Abstract
In this chapter, we examine the effects of state merit aid programs on student educational decisions and educational outcomes for the policy states. We argue for the need to broaden the perspectives to reflect the interests of students, states, and the country as a whole in order to gain a greater understanding of the effects of state merit aid programs in a context of increasing national need in enhancing student educational attainment and international competitiveness. We discuss some theoretical and methodological issues in studying the effects of state merit aid programs and suggest some future research directions.
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Acknowledgments
This chapter was prepared with financial support from the Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education, through Grant # R305A110609 to Shouping Hu at Florida State University and Liang Zhang at Penn State University. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the US Department of Education. The authors would like to thank Laura Perna for her helpful feedback.
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Hu, S., Trengove, M., Zhang, L. (2012). Toward a Greater Understanding of the Effects of State Merit Aid Programs: Examining Existing Evidence and Exploring Future Research Direction. In: Smart, J., Paulsen, M. (eds) Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, vol 27. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2950-6_6
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