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This study explores how Asian Americans’ educational aspirations are different from other racial groups as well as uncovers differences among Asian American subgroups. This study developed a hypothesized model on the formation of educational aspiration. Among factors affecting educational aspirations that were derived from the literature review, students’ academic effort and performance, students’ perceived academic self-efficacy, and support received from students’ significant others were hypothesized to have direct effects on students’ educational aspirations. In addition, students’ perceived self-efficacy and academic effort were hypothesized to have indirect effects on students’ educational aspirations through students’ academic performance. Students’ demographic and socio-economic characteristics were controlled to examine if they had any direct and indirect effects on educational aspirations. In order to test validity of the hypothesized model on educational aspiration, this study adopted structural education modeling (SEM) to analyze the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). As a result, the hypothesized model was confirmed because of its adequate model fit. In addition, this study found that Asian American students’ educational aspirations were different from other racial groups. First, neither academic effort nor performance affects Asian Americans’ educational aspirations whereas both affect aspirations significantly in the entire sample. Second, there was a positive effect of academic self-efficacy on Asian Americans’ educational aspirations whereas efficacy did not affect aspirations in the entire sample. Third, there was a positive effect of support with college information from significant others on Asian Americans’ aspirations, which was not statistically significant in the results of the entire sample. This indicates that Asian American students’ educational aspirations are more influenced by subjective or perceived factors such as academic self-efficacy and support with college information received from significant others, rather than objective indicators such as academic performance and academic effort. Moreover, there are differences in aspirations by Asian American ethnic subgroups even after controlling for other variables. Compared to Filipino Americans, all other four Asian American subgroups show significantly higher educational aspirations. The findings of this study help to understand how high school students’ educational aspirations are formed in general by examining the conceptual model with the entire data. In addition, the findings help to fill the gap in the literature about debunking the model minority myth about Asian American students by proving that they are heterogeneous. / text

This study examined socioeconomic status (SES) and perceived social class as predictors of career adaptability and educational aspirations in a sample of American high school students. SES was measured using caregivers' occupation and education, and the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status--Youth Version (Goodman et al., 2001) assessed subjective social class. Career adaptability was be measured using the Career Futures Inventory-Revised (CFI-R; Rottinghaus, Buelow, Matyja, & Schneider, 2012) and the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI) Form C (Savickas & Porfeli, 2011). Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regressions. SES and perceived social class independently predicted educational aspirations and expectations, while SES independently predicted occupational aspirations and expectations. Expected correlations between CFI-R and CMI Form C scales were found, providing convergent validity evidence and supporting the use of the CFI-R with adolescents. This study represents a step toward developing empirically informed vocational interventions that take SES and social class into account.

