Achievement goals have been key concepts for describing what motivates individuals in educational contexts. While achievement goals have often merely been conceptualized in terms of aspired end-states (aims of goal striving), contemporary research has proposed a more holistic perspective synthesizing these aims alongside autonomous versus…

In this article, we explore a program designed to engage high school and college students with learning disabilities (LD) in conversations about their hopes, expectations, and fears for the future. We explore the mindset of students by focusing on their self-identified passions for life and sense of strengths and limitations. We found that males…

This study used data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012) to explore the future goal aspirations of students with extensive support needs who participate in alternate assessments, compared to other students with extensive support needs and to students with other disabilities. We examined students' individualized…

Purpose: Entrepreneurial identity aspiration refers to the desire to occupy an entrepreneurial role in the future and is an essential impetus for initially engaging in entrepreneurial activities. Building on identity theory, the article investigates the effects of personal attitudes, experiences and inclination towards specific practices on the…

Previous research suggests that ruminating on social media content is associated with greater mental distress (Yang et al., 2018). This study examined whether materialistic value orientation (MVO)--prioritizing values and goals related to consumerism, consumption, and social status--predicted social media rumination in a sample of diverse…

For some youth, thinking about the future -- let alone expressing aspirations for the future -- is a daunting task. This incapacity to aspire is problematic in itself, but particularly as neoliberal societies widely expect young people from adolescence onwards to "have a plan" for their own future. In our research among disadvantaged…

In my journey of teen and young adult growth (junior high up to college) I have always had a vision and a plan to achieve goals. The reason I had goals is because I had an awareness of who I was and what I wanted to do with my life. When I started having children, I taught to them the things that I was taught to understand, recognize, and…

Background: Given the gendering of engineering roles and competencies, the evidence that the skills required for engineering management are widely referred to as social, and the fact that men engineers are stereotyped as more technical, and women as more social, it might be theorized that (a) those that occupy managerial (vs. technical) roles in…

The problem of juvenile delinquency is a social phenomenon that has existed throughout the history of humanity and a social issue that not only affects the growth of the economy and the maintenance of social security and order, but also has a significant impact on the function and role that the family of juvenile offenders play in society. Using…

This paper focuses on data from a study of middle- to upper-middle class Scottish S2 ([approximately]seventh grade) students who participated in Inspiring Purpose, a school-based character development program, during the 2016 to 2017 school year. Directed by their teachers, participating youth reflected on values and future aspirations and…

This study reports on Australian small-scale exploratory descriptive research into how young people with intellectual disability and their families construct their futures. The aims of this research were to (a) better understand the future aspirations held by young adults with intellectual disability and their parents, (b) identify enablers and…

This study investigates how adolescents begin to demonstrate skills and approaches that help them pursue their aspirations. The qualitative study examined emergent forms of key indicators of adolescent thriving: the 5Cs of positive youth development and sense of purpose. Pre- and post-program interviews with 24 S2 (~seventh grade) Scottish…

The examination of academic achievements is common in educational research literature, with most studies referring to grades (marks) as measures of success. In addition, outside the realm of research, a student's grades are usually the main criteria for admission to education programmes, nomination for honours (passing above ordinary level), award…

Goal-setting plays a significant role in one's life and contributes to one's success (Locke & Latham, 2012, 2006, 1990). As high school students approach the end of their K-12 education, they benefit from setting goals and planning for their future. They also profit from strategizing and designing an action plan that delineates how they will…

Aspirations in the educational context have been a topic of interest for researchers, practitioners and policy makers for many decades. This is not surprising as aspirations function as motivators and young people who develop ambitious but achievable aspirations are more likely to achieve positive outcomes. Some evidence does indeed suggest that…