In this paper -- where we will draw on data from a small scale longitudinal study of young people's post-COVID aspirations and sense of their futures in a de-industrialising city -- we will suggest that Appadurai's (2004) ideas about the 'capacity to aspire' encourages us to shift our focus from the 'aspirations' of individual young people 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…

Students in 11th or 12th grade will make important decisions about their post--high school plans, if they have not already done so. Some will plan to enter the workforce right after high school. Others will make decisions about pursuing an education goal. Will that goal be a nondegree credential or an academic degree? For those considering an…

Given their lower socioeconomic background and achievement, immigrants and their descendants have been shown to make more ambitious decisions regarding educational transitions. While previous research has extensively analysed transitions within and after compulsory education, research on late transitions is scarce. This study focuses on the…

This study explored factors that influence the postsecondary career decisions of 427 11th and 12th grade students in a guaranteed tuition-based school district in a Midwestern state. Since 2005, this district has had a "Promise" program where eligible students can get up to 100% of their postsecondary tuition paid to attend a college,…

Adolescence is a universal developmental stage where many changes occur (i.e., biological, social, and psychological) during the second decade of life. Emerging adulthood a subsequent development period between adolescence and young adulthood; during emerging adulthood individuals go through various transitions such as academic and career…

As researchers and school stakeholders determine ways to best support Black and Latino adolescent boys from low-income communities in actualizing their postsecondary future ambitions, more attention is needed on the types of futures these boys imagine and how family members influence this process. Guided by "future orientations" and…

There is a little information about whether and if so how student aspirations for college change over time. We introduce a conceptual model to explain how student aspirations may change over time, utilize panel methods to examine the extent to which this happens during high school, and investigate which factors are associated with such changes. We…

Do high school learners in Cape Town have realistic tertiary study plans? During 2015, 813 Grade 11 learners were surveyed with regard to their expectations for academic achievement and post-school plans. Learners attended average-performing, noor low-fee Cape Town high schools. Follow-up discussions were held with 10 learners, 2 teachers and 1…

The purpose of this study was to explore 11th- and 12th-grade students' expectations in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP) at a high school in the Western United States. Study participants included 92 of 94 high school students currently enrolled in the IB DP. Each participant completed a researcher-created, paper survey with…

This report uses data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). HSLS:09 is a nationally representative, longitudinal study of more than 23,000 students who were first surveyed in fall 2009, when they were in the ninth grade, and then again in spring 2012, when most were in the eleventh grade. The 2012 administration also included…

Early exposure to college and career readiness supports were offered to disadvantaged grade 10 and 11 high school students through the Launch Ignite Scholar Program. Ignite Scholars were encouraged to build a stronger foundation for college and career through participation in one-on-one advising, college and industry tours, and college and career…

This report uses data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). HSLS:09 is a nationally representative, longitudinal study of more than 23,000 students who were first surveyed in fall 2009, when they were in the ninth grade, and then again in spring 2012, when most were in the eleventh grade. Students who had been held back and…

Black and Latino adolescent boys and young men from low-income communities face numerous perceived and actual barriers to achieving their postsecondary educational goals. To advocate for more precise interventions, this study investigated how black and Latino eleventh grade boys' college ambitions were shaped by their school's college-going…

Hispanic adolescents have high expectations for their own educational attainment, but educational attainment outcomes for Hispanic young adults are relatively low on average. Limited scholarship links Hispanic adolescents' educational expectations with attainment in adulthood. Using a longitudinal within-group approach, the authors examined…