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Author: Kittivibul, Tippawan
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Kittivibul, Tippawan
Downward Mobility Aspirations among Adolescents
Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, 1988
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: UMI - University Microfilms, Bell and Howell Information and Learning
Keyword(s): Educational Aspirations/Expectations; Family Background and Culture; Gender Differences; Internal-External Attitude; Mobility; Occupational Aspirations; Parental Influences

Little attention has been paid to the non-normative situation, downward educational aspirations, whereby adolescents desire a lower level of education than that attained by their fathers. Downward educational aspirations can be perceived as an early sign of a voluntary downward mobility tendency. The social psychological perspective that is employed in this study considers three levels of influence, social structure, interpersonal relations, and personality, and their effects on downward versus non-downward educational aspirations and the extent of downward educational aspirations. The sample consists of male and female adolescents aged 15-19 who participated in the 1979 NLSY. Multivariate analyses reveal that all three levels are relevant to adolescents' downward educational aspirations, social structure (father's occupation) is the strongest, followed by interpersonal relation (significant others' influence) and personality (occupational aspirations) variables. Specifying the social psychological process by which downward educational aspirations develop is an important goal of this research. Furthermore, to integrate the micro- and macro-levels of sociological analysis, social changes that have set the stage for downward educational aspirations and the voluntary downward mobility phenomenon are discussed.
Bibliography Citation
Kittivibul, Tippawan. Downward Mobility Aspirations among Adolescents. Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University, 1988.