Blog Post #4

Ben Fay
Research Proposal

1. A Working or Tentative Title

The Shift in Educational Pathways as College Prices Rise
Is the Cost of College a Major Decision?
Tuition’s Effect on Education

2. Topic Description

Provide a general overview of the issue to be addressed and why it matters.
What is the conversation, debate, or controversy regarding this topic? Discuss some of the readings you have found related to this topic.

Since the privatization of college increased the cost of education, the increased cost of college often times forces students to invest in themselves with subsidized student loans. With any investment, people would expect a return. Are students treating college like an investment, and if so do they choose majors with that in mind? The only controversy around this topic is often times students use college as an outlet of freedom and choose majors that are easier in order to graduate with ease, not worrying about job prospects with their given education.

3. Research Question
State your main research question. State it as a question and not a hypothesis.  You should already have drafted a research question on your blog.

Since the change in the price of college, is there a relationship to the increased cost of college and choosing higher paying educational degrees?

4. Theoretical Frame(s)
What academic theories or ideas will be used to frame the discussion or help you analyze case studies? Where do you find that term in the literature?
Privatization of college. This concept is fundamental to my research as it is the base year where my analysis will take place. This term is found in literature readings such as Melinda Cooper’s in Loco Parentis and other academic readings we have done in class. The data for this year is important as well.
What other terms or ideas do you get from your readings that will be useful for analysis? Discuss the literature that helps you will support your analysis.
In terms of ideas for my analysis I will be taking a look at the major choice history in Rutgers as a sample for a much larger concept. Databases have the major completion data at Rutgers so I will be using that in order to come up with a sound analysis to test my research question.
5. Case(s) or Examples

Discuss at least one specific example that is well documented and will help you explore your question. You can discuss several possible examples.
One specific example that is well documented is the effect of major choice after the 2008 financial crash. It is definitely something to note as it would most likely be a deviation in my data but utilizing the article can help me explain the deviation, so my analysis is still sound.

6. Working Bibliography in MLA 8 format

List at least five scholarly, academic or significant sources, plus any other sources you cite in your proposal or plan to use in your final paper.

Carnevale, Anthony, and Ban Cheah. “From Hard Times to Better Times.” Center on Education and the Workforce, 2015, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED558169.pdf.

Charles A. Malgwi, Martha A. Howe & Priscilla A. Burnaby (2005) Influences on Students' Choice of College Major, Journal of Education for Business, 80:5, 275-282, DOI: 10.3200/JOEB.80.5.275-282

Porter, S.R., Umbach, P.D. COLLEGE MAJOR CHOICE: An Analysis of Person–Environment Fit. Res High Educ 47, 429–449 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-005-9002-3

Josh Kinsler and Ronni Pavan, "The Specificity of General Human Capital: Evidence from College Major Choice," Journal of Labor Economics 33, no. 4 (October 2015): 933-972.

Cooper, Melinda.  “In Loco Parentis: Human Capital, Student Debt, and the Logic of Family Investment.”  Family Values: Between Neoliberalism and the New Social Conservatism.  Zone Books, 2017.  215-257.