Most research on educational and occupational aspirations is based on the assumption that a person has a single level of aspiration. We suggest a new approach to the study of aspirations by developing the concept of a range of aspirations and by introducing operational measures of a range of educational aspirations and a range of occupational aspirations. The hypothesis that the range of aspirations is wider in the lower classes is tested, controlling for sex and race, and confirmed only for white males. Other findings on the relationships between our measures of aspiration and social class, race, and sex are also discussed. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of research on the range of aspirations and the potential theoretical and policy implications of such research.
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Rodman et al. (1974) studied this question.
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