Measuring college information in secondary students and higher education access

Maria Veronica Santelices; Ximena Catalán; Juan Acevedo; Magdalena Zarhi; Catherine Horn

doi:10.1007/s10775-024-09711-5

Measuring college information in secondary students and higher education access

Maria Veronica Santelices^*
, Ximena Catalán
, Juan Acevedo
, Magdalena Zarhi
, Catherine Horn

^*Corresponding author for this work

Universidad de los Andes

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This study explores the higher-education knowledge level among high-school students and the relationship between this information and college enrollment. We designed a questionnaire and administered it to 1600 university-track high-school students in Chile. Using the data, we developed a comprehensive measure of higher-education knowledge using Item Response Theory and conducted multilevel regression analyses. The results show that, despite being low, the students’ level of knowledge on college is positively associated with higher-education enrollment. The most predictive dimension is information about programs and institutions, rather than costs and financial aid. Our results are relevant to the creation of fairer and successful trajectories to higher education.

Original language	English
Journal	International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-024-09711-5
State	Accepted/In press - 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025.

Keywords

Access to higher education
Career advice
College choice
College counseling
Information sources
Transition to higher education

Access to Document

10.1007/s10775-024-09711-5

Cite this

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AU - Santelices, Maria Veronica

AU - Catalán, Ximena

AU - Acevedo, Juan

AU - Zarhi, Magdalena

AU - Horn, Catherine

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025.

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - This study explores the higher-education knowledge level among high-school students and the relationship between this information and college enrollment. We designed a questionnaire and administered it to 1600 university-track high-school students in Chile. Using the data, we developed a comprehensive measure of higher-education knowledge using Item Response Theory and conducted multilevel regression analyses. The results show that, despite being low, the students’ level of knowledge on college is positively associated with higher-education enrollment. The most predictive dimension is information about programs and institutions, rather than costs and financial aid. Our results are relevant to the creation of fairer and successful trajectories to higher education.

AB - This study explores the higher-education knowledge level among high-school students and the relationship between this information and college enrollment. We designed a questionnaire and administered it to 1600 university-track high-school students in Chile. Using the data, we developed a comprehensive measure of higher-education knowledge using Item Response Theory and conducted multilevel regression analyses. The results show that, despite being low, the students’ level of knowledge on college is positively associated with higher-education enrollment. The most predictive dimension is information about programs and institutions, rather than costs and financial aid. Our results are relevant to the creation of fairer and successful trajectories to higher education.

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KW - Career advice

KW - College choice

KW - College counseling

KW - Information sources

KW - Transition to higher education

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JO - International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance

JF - International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance

ER -

Measuring college information in secondary students and higher education access

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

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