Hello from the Penn State University Rural Youth
Education (RYE) Project staff!
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The
purpose of the Rural Youth Education Study is to increase
understanding of the educational, career and residential plans of
youth in rural Pennsylvania. In order to do this, we also need to
find out about the factors that influence plans and student success
in achieving their plans. The study has a longitudinal design,
which means the same students will be included in the study over
time. This means that we can actually ask and report about how
frequently students change their plans as they get older, and we can
identify the factors that are associated with changes in plans.
This has important implications for understanding student success in
achieving their goals, and factors that pose barriers to goal
achievement or that correspond with changes in life goals.
WHY RURAL YOUTH?
Some assume that rural youth are similar to youth in
suburban and urban areas, and in many ways they are. Modern
communications technologies mean that youth across the country (for
the most part) have access to the same news, music, reading
materials and television. This doesn’t mean that all youth like the
same types of music, for example, or have the same beliefs. Youth
also are influenced by their families, relatives, friends, teachers
and the people and conditions where they live. Because the places in
which youth live can differ on their values, culture, educational
opportunities and job prospects, youth plans for the future are
affected. More often in rural areas youth are encouraged to see
leaving the community as the road to a successful future. This study
was designed specifically to identify and understand the factors
that influence the educational, occupational and residential plans
of youth from rural Pennsylvania.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE STUDY?
The RYE
study has been working hard to contact those who participated in the
study in wave 3, so that we could obtain updated information about how
to reach you for wave 4 data collection and to provide reports on
the aspirations and experiences of youth in both cohorts. Wave 4
data collection will occur in Spring of 2011, so expect to hear from
the project in late Spring!
HOW IS THE STUDY CONDUCTED? Click here for more information.
PURPOSE OF THE WEB PAGE
The purpose of this web page is to provide information about the
project. Please follow links on this page to see copies of the
surveys for each, reports on the project, fact sheets developed from
project findings, and a section that provides periodic project
updates. If you have questions about the study please do not
hesitate to contact Diane McLaughlin at 814-863-8626 or
dkk@psu.edu or Anastasia Snyder at 614-256-8959 or
ASnyder@ehe.osu.edu .
Project funding has been provided, in part, by The Center for Rural
Pennsylvania, a legislative agency of the Pennsylvania General
Assembly; by a grant from the USDA National Research Initiative,
Grant 2007-35401-17736, and by Hatch Grant 4001 to The Pennsylvania
State University. |
