Motivations to study: narratives of university graduates in rural Poland

ABSTRACT The article analyses motivations to obtain a higher education, as expressed by young university graduates living in rural areas in Poland, and factors underlying their decisions. Conceptually, the article draws from existing literature on rural youth’s educational aspirations and pathways. Findings are based on 92 in-depth interviews conducted with young adults with a university degree living in selected rural municipalities across Poland. The interviewees present a utilitarian approach towards university studies as a vehicle leading to higher social status and better local jobs. Their decisions are influenced mostly by family environment in comparison with school or community. The main contributions of this research concern insight into different types of pressures and encouragement present in the interviewees’ families, depending on whether or not their parents possess a university degree. Findings also indicate the importance of extended family networks as a source of support for first-generation rural students’ educational ambitions.