Determinants of educational aspiration: a study of the relative effects of family background and school-related predictors of the post-secondary school plans of 7000 grade eleven students in Newfoundland and Labrador

Tilley, Derek Graham. (1975) Determinants of educational aspiration: a study of the relative effects of family background and school-related predictors of the post-secondary school plans of 7000 grade eleven students in Newfoundland and Labrador. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between background variables, such as parental education, socio-economic status, family size, and area of residence on the post-secondary school plans of high school youth when mediated through three school-related variables, study programme, self-concept of academic ability and occupational expectations. The relative effects of these school-related variables on post-secondary school plans were also investigated. -- The conceptual model on which this study is based was derived from a review of literature which indicated significant relationships between post-secondary school plans and the seven variables used in the study, parental education, socio-economic status, family size, area of residence, study programme, self-concept of academic ability and occupational expectations. -- The sample consisted of 7008 grade eleven high school students in Newfoundland and Labrador, 1973-74. The data was collected by a questionnaire which was sent to all the schools in the province. These questionnaires were mailed back to the university when they were answered. The data was coded by the Newfoundland and Labrador Computer Services at Memorial University. -- The findings of the study were analysed under four main headings; findings related to study programme, findings related to self-concept of academic ability, occupational expectations, and finally, post-secondary school plans. Analyses were conducted for Males and females. Many of the hypotheses in the study were found to be statistically significant at the .01 level for both males and females, while others were found to be insignificant. -- the rank ordering of the effects of the predictors of post-secondary school plans for male students were study program, occupational expectations, self-concept of academic ability and family size. Variables which were shown to have modest effects were area of residence, parental education and socio-economic status. -- The rank ordering of the effects of the predictors of post-secondary school plans for female students were occupational expectations, study programme, self-concept of academic ability, family size, parental education and area of residence. The variable which was shown to have only a modest effect on post-secondary school plans was socio-economic status.

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