Peer Influences on Adolescent Educational Aspirations and Attainments

The educational aspirations and attainments of 1,401 male seniors in 30 high schools were examined in terms of the aspirations and achievements of their sociometric choices. In support of hypothesized tendencies toward balance, we observed that a student at a given level of parental education is more likely to expect to attend college, to have a strong desire to go to college when he does expect to go, to want to go when he does not expect to go, and actually to get there when he expected to attend, if his best friend does rather than does not plan to go to college. When the student and his friend both plan to go, he is more likely to attend if his friend does. Each of these relationships is stronger when his friendship choice is rather than is not reciprocated. Finally, a student and his friend are more likely to attend the same college when (1) they initially agree on plans to attend a specific college, (2) if the friend does realize his plans when they initially agree, or (3) if he does not realize his plans when they initially disagree. Reciprocation has little effect on these latter relationships.