ERIC Number: EJ1469315
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-3920
EISSN: EISSN-1467-8624
Available Date: 2025-04-01
Heterogeneity in the Developmental Trajectories of Chinese Youth Educational Aspirations: Identifying Predictors and Outcomes
Hou Xie1; Kaylin Ratner1; Suzanne G. Fegley2; Michael J. Nakkula2
Child Development, v96 n3 p1220-1235 2025
This study investigated the development of educational aspirations (EAs) among Chinese youth (n = 2228, 48.61% female, 87.66% Han, M[subscript age_2010] = 11.48 years) for 6 years. Five latent classes of EA trajectories were identified. They varied greatly during early adolescence but converged around an associate degree in middle adolescence and beyond and demonstrated high rank-order stability across the period of study. High academic performance and academic competence (adolescent-reported) and educational involvement, academic expectations, and family socioeconomic status (parent-reported) predicted loftier EA trajectories. Consistent EA beyond an associate degree predicted a greater probability of college enrollment in emerging adulthood. Findings are interpreted with respect to China's sociocultural context, a society characterized by high collectivism and regard for academic achievements.
Descriptors: Adolescents, Academic Aspiration, Age Differences, Academic Achievement, Competence, Family Involvement, Socioeconomic Status, Expectation, Predictor Variables, College Attendance, Cultural Influences, Self Concept
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA; 2University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA