Thesis advisor: Andy Hargreaves / Research often overlooks students who are of Brazilian origin when considering educational equality and opportunity for different racial and ethnic groups. This qualitative study addresses this gap in the literature by examining the experiences and forces that influence the educational aspirations of Brazilian students and students of Brazilian origin living in the United States during their eighth grade year of middle school. It specifically considers students' educational aspirations including the influence of families, the school, and the community on students' ambitions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with students, their parents, and educators (i.e., teachers, guidance counselors, a social worker, and a principal) from a middle school in the Northeast. Data showed that many students had developed postsecondary plans by the conclusion of their eighth grade year, including students' thoughts relating to college, careers, and work. Students' ambitions were significantly influenced by family members, especially parents, as well as by experiences with their families as immigrants in the United States. Legal status particularly affected students' intended pathways. Findings from this study suggest the following three areas of need for Brazilian middle school students: (a) educational planning during middle school, (b) emphasis on the role of family connectedness and engagement for Brazilian families, and (c) adaptation to circumstances related to immigration status. One way of comprehending the needs of Brazilian middle school students and students of Brazilian origin in relation to the development of their educational aspirations is through integrating the theories of family and social capital. Family capital emphasizes the role of families in shaping students' educational pathways; social capital highlights the need to develop ties beyond close networks as a means for accessing knowledge and resources that further students' educational opportunities. Therefore, it is hoped that further attention to the family and social capital of Brazilian families in research, policy, and practice will build upon students' ambitions and improve their educational opportunities. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Nel presente lavoro si intende descrivere la partecipazione giovanile leggendola attraverso i costrutti - a livello individuale, familiare e sociale - che la letteratura ipotizza essere alla base di tale impegno, e che ritiene possano in qualche modo prevederlo. Obiettivo generale della ricerca è quello di approfondire il tema dell’azione sociale giovanile fornendo un’ipotesi di modello predittivo della stessa pensato per le sue due forme maggiormente diffuse: il volontariato e l’impegno politico. La struttura della ricerca è articolata in tre fasi distinte e susseguenti: la prima studia gli antecedenti dell’azione sociale a partire dalle macro categorie identificate da Penner (2004) nel suo modello teorico di previsione dell’impegno volontario; da questa discende la seconda fase che ha come obiettivo quello di testare il modello teorico di Penner (2004) utilizzando le variabili che nella prima fase si sono rivelate discriminanti rispetto alla variabile outcome (azione volontaria); la terza fase, infine, intende testare un modello di previsione dell’impegno politico a partire dal modello frutto delle elaborazioni delle prime due fasi. / The present research is focused on the emerging adults’ social action, considering individual, familial and social constructs. The present work intend to describe young participation in the social context through constructs that the literature consider as the bases of social action, and that, in the same time, can make previsions about it. The general aim is to test a predictive model of emerging adults social action especially for the two main forms of it: volunteerism and politic activism. The structure of the research project is articulated in three different phases: the first one studies the antecedents of social action starting from macrocategories identified by Penner; the second one tests the theoretical model of volunteerism (Penner, 2004); the third phase tests a prevision model of politic activism starting from volunteerism model (Penner, 2004).