The Role of Parental Education on College Students’ Participation in Outside-the-Classroom Activities

Abstract

Through outside-the-classroom activities (OCA), college students accumulate currencies for graduate school or the workforce. Because parents’ education level may foster both the ability and predisposition to participate in OCA, insight into its connection to this type of participation may help practitioners and policymakers tailor students’ campus involvement better. Although the authors found few parental-education differences in student participation among academically focused OCA in the Wabash National Study, there were differences surrounding leadership, social activities, and work.