Scholars have consistently showcased the need for more research dedicated to Black adolescents on educational aspirations and depression. Within this population, there is a gap in the literature about how college preparatory students and career and technical education (CTE) students are different and similar on educational aspirations and depression. The National Survey of American Life-Adolescent Supplement (NSAL-A) is a data set that is often used to evaluate the onset of mental health issues in adolescents of African descent. This data set is unique in that it only includes responses from African American and Caribbean Black adolescents. The NSAL- A allows researchers to develop research agendas that cater to Black adolescents. The concepts in this dissertation, educational aspirations and depression, have been separated into two manuscripts to allow for a more thorough analysis. A subset of the NSAL-A (n=491) was used for both manuscripts. The first manuscript uses univariate and bivariate analyses to test the relationship between personal mastery and racial centrality on educational aspirations. The findings from this study revealed that college preparatory students and CTE students had different levels of personal mastery and that personal mastery increased educational aspirations. No significant findings were revealed for the influence of racial centrality on educational aspirations. The second manuscript in this study uses univariate and bivariate analyses to investigate the relationship between discrimination and the John Henryism coping style on depression in college preparatory and CTE students. John Henryism is characterized by having a strong commitment to achieving success while facing social and economic barriers. college preparatory and CTE students were not uniquely different in their levels of perceived discrimination or John Henryism. Discrimination increased depression, and John Henryism reduced depression. The manuscripts developed in this dissertation will help Extension professionals better advocate for Black youth and encourage program evaluators to investigate ethnic differences in health outcomes. This work may also encourage 1890 Land-grant universities in working with primarily Black communities.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Special Education, Counseling and Student Affairs / Judith K. Hughey / Many efforts have been directed towards providing equitable access to higher education for youth from low-income, first-generation families. Despite gains, attendance and graduation rates from college are consistently lower for these students (U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). A variety of initiatives have been implemented to support students' entry into college, persistence to graduation, and increased access to professional careers. One such program is Talent Search, which provides middle school students opportunities to achieve academic success and to become knowledgeable about college and career options. KU Talent Search offers a summer career camp as part of its programming. The Career Horizons Summer Program (CHSP) exists to help students between 6th and 7th grades explore career possibilities, build potential for success in academics and careers, and become more comfortable in a college environment (Dukstein, 2012b). This study examined beliefs about college and careers in a group of 52 students, as well as the impact of the CHSP on the intervention group. Educational aspirations and expectations, and career and college-going self-efficacy were assessed. It was predicted that participation in the camp would result in an increase in college-going and career self-efficacy. The study also provided additional insight into the construct of college-going self-efficacy. Using a quantitative comparison group design, data were collected from camp participants and from students who were eligible to participate but did not. Pre and posttest surveys assessed educational aspirations and expectations and included scales to measure career self-efficacy (Fouad & Smith, 1997) and college-going self-efficacy (Gibbons & Borders, 2010a). Educational aspirations and expectations were high in all participants and a bivariate correlation analysis revealed that career self-efficacy and college-going self-efficacy were highly correlated. Comparisons between the intervention and the comparison group suggested that the CHSP did have an impact on career and college self-efficacy. It is important to understand the characteristics of a successful college and career access program, and to identify interventions that are most impactful. The findings of this study add to understanding of one such intervention and may have implications for specific practices that can increase potential for college success.

This thesis summarizes a study conducted to explore the effect of an educational intervention on cognitive autonomy, identity, hope, and educational aspirations. The primary goal of this study was to investigate (1) the impact of awareness and readiness educational intervention on low-income adolescents’ cognitive autonomy, identity, hope, and educational intentions, and (2) how the low-income adolescents receiving the awareness readiness educational intervention compared to adolescents who did not receive the intervention. The Cognitive Autonomy and Self-Evaluation (CASE) inventory, the Modified Extended Version of the Object Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOMEIS), The Children’s Hope Scale, and a self-report of educational aspirations were used to measure the four variables in this study. Subjects included 38 adolescents, ages 13 to 17, from lower socioeconomic status (SES), located in the two different school districts who participate in the GEAR UP intervention, and a comparison sample included 47 adolescents, ages 14 to 17, from various classes at a local high school. Findings reveal that changes from time 1 to time 2 (four months) for adolescents participating in the educational intervention were not significant in three of the four areas. The educational aspirations results were statistically significant. The adolescents in the educational intervention group and from the comparison sample found to be similar on all measures, thus establishing a form or social validation. Results may be contingent on the type of sample obtained and testing procedures. The results of this study indicate there may need to be further research in this area.

Teenagers are not yet fully developed, creating their self-identity, full of aspiration, and exploring their world through sometimes harmless acts. While it has long been acknowledged that delinquency can lead to a life of crime, criminologists vary on whether a criminal disposition is caused by internal and/or external forces. Labeling theory suggests it could be the negative labels placed upon youth that could inhibit future aspirations more so than the delinquent acts themselves. Using data from the National Youth Survey, this study examines the influence of negative labeling by significant others on educational aspirations among youth with varying levels of educational achievement. These analyses use the third wave of the National Youth Survey dataset when the respondents were teenagers, aged 13-19, as well as the fifth wave, two years later, to examine the internalization of negative labels and the transformative effects on self-identity and educational aspirations. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models show statistically significant relationships between negative labeling by significant others (teachers, parents, and friends) and lowered educational aspirations net of delinquency. Specifically, negative labeling by teachers has the most profound effect upon low achievers, while negative labeling by parents and friends has the greatest impact on middle achievers. Implications are discussed.

