Costs and Benefits of Delayed High School Completion

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Abstract
This investigation assessed participant perceptions of the costs and benefits of earning a GED high school equivalency certificate. Job and occupationally-related motivations for enrollment pre dominated. Participants generally assumed that earning the certifi cate would increase their income approximately five percent and that additional education would yield an additional increase of ten percent. Opportunity costs of $658.00 overshadowed the cash costs of $25.72. Regression analyses revealed that current income is a better predictor of anticipated future earnings than are age, antici pated schooling, anticipated occupation and salary increase for 1968-1971, collectively. Most participants planned to pursue fur ther education following acquisition of their equivalency certificate. Longitudinal research on a large scale will be required to test the economic and occupational assumptions of American adults en rolled in GED preparatory programs.

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