The influence of parents, places and poverty on educational attitudes and aspirations

This latest Longitudinal Study by the JRF provides evidence of generally high aspirations among young people and challenges assumptions that there is aproblem of low aspirations among young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

NB – I just cut and paste selected bits from this while listening to Led Zep IV – personally I think the result is better than the exec. summary by JRF…

The research was conducted in areas of London, Nottingham and Glasgow.490 students aged approximately 13 were interviewed individually in 2007–8; 288 of the same students were interviewed again in 2010 at around age 15. These interviews were supplemented by focus groups with young people and further interviews with parents, teachers and community representatives.

 The Key findings on aspirations include –

  • Firstly, aspirations varied across the three areas – thus debunking the myth that those from deprived areas had universally low aspiration
  • In general, Young people’s ambitions for education and jobs were high. Most hoped to go to university, and aspired to professional and managerial jobs in far greater numbers than the proportions of those posts in the labour market.
  • There was little evidence of fatalism in the face of a depressed labour market, or of a belief that not working was an acceptable outcome.
  • Young people’s aspirations were not predominantly unrealistic. At 13, the ideal occupations of many were drawn from sport or celebrity, but this had waned by age 15. It was not the case that large numbers of young people wanted to become pop stars or Premiership footballers.
  • Parent’s aspirations for their children mattered – there was a correlation between what parents wanted for their children and their children’s’ aspirations.

The study also notes that there were certain barriers to children from deprived areas realising their aspirations – most notably the following two –

  • Firstly, lack of opportunities – there simply are not enough university- professional type jobs to meet the aspirations for those jobs for example
  • Secondly, lack of information about opportunities – both in the sense of exposure to the job market and universities from ages 13-15…

So there you go – my work here for the day is done – yet more evidence selected that fits my worldview – it’s not the fault of the poor, it’s lack of legitimate opportunities – Oh, and is it just me or does everything come back to Merton’s Strain Theory at the end of the day???

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