Browsing by Subject "Aspirations"
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Item Contradictions of Belonging: The Educational Aspirations and Agency of Youth in the Somali Diaspora(2018-06) Tzenis, JoannaMany young people turn to education as a way to achieve what they hope their lives will be like in the future. This qualitative longitudinal study drew on the capabilities approach and the concept of habitus to understand the ways in which American youth in the Somali diaspora described their educational aspirations and how they exercised their abilities to achieve them. My findings show that youth in the Somali diaspora had aspirations that were influenced by their parents’ pasts as Somali refugees. Many aspired to be doctors so that they might one day be of service to people living in Somalia and so that they would earn enough to care for family members. Aspirations changed (and became more open-ended) through time among the high school youth as they began to more deeply engage in new social fields, like school. My findings also show that youth enacted agency by navigating contradictions they encountered in different social fields. Being Somali (and Muslim) made them targets for discrimination, but also offered them security and strategies to do well in school. Youth navigated a concomitant sense of belonging and isolation in the diaspora—where their biggest social supports, their parents and other diasporic resources, also prompted them to self-exclude from activities outside of the diaspora.Item Parental expectations and aspirations for their children’s educational attainment: an examination of the college-going mindset among parents.(2010-06) Jacob, Monica J.The purpose of this study was to explore parental aspirations and expectations for their children's educational attainment, in addition to examining parent-reported knowledge and understanding of college readiness and preparation. This study consisted of 598 parents of students in 8th-10th grade from five schools in the Midwest. Parents were administered the Scale of Educational Aspirations and Expectations for Adolescents (SEAEA), and were also asked to answer several questions related to their college knowledge. After a factor analysis of the SEAEA, items reflecting aspirations and expectations loaded onto the same factor; however, further analyses revealed a small, yet significant difference between the two beliefs. Results also indicated a gap between what parents aspire and expect for their children's educational attainment and the knowledge of what it will take for that dream to become a reality. Merits and limitations, implications for research and practice, and directions for future research are discussed.Item Three Essays In Development Economics(2020-05) Bloem, JeffreyAlthough the world has witnessed a remarkable reduction in global poverty, vexing challenges persist. Whereas globally poor individuals of the previous generation overwhelmingly lived in poor countries, today the global poor are largely split between two groups: (i) poor, fragile, and conflict-riddled countries or (ii) fast-growing but increasingly economically unequal countries. Answers to questions about what can be done to promote inclusive economic development and reduce poverty will differ critically across these contexts. My research aims to make valuable contributions toward answering important contextualized questions by evaluating policies, testing new theories, and credibly using quantitative data.