Talk Debt to Me: An Applied Linguistics Approach to Exploring College Student Preferences for Student Loan Debt Letters
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| Title: | Talk Debt to Me: An Applied Linguistics Approach to Exploring College Student Preferences for Student Loan Debt Letters |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Taylor, Zachary W., Rainey, Elizabeth A., Charran, Chelseaia, Holthaus, Gretchen, Eguiluz, Linda, Horne, Ada, Francisco, Myra, Weber-Wandel, Karla |
| Source: | Journal of Student Financial Aid. Mar 2023 52(1). |
| Availability: | Center for Economic Education at the University of Louisville. Porter Building, 1905 South 1st Street, Louisville, Ky, 40292. e-mail: jsfa@louisville.edu; Web site: https://ir.library.louisville.edu/jsfa/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 29 |
| Publication Date: | 2023 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Linguistics, College Students, Preferences, Student Loan Programs, Debt (Financial), Letters (Correspondence), Federal Programs, Student Financial Aid, Minority Group Students, First Generation College Students, Language Usage |
| Geographic Terms: | Indiana, Montana, Missouri |
| ISSN: | 0884-9153 |
| Abstract: | Although student loan debt has been rigorously studied over the past several decades, scant research has investigated how institutions of higher education communicate debt to current and former student borrowers. As COVID-19 forced the United States Department of Education to cancel the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement as part of a student's signing of the master promissory note (MPN), there are no other mechanisms for students to be aware of their student loan debt beyond a debt letter from their institution or reviewing their National Student Loan Debt System (NSLDS) portal. This applied linguistics study surveyed 2,030 current student loan borrowers attending U.S. institutions of higher education to explore their preferences for receiving a student loan debt letter. Results suggest students of Color and first-generation in college students strongly prefer shorter, simpler letters, while there were no statistically significant preferences by gender. Implications for research and practice will be addressed. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2023 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1384307 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Although student loan debt has been rigorously studied over the past several decades, scant research has investigated how institutions of higher education communicate debt to current and former student borrowers. As COVID-19 forced the United States Department of Education to cancel the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement as part of a student's signing of the master promissory note (MPN), there are no other mechanisms for students to be aware of their student loan debt beyond a debt letter from their institution or reviewing their National Student Loan Debt System (NSLDS) portal. This applied linguistics study surveyed 2,030 current student loan borrowers attending U.S. institutions of higher education to explore their preferences for receiving a student loan debt letter. Results suggest students of Color and first-generation in college students strongly prefer shorter, simpler letters, while there were no statistically significant preferences by gender. Implications for research and practice will be addressed. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0884-9153 |