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First-generation students and students of lower socioeconomic status often prepare for postsecondary education without the benefit of information provided by their families, resulting in lower levels of college access (Lundberg, 2007). Few researchers have sought to understand how potential first-generation college students might go about obtaining the necessary information for a successful transition to college. The purpose of this dissertation was to determine to whom students talk about college and to explore the potential reciprocal relationship between resources for and information about college provided by others and students’ educational beliefs. This dissertation consisted of two empirical studies. In the first study, the composition of students’ networks and differences in social capital were examined among middle and high school students from a rural Appalachian school district (N = 388). Students reported to whom they talked about college and answered questions about each person that they named. Junior and senior high school students spoke to fewer individuals about college than middle grades students. Senior high school students spoke to individuals in their networks more frequently than middle grades students. Boys spoke to fewer individuals about college than girls. Boys received fewer pieces of information about college compared to girls. Potential first-generation college students had fewer individuals in their network who had completed a college degree. The purpose of the second study was to examine the relationship between students’ college information networks and students’ beliefs about college. Participants were 364 students in Grades 6-12 from a rural Appalachian school district. Information on students’ college information networks was collected to better understand the relationship among first-generation college students’ access to social capital, their college-going self-efficacy, and their educational aspirations. College-going self-efficacy and educational aspirations were both significant predictors of available social capital. Social capital was not a significant predictor of students’ educational beliefs. College cultural capital was a significant predictor of students’ social capital and educational beliefs. Results of this dissertation are discussed relative to social cognitive theory and suggestions for educational interventions and future research are offered.

The purpose of this research was to explore how Nunavut Educational Leadership (ELP), a school principal preparation program in Nunavut Territory, Canada, fulfills Inuit (the indigenous people of the territory) educational aspirations. In accordance with this purpose, the study focuses on answering four specific questions: (1) what are Inuit educational aspirations? (2) What is the context for Inuit education? (3) How is the Nunavut Educational Leadership Program organized to meet its objectives? (4) How do the activities of the Nunavut Educational Leadership Program (ELP) fulfill Inuit educational aspirations? Adopting an exploratory case study design grounded in qualitative approaches and undergirded by critical interpretative perspective, the research triangulates both primary and secondary sources of data. The primary data sources come from individual semi-structured interviews of 35 respondents (18 community members, 3 program development members, 3 presenters/facilitators, 7 program participants, and 4 educational officials) selected across Nunavut Territory. These sources are complemented with relevant secondary documents from 1987 to 2010. Using constant comparative and word-in-context as the main data analysis methods, concepts and themes were delineated from the data sources to form categories, with the research questions and conceptual framework guiding the process. The research results revealed, among many other things, that the Nunavut ELP partially fulfills Inuit educational aspirations as defined in the research. Issues arising from the data analysis and interpretation are also discussed under (1) Inuit culturally appropriate education/ self-determination in education, (2) Issues associated with Inuit and mainstream relationship, (3) The relationship between context and principal preparation and development programs, (4) Preparation programs for fulfilling local educational aspirations, (5) Framework for principal leadership practice, (6) Educational Governance Related-Issues, (7) University contribution to principal leadership preparation and development programs, (8) Nunavut ELP goals, and (9) Leadership Conceptualizations. Along with these are recommendations, theoretical implications and directions for future or further research. Though the research does not purport to design an educational leadership program for Nunavut school leaders, its evidence-based analysis and results may assist in any conversations toward the restructuring, improvement or enhancement of the Nunavut ELP as well as any educational leadership development programs in post-colonial societies.