MARRIAGE, FAMILY, AND THE CHILD: UNDERSTANDING THE EDUCATIONAL ASPIRATIONS OF ADOLESCENTS IN DIVERSE FAMILY CONTEXTS

The structure and dynamics of the contemporary family are experiencing rapid change as a result of socio-economic, cultural and legal changes. These changes invariably impact the socio-emotional and educational development of children and youth. The current study, titled, “Marriage, Family, and the Child: Understanding the Educational Aspirations of Adolescents in Diverse Family Contexts,” aims to understand the role of family structure such as broken, semi-broken, and single-parent families, on students’ educational aspirations among secondary school learners. Furthermore, the study will investigate the possible mediating role of socio-economic status and emotional intelligence on educational aspirations. Based on theories of family socialization and emotional growth, the study will affirm the contribution of parental relationships, stability in the home, and socio-legal transitions in family forms towards students’ motivation and goal setting. A descriptive and correlational research design will be employed to capture the participants’ views and understand their educational aspirations. A sample of 420 IX standard students (220 boys and 200 girls) was selected using the stratified random sampling method from government and private schools across urban and rural settings. Following the study's aim, standardized instruments, the Emotional Intelligence Scale, and the Educational Aspiration Inventory were employed. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, correlation, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results indicated that the educational aspiration of the students living in broken families is significantly higher (Mean = 62.47) than of students living in semi-broken families (M = 58.32) or single-parent families (M = 54.19) at p < 0.01 level of significance. A positive strong correlation was found between emotional intelligence and educational aspiration r = (0.68, p < 0.01), reminding us that higher emotional intelligence (emotional regulation, empathy, and self-awareness) leads to higher levels of educational aspiration. The socio-economic status also explained moderate correlation (r = (0.49, p < 0.05), showing that economic stability/status and parental education still acts as a supportive factor. The gender difference of educational aspiration was not statistically significant find in the study sample, which signals a gradual movement toward gender parity for educational ambition in adolescents.