Urban Black Youths' Educational and Occupational Goals

Abstract

An attitude formation model was developed to test the processes through which economically disadvantaged Black students form their educational and occupational goals. The model assumed that the development of aspirations among urban youths represents an interplay of structural and subjective factors. The model predicted that urban Black youths' goals would be influenced by their perceptions of the structural limitations of American society. The model was tested on 175 African-American male and female 12th graders in an urban school district. Results from regression equations revealed that the model accounted for up to 51% of the variance in students' aspirations. Finings indicated that Black males held more negative perceptions of the opportunity structure and had lower aspirations than Black females. Indeed, Blacks males' perceptions of the opportunity structure carried the same weight in influencing the type of educational plans that they established for themselves as did how well they performed in school. The study's findings are discussed within the context of the marginalization of urban Black males. Recommendations are offered for enhancing the status aspirations of Black youths in general, and inner-city Black males in particular.