Factors on Educational Aspirations of Students from Multicultural Families

Latino boys and young men often carry the debt of violence into different spaces. This invisible trauma manifests into disruptive behaviors in schools. It is well documented that violence in urban communities and schools has received significant attention from researchers, but little attention has been paid to Latino male youth as individuals and the various forms of violence they have experienced, and how that impacts educational persistence. This qualitative study focuses on 26 Latino male middle and high school students who are attending two continuation schools to understand the types of violence they have experienced and their educational aspirations after high school.

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School Belonging, Educational Aspirations, and Academic Self-Efficacy among African American Male High School Students: Implications for School Counselors

Professional School Counseling ◽

10.1177/2156759x0801100503 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 2156759X0801100

Author(s):

Chinwe J. Uwah ◽

H. George McMahon ◽

Carolyn F. Furlow

Keyword(s):

High School Students ◽

School Counselors ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

African American Male ◽

Educational Aspirations ◽

School Belonging ◽

School Students ◽

Male High School ◽

Academic Self Efficacy ◽

Perceptions Of School

While academic self-efficacy is widely considered an individual cognitive variable, it may be influenced by a sense of belonging and connection to others in the school community. Using a correlation and multiple regression design, the study in this article examined the relationship between perceptions of school belonging, educational aspirations, and academic self-efficacy among 40 African American male high school students. Results indicated that feeling encouraged to participate and educational aspirations were significant, positive predictors of academic self-efficacy. Other components of perceptions of school belonging were not significant in predicting academic self-efficacy. Recommendations for future research and practical suggestions for school counselors are discussed.

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Rural Aboriginal high school students' views of their future tertiary education

The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education ◽

10.1017/jie.2020.32 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Jessica Howard ◽

Jacob Jeffery ◽

Lucie Walters ◽

Elsa Barton

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Lived Experience ◽

Educational Outcomes ◽

Educational Aspirations ◽

Tertiary Education ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

School Students ◽

Aboriginal Australians ◽

Relationship Networks

Abstract In the context of a stark discrepancy in the educational outcomes of Aboriginal Australians compared to non-Aboriginal Australians, this article aims to contribute the voices of rural Aboriginal high school students to the discourse. This article utilises an appreciative enquiry approach to analyse the opinions and aspirations of 12 Aboriginal high school students in a South Australian regional centre. Drawing on student perspectives from semi-structured interviews, this article contributes to and contextualises the growing body of literature regarding educational aspirations. It demonstrates how rurality influences a complex system of intrinsic attributes, relationship networks and contextual factors. It offers an important counterpoint to discourses surrounding academic disadvantage and highlights the lived experience of rural Aboriginal Australians.

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Postsecondary Adult Learner Motivation: An Analysis of Credentialing Patterns and Decision Making Within Higher Education Programs

Adult Learning ◽

10.1177/1045159520988361 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 104515952098836

Author(s):

Alexander C. Gardner ◽

Heather N. Maietta ◽

Philip D. Gardner ◽

Niki Perkins

Keyword(s):

Adult Learners ◽

Adult Students ◽

Postsecondary Education ◽

Work Experience ◽

Adult Learner ◽

Educational Aspirations ◽

Academic Program ◽

Extrinsic Factors ◽

Learner Motivation ◽

Post Secondary

This study sought to fill a gap in the literature by considering the role of motivation in post-secondary aspirations of adult learners, specifically full versus part-time status, previous level of educational attainment, years of work experience, and the selection of an academic program. The data from this study came from adult students ages 25 and older at 8 institutions in the Midwest. Statistical analysis determined there were significant differences in gender motivation, level of education is predictive of type of educational credential being pursued, and type of adult learner motivation influences which degree, academic program, and enrollment status is pursued by adult learners. Furthermore, this research revealed as adults acquire more work experience, their postsecondary educational aspirations are more likely motivated by extrinsic factors. These findings have meaningful implications for linking motivation with continuance and graduation from collegiate programs for which this paper identifies and discusses in the context of postsecondary education.

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Educational Downgrading: Adult Education and Downward Mobility

Sociology of Education ◽

10.1177/0038040720982890 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003804072098289

Author(s):

Corey Moss-Pech ◽

Steven H. Lopez ◽

Laurie Michaels

Keyword(s):

Labor Market ◽

Adult Education ◽

Educational Aspirations ◽

Qualitative Interviews ◽

The United States ◽

Job Seekers ◽

Downward Mobility ◽

Precarious Labor ◽

The Life Course ◽

Returning To School

Scholarship on adult education throughout the life course focuses on the relationship between education and upward mobility. Scholars rarely examine how adults’ educational aspirations or trajectories are affected by downward mobility or an increasingly precarious labor market. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with 21 job seekers in the post–Great Recession labor market in the United States, this article advances the concept of educational downgrading: returning to school in pursuit of a credential lower than the highest level of education one previously sought or attained. We explore three pathways to downgrading connected to downward mobility: occupational dead ends, career reversals, and educational inflation. In the process, we highlight how individuals adjust their practical educational aspirations as they navigate a contemporary economy in which careers are unstable and credentials are needed for many kinds of jobs across the occupational hierarchy.

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