Based on the first wave of the China Education Panel Survey, this study aims to test two competing mechanisms including son preference and meritocracy of leading to parents' expectations of and investment in their children's education. This article presents a general portrayal of academic performance among rural boys and girls. The findings depict…

Empirical educational research nearly universally tacitly assumes that people attend college only in order to improve their likely earnings. Thus, it ignores the immense cultural importance ascribed to education (and particularly higher education) in modern culture, or at least proceeds as if this cultural valorization is irrelevant to…

This study focuses on the disparities between the educational aspirations and expectations of high school students in the U.S., and explores why students do not expect to earn a bachelor's degree despite their aspirations. Using a national dataset and logistic/multinomial logistic regression analyses, the study identified the factors associated…

This study proposes a patterned explanation for the unequal educational achievement between Yi and Han students in China. Family backgrounds, school settings, educational expectations and aspirations are examined when investigating ethnic gaps in educational achievement. Evidence suggests significant impact of family backgrounds in shaping…

Purpose: This study examines the factors influencing educational aspirations among adolescents in secondary and high schools across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (officially Kyrgyz Republic), and Tajikistan, with a focus on their aspirations for higher and postgraduate education. Through an analysis of a sample comprising 1360 students from grades 7 to…