Factors that influence students' educational aspirations

Aspirations provide the student with a goal and a direction and this can influence many of the choices a student makes about schooling. Aspirations are an important consideration in education because students’ educational aspirations have been shown to be closely associated with the students’ eventual educational achievement and educational outcomes (Nurmi, 2004). This paper draws on Australian research conducted by the authors on factors that influence the formation of students’ educational aspirations. The findings are based on survey data involving a sample of almost 4000 students across primary, secondary and senior secondary school settings, located in the state of Tasmania.