Where Do Rural High School Students Go to Find Information About Their Futures

Although more than a quarter of America's public school students receive their education in rural school settings, little empirical research has examined the counseling development and exploration activities of rural youth (Gandara, Gutierrez, & O'Hara, 2001; Hardre, Sullivan, & Crowson, 2009; Provasnik et al., 2007; Sutton & Pearson, 2002). These youth face a number of challenges that can limit their career exploration and development activities. Compared with students from metropolitan areas, rural students, especially in low-income communities, have limited access to career counseling, college preparatory courses, career academies, and school-to-work programs (Provasnik et al., 2007). Additionally, poverty rates are higher for youth, particularly ethnic minorities, in rural than in urban areas (Ley, Nelson, & Beltyukova, 1996; Lichter & Johnson, 2007; Nadel & Sagawa, 2002). Numerous studies document the negative impact of low family socioeconomic status on rural youth's future educational and vocational attainment (Conger, Conger, & Elder, 1997; Duncan, 2001; Hailer & Virkler, 1993; Hansen & McIntire, 1989; Rojewski, 1999). Furthermore, rural communities have experienced significant changes in terms of demographic, social, and economic trends over the past decades (Johnson & Strange, 2007). Previous occupations for rural youth in the service, labor, extraction, and agriculture sectors, which have been the mainstay of rural communities for generations, are disappearing (Albrecht, Albrecht, & Albrecht, 2000; Crockett, Shanahan, & Jackson-Newsom, 2000; Elder & Conger, 2000; Friedman & Lichter, 1998; Gibbs, Kusmin, & Cromartie, 2005). Despite these challenges, parental expectations for their children mirror those in more urban locales. Approximately 20% of rural parents expect their children to obtain 2 or more years of college, and more than one third (37%) expect their children to complete a bachelor's degree (Provasnik et al., 2007). Research indicates that parental expectations and support play an important role in the development in children's college and vocational aspirations (Bryan, Moore-Thomas, Day-Vines, Holcomb-McCoy, & Mitchell, 2009; Griffith, 1996; Simons-Morton & Crump, 2003). However, college completion rates for adults tend to be lower in rural than in urban areas (Provasnik et al., 2007; Whitener & McGranahan, 2003). Parents who have not attended college may lack important information that is needed to help children prepare for college (Saenz, Hurtado, Barrera, Wolf, & Yeung, 2007). Under these conditions, school- or community-based college and career counseling programs may play a particularly influential role in the career development of rural youth. Given current demographic and economic trends in rural communities, research is needed to examine where rural students go for information and what resources they perceive to be most helpful in informing their future aspirations (Gibbons, Borders, Wiles, Stephan, & Davis, 2006). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the sources of information rural youth explore as they make career decisions and the sources they find most helpful in this career exploration activity. The study draws on a national sample of more than 8,000 rural youth (14 to 18 years old) from geographically and socioeconomically diverse small town and rural communities. A majority of these youth aspired to attend or to complete 2- or 4-year postsecondary institutions, and a majority also aspired to adulthood jobs and careers that require a college education or postgraduate degree (Meece & Farmer, 2009). We next discuss the career and academic aspirations of students. * Career and Academic Aspirations Career and academic aspirations can be defined as the educational and vocational dreams students have about their future or a combination of an individual's ambitions (the ability to look ahead and invest in the future) and his or her inspirations (the ability to invest the required time, energy, and effort; Quaglia & Perry, 1995; Sirin, Diemer, Jackson, Gonsalves, & Howell, 2004). …