The structuring of educational ambition among rural youth in Norway, Germany, and the United States was compared. The research thrust was to specify linkages between scholastic rank and educational plan. Social class origin, sex, residence place, and regional context were introduced as additional considerations. (Author/NQ)

The extent to which regional variations in socioeconomic circumstances influence the educational mobility patterns of rural youth and the nature of those influences is explored in this cross-national comparative study. The study drew upon data from 3 modern, industrialized societies: Germany, Norway, and the United States. The study population is…

Comparing survey responses of U.S. rural youth (1,142 males and 1,148 females) with those of Norwegian rural youth (660 males and 650 females at the comprehensive school level and 237 males and 192 females at the secondary level), youth career orientations were analyzed in terms of career desiderata and sex differentials, social class origins, and…

Focusing specifically on teaching as a career goal among rural youth in Norway, Germany, and the United States, this cross-national comparative study took into account the general patterning of career ambitions in each society--upward mobility opportunities, status attainment strategies, and organizational character of the educational systems…