Shoot for the Moon, If You Miss You'll at Least Land in the Stars: How Parental and Youth Expectations Affect Educational Attainment

Ashley Hicks, Ohio State University
Anastasia R. Snyder, Ohio State University

Past research has shown that parental expectations, perceived and actual, influence youth outcomes. A number of studies have focused on parental expectations of educational achievement. These studies have shown that parental expectations do influence youth overall academic achievement. One key finding that is evident from these studies is parents with higher educational expectations for their children tend to have youth with higher levels of educational attainment, as well as youth with higher educational expectations for themselves. This study uses data from the NLSY97 and builds upon the previous literature to examine how parental expectations affect youth overall educational attainment in young adulthood. Using youth and parental expectation variables allow us to further understand the process of status attainment in young adulthood as related to the expectancy value model. Additionally this study attempts to examine the effect of socioeconomic status on the relationships between expectations and status attainment.