The Impact of Parental Education on College Graduation Rates- A Social Class Perspective
The children of parents with degrees have a higher probability of completing their degrees due to social and economic reasons. Parents have a high probability of passing down their social standing to their children, and therefore, highly educated parents are likely to have highly educated children and vice versa (Griffiths & Keirns 186). Most parents who have completed their college degrees tend to come from upper-class families. Consequently, the upper class offers such individuals various benefits and power to control various things in society. They can pass down their wealth to their children and help them behave like individuals from the upper class, which would include going to college and completing their degrees. The fact that they have sufficient money implies that they are able to take care of the college expenses. First-generation college students are likely to come from lower socioeconomic status, implying that they have less money to take care of their college costs (Bird).
Furthermore, such students do not have the advantage of having parents who have first-hand experience in college to guide them in the process of their college-going. The educational expectations of children from parents who did not go to college are also low, implying that there would be little push to complete college in the first place (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics 10). Generally, the NCES claims that family income, academic preparation, educational expectation, and parental involvement are among the key factors determining an individual’s enrolment and completion of a college degree(U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics 8). Since parents who completed college (who are also likely to be higher up the social class) tend to be more involved in their children’s education and life in general and have higher educational expectations, they take time to prepare their children for college. Their economic position grants their children an easy entry into colleges and ensures successful completion.
Upward mobility is an upward shift or increase in one’s social class, whereas downward mobility is the lowering of an individual’s social class (Griffiths & Keirns 193). The upward/downward social mobility can be explained in terms of the functionalism theory. Functionalism theory reveals that different societal aspects exist because they serve a certain purpose. There are certain tasks in society that are considered more valuable than others. As a result, individuals performing these tasks or possessing the skills to perform these tasks are usually rewarded better than others who do not (Griffiths & Keirns 196). This theory is founded on the idea that social stratification exists in order to promote efficiency, productivity, and excellence, hence giving individuals something they can strive for. In this regard, individuals, through their hard work and productivity, are able to move their social status upward. For instance, an individual who desires a lot of money and wealth would work hard in their education to gain the necessary skills needed in high-paying jobs like those in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. As a result, such an individual will be able to move up the ladder if, for instance, they come from low social status to a middle or even upper social status.
On the other hand, an individual is likely to move to lower the social status if, for instance, they drop out of school and cannot gain the necessary skills that can help them land a well-paying job. Education is usually considered a key tool in enhancing one’s probability of upward social mobility. If an individual drops out of school, they are unlikely to get a well-paying job, and even if they come from an upper or middle-income family, they can move down the ladder to a low social status. This movement is even easier from a middle social status to a low social status.
Works Cited
Bird, Grace. The Impact of Parents’ Education Levels. 2018, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/02/08/students-postsecondary-education-arcs-affected-parents-college-backgrounds-study
Griffiths, Heather, and Nathan Keirns. “[eTextbook] Introduction to Sociology 2e.” (2015).
Parents Did Not Go to College: Postsecondary Access, Persistence, and Attainment. NCES 2001–126, by Susan Choy. Washington, DC: 2001.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Students Whose
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Question 
1.” According to the Center for Student Opportunity, a national nonprofit, 89 percent of first-generation students will not earn an undergraduate degree within six years of starting their studies. These students “drop out of college at four times the rate of peers whose parents have postsecondary degrees” (Center for Student Opportunity quoted in Huot 2014).
The Impact of Parental Education on College Graduation Rates- A Social Class Perspective
Why do students with parents who have completed college tend to graduate more often than those students whose parents do not hold degrees? Explain based on social classes in society.
2. Social class, as a macro level of analysis in sociology, is an open system with different types of social mobility (see pages 192-193 ): upward vs. Downward/Intergenerational vs. Intragenerational/Structural Mobilities.
Explain ONE of Upward vs. Downward, Intrageneration/Intergenerational OR Structural mobilities based on ONE of the social stratification theories; here is the list of theories:
Functionalism: Latent/Manifest and Functions/Dysfunctions of social classes in societies and cultures
-Davis-Moore thesis
Social Conflict: Social tensions and inequalities of social classes in societies and cultures
-Karl Marx; Proletariat vs. Bourgeoisie
Symbolic Interaction: Social meanings of social classes in societies and cultures
-Conspicuous consumptions