Trajectories of educational aspirations through high school and beyond: A gendered phenomenon?

Abstract

Growth curve modeling was utilized to examine change in the educational aspirations of adolescents from early high school through to three years beyond high school, as a function of gender and other adolescent characteristics. Significant gender effects were found for level of education aspired to, rate of growth, and degree of acceleration: boys’ aspirations were lower in early high school, accelerated at a faster pace to peak above girls’ aspirations by the end of high school, and dropped more steeply so that, by the post-high school period, educational aspirations were equivalent across genders. Gender also interacted with Grade 9 achievement in determining educational trajectories. Finally, the perception that one faces barriers in educational attainment was found to significantly influence rate of growth and acceleration, indicating that change in aspirations over time differs between people who see barriers to their education and people who do not, independently of gender. Implications of these results for promoting students’ educational aspirations are discussed.

Keywords: Gender, high school, educational aspirations