Interview data from 436 black parents are used to test the hypothesis that a lower social class status is related to a wider range of aspirations. The hypothesis is supported. (Author)

This is a study of educational, occupational, and income aspirations as they are related to social class. It was assumed that individuals have a range of aspirations rather than a single level of aspiration. Research has indicated that lower class individuals have a lower level of aspiration than middle class individuals. It may be, however, that…

A series of questions on educational aspirations for their children was asked of 436 black parents in Detroit. Responses were used to develop measures of a range of aspirations. Sex of parent and sex of child were not significantly related to the width of the range of aspirations. Significant associations between social class status and the width…

In contrast to previous research, this study assumes a range of aspirations for individuals, rather than a single level. The basic hypothesis is that social class is related to the width of the range; that is, the lower the social class level the wider the range of aspiration. Interviews were conducted with parents of 255 Negro kindergarten and…