Dr. Zarifa wins Best Article Award

Congratulations to Dr. David Zarifa, Associate Professor of Sociology, who has been selected as the recipient of the Canadian Review of Sociology Best Article Award for 2013 for his article, Persistent Inequality or Liberation from Social Origins? Determining Who Attends Graduate and Professional Schools in Canada's Expanded Postsecondary System.The award is presented to the author of an article published in the journal in the two previous calendar years that, in the opinion of the selection committee, makes an outstanding contribution to the advancement of sociological knowledge.
Dr. Zarifa will be recognized at the Canadian Sociological Association Annual Meetings in Victoria, B.C., later this month as well as through the journal and its website.
The full article can be found here.
Here’s the abstract:
Drawing on the 2000 National Graduates Survey and follow-up of graduates, this research examines who goes to graduate and professional schools in Canada. A greater proportion of students are continuing on to higher levels of education in recent years, yet it remains unclear if family background affects these decisions. The results indicate that social origins influence graduate school attendance both directly through parents’ level of education and indirectly through student performance, aspirations, and academic confidence. Field of study and region of undergraduate institution also play a role in shaping educational outcomes, suggesting students may be partially “liberated” from their family backgrounds by virtue of their undergraduate experiences.

Research