| Sheri Ranis
Teachers College, Columbia University
Making sense of the postsecondary aspirations of disadvantaged youth: The concept of planfulness
FINAL REPORT:
This study considered the role of planfulness in the adolescent transition to adulthood and the realization of status attainment goals by American high school students. The study focused on planfulness among disadvantaged youth by conceptualizing and distinguishing the construct of planfulness, as it is discussed in various research literatures. Tests of hypotheses regarding the positive impact of planfulness on adolescent goal attainment were executed with data from a study of high school students surveyed through the U.S. Department of Education's National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988-94 (NELS:88-94). Analyses revealed that a composite indicator of planfulness measuring beliefs, engagement, and actions of students did contribute to predicting entry into postsecondary schooling for both the general population and for disadvantaged students. Planful beliefs and engagement with schooling at the high school level were particularly powerful factors for individuals in the general population who realized their aspirations for postsecondary education entry. The combination of beliefs, engagement, and actions taken to prepare for postsecondary placement also predicted successful postsecondary entry among those identified as disadvantaged.
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