This study examined the relative importance of school, family, personal/psychological, race, and sex variables in predicting educational and vocational aspirations. A nationally representative sample of 10th-grade students was followed through 2 years beyond their high school. Results suggested that sex and race significantly predicted educational and vocational aspirations of students. The educational aspiration model was shown to be more robust than the occupational aspiration model. Overall, students showed increases in educational and occupational aspirations, regardless of sex and race. Compared with other groups, Asian Americans had the greatest increase in educational aspirations. Female students, on the average, had higher educational and vocational aspirations.

The author investigated students' persistence regarding career aspirations in science and engineering (SE) professional careers as a function of race and sex. In a nationally representative sample of 8th graders, persistent racial minority and female students were compared with nonpersistent racial minority and male students regarding their self-concept, parental involvement, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement. Men were more likely than women to persist in SE career aspirations. Persistent students scored higher than did nonpersistent students on all of the variables studied. Academic proficiency and math selfefficacy were 2 of the strongest predictors of persistence in SE careers.Women and minorities are entering male-dominated careers in increasing numbers and at a rapid pace. This fact has prompted numerous researchers to study the characteristics of women who engage in nontraditional ). However, most of these studies have concentrated on the nontraditional career choices of college and adult populations. Moreover, most of these studies provide no information on the significance of each variable in comparison with the others, nor do they indicate how these variables interrelate and contribute to the choices women make when choosing nontraditional careers.

This study examined the cultural relevance of two important career constructs: career decision-making style and career decision-making self-efficacy. Two distinct cultural groups of college students, Americans (N ϭ 540) and Taiwanese (N ϭ 1026), participated in this cross-cultural study. Results suggested that career decision-making styles have differential impacts on career decision-making self-efficacy, depending on the cultural background of the individuals. Results also showed significant differences in career decision-making style and career decision-making self-efficacy as a function of nationality and gender. Counseling implications and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

This study investigates the differences in parental influence on academic achievement of Asian immigrants, Asian Americans, and White Americans. The sample consisted of a nationally representative sample of 10th grade students obtained from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 88, first follow-up, sponsored by the National Center for Educational Statistics. Results indicate that both Asian immigrants and Asian Americans spent