Uncertain aspirations for continuing in education: antecedents and associated outcomes

Relatively little is known about adolescents who hold uncertain aspirations, that is, those who do not know what they would like to do in the future regarding their educational or occupational plans. Drawing upon the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England born in 1989-1990, the authors tested a pathway model to investigate the antecedents of uncertain aspirations for continuing in education past compulsory schooling age (i.e., 16 years) and associated later educational outcomes. Gender differences in the pathways are also tested. Findings indicate that the relationship linking socioeconomic status to uncertain aspirations is mediated through parents' educational expectations and the relationship linking academic performance at age 11 to uncertain aspirations is mediated through parents' educational expectations and adolescents' self-perceived ability, which, in turn, predict academic performance at age 16 and educational enrollment at age 18. Gender differences in these processes are also evident: young males not only hold greater uncertainty about continuing in education, the consequences of uncertainty regarding later academic performance are worse for males than females.