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IDENTITY, SPACE, PLACE AND POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION: EXPLORING THE EDUCATIONAL PERCEPTIONS AND AMBITIONS OF YOUTH OF THE RURAL COMMUNITIES OF MANITOULIN ISLAND By KIMBERLY M. WILSON A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Geography and Environmental Studies Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © Kimberly M. Wilson 2009 Library and Archives BibliothSque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'gdition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your We Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-60281-2 Our file Notre r6f6rence ISBN: 978-0-494-60281-2 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliothgque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie priv§e, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada © Kimberly M. Wilson 2009 ii Abstract Scholarly literature, which focuses on the educational attainment and decision-making of youth, has taken a variety of approaches to answer the questions: who goes, who stays and why? Many studies have sought to identify the relationships between educational attainment and factors such as personal and family income, parental education, gender, ethnicity, and family structure. Although quite a few studies have identified regional differences in educational attainment between rural and urban communities, it is still unclear why postsecondary participation rates remain lower among rural youth. More recent studies seek to explain these differences. Using a Geographies of Practice approach, this thesis seeks to explore the perceptions and ambitions of rural high school students towards higher education. By conducting a qualitative case-study of a group of rural youth on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario, this study attempts to investigate how localities influence educational, occupation and mobility choices. The findings of this study suggest that there is indeed a social-spatial relationship that influences the educational and career choices of those youth planning to leave Manitoulin Island for higher education. Yet, this group of youth have adopted several coping mechanisms to counter the influence of their localities, and the effects of socioeconomic status, distance and the loss of important social networks. viii Acknowledgments I would like thank all the people who took the time to be a part of this journey with me. I especially want to thank my advisor, Dr. Fran Klodawsky, for her guidance during my research and study at Carleton University. Her patience and feedback throughout my studies have been an important element in the progression of this thesis and my own personal and academic development. I would like to send out a huge thank you to Dr. Jan Buley, a secondary supervisor for this thesis. Her energy and enthusiasm for research, and for being a part of my research, were key factors in maintaining my love for this project. A dose of her positive vibes and cheery personality were often the perfect remedy to revive my spirits during the most difficult parts of this journey. I would also like to thank the Rainbow District School Board, and the staff and students at Manitoulin Secondary, for allowing me to conduct my research there and for making the data collection just a wonderful experience for me. I really felt welcomed, and am looking forward to returning to the school and community to share my findings. A special thank you to Doreen Duncanson for opending her home to me while I was collecting data on Manitoulin Island. I would also like to thank Ken Duncanson for the use of his truck during my stay. Your collective generosity was integral to the success of my project. Thank you both. Thank you to all my professors, including Dr. Fiona Mackenzie, for the part they played in my academic development. Over the last two years they provided an open invitation to talk about my research, and provided much encouragement and support. I would also like to thank my many friends and colleagues at Carleton University and Laurentian University. I enjoyed the time we spent drinking tea and beer and eating pitas. You allowed me to share my ideas and provided alternative perspectives which helped me work through many hurdles, and provided me with an opportunity to create many valued memories. A warm thank you goes out to my family for all your love and support. I would especially like to thank Drakken for being my personal alarm clock and travel buddy. I would also like to thank Rhonda for opening your home and heart to me. You are like a sister to me and I am so grateful you were a part of this journey. Finally, I would like to thank my fiance Jamie for his love and dedication to me and my studies over the last two years. I could not have done this without you. "I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks " ~William Shakespeare viii Table of Contents Abstract iii Acknowledgments iv Table of Contents v List of Maps and Figures viii List of Appendices ix Chapter One: 1 Introduction: 1 Research Questions 3 Overview of Chapters 4 Manitoulin Island 5 Brief Island History 6 Present Day Manitoulin 11 Demography 13 Education 13 Income 16 Why Manitoulin as a Research Site? 18 Chapter Two: Theory 21 Introduction: 21 Outline 24 A Theory of Practice 25 Habitus 26 Capital 27 Social and Cultural Capital 29 Habitus as Sense of Place 31 Agency and Practice 32 Educational Attainment 33 Family Background and Socioeconomic Status 34 Socioeconomic Status and Geography 36 Geography and Gender 37 Explaining Why Geography Affects Postsecondary Education 38 Community and Social Capital 39 Mobility, Sense of Place, and Social Capital 40 Conclusion 42 Chapter Three: Methodology 44 Introduction 44 Adopting a Suitable Methodology for working with Young People 45 Positionality 47 Locating Myself 47 Reflexivity 49 Reflecting on My Positionality 49 viii Reflecting on My Positionality 49 Methodological Issues and Relations of Power 51 'Outsider', 'Insider' and 'Between-ness': Gaining Access to Participants 52 The 'Politics of Access' within Schools 55 The Research Process 57 Pre-Fieldwork Approach 58 Research Focus: Rural High School Students as a Unit of Analysis 58 Per-Testing Data Collection Methods 60 Entering the Field 60 Initial Recruitment Strategy 62 Fieldwork Process 63 Participant Observation 63 Survey Information 65 One-On-One Semi-Structured Interviews 67 Conclusion 69 Chapter Four: Analysis and Discussion 71 Introduction 71 Making Sense of Qualitative Data 73 Making Sense of Quantitative Data 75 Preliminary Remarks about the Data 75 Social Capital and Sense of Community 75 Division of Postsecondary Education 77 Youth's Perceptions of Postsecondary Education 78 Postsecondary Education Is Important 78 The Role of Habitus 82 Family 82 Friends 84 Teachers 86 Community and Community Members 88 The Influence of Locality and Capital Perceptions of Postsecondary Education 91 Sense of Community 91 Why Some Rural Youth Choose to Leave 93 The Effects of Geography on Youth Mobility 96 The Influence of Social Capital on Issues of Distance 97 Family 98 Friends 100 The Effects of the Local Economy on Mobility Choices 101 Ideologies about Males and Females and Postsecondary Education 103 Conclusion 105 Chapter Five: Concluding Remarks 107 Introduction 107 Discussion of Key Findings 108 Limitations and Areas of Future Research 110 Concluding Thoughts 112 viii Bibliography List of Tables Table 1.1: Educational Attainment Expressed as Percent 15 Table 1.2: Median Income Distributions of Persons 15 Years of Age and Over 16 Table 1.3: Distributions of Labour Force 15 Year of Age and Over 17 Table 4.1: List of Established Codes Vis-a-vis Place and Educational Aspirations 74 Table 4.2: Does Cost Influence Rural Youth's PSE Choices? 81 Table 4.3: Students' Future Paths and Their Parents' Level of Education 83 Table 4.4: Rural Youth's Goals and Ambitions after High School 83 Table 4.5: Rural Youth's Mobility Plans 94 Table 4.6: Self-Reported Career Choices of Rural Youth 103 vin