did you first start to think about what your child would do when he or she left school? (for parents) or would you like to have higher education? (for children). After that, the authors collected, analyzed, and presented the received data according to different topics comprising gender and the expansion of higher education, student and parental involvement, mother’s and father’s perspectives, and the role of “habitus” in higher education involvement. Qualitative research method was used in the given article as it involves the collection of information in a free form and focuses on the understanding, explanation, and interpretation of empirical data that is the source of speculation and productive ideas. In my opinion, it would be better to use a mixed design of investigation because a quantitative method comprises conducting various surveys based on the use of structured questions of the closed type that corresponds to a large number of respondents (Goertz & Mahoney, 2012). For instance, it would be better if the number of interviewed parents and students was accompanied by an explanation of the current situation.
Speaking of the effect size of the results compared to the sample, population, and data collection procedure, it should be mentioned that the results might be implemented into the choice of higher education. I consider that the article would be helpful to decide on higher education for both parents and students. The results of this study could be generalized to the population to some extent as the research contains several nations among which Afro-American, Bengali, Asian, and other nation’s respondents. In addition, it seems like there is no potential violation in the internal and external validity of this investigation as the authors provide the reader with necessary explanations, interpretations, and excerpts from interviews. Accordingly, it was appropriate to conduct such a study due to its existent reliability and validity.
Strength and Weaknesses in the Procedural Design
Speaking of the procedural design flaws, the thing worth turning one’s attention to is the shortage of illustrative material such as tables, diagrams, drawings, statistic material. It would be better if the article included some proven data or statistics organized in diagrams or graphs.
However, the analysis of the data that was made by the authors can be proved. It could not be easily argued and denied, as there is evidence of it being taken from credible sources. Therefore, the information presented in the article appears to be accurate and trustworthy.
Limited and Justifiable Conclusions
In the conclusion, David et al. pointed out the main trends and changes that are connected to parental involvement in higher education system. David et al. use an interview method of the research procedure to prove their point of view. They present a systematic description of what happened to parental involvement in higher education throughout its development. The tendency of the issue is that more girls than boys choose to enter the university over a period of time. Consequently, one may conclude that the goal desired by the authors was achieved because they provided a reader with useful and comprehensible information.
References
David, M. E., Ball, S. J., Davies, J., & Reay, D. (2003). Gender issues in parental involvement in student choices of higher education. Gender and Education, 15(1), 21-36.
Goertz, G., & Mahoney, J. (2012). A tale of two cultures qualitative and quantitative research in the social sciences. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
Jeynes, W. (2011). Parental involvement and Academic Success. New York: Taylor & Francis/Routledge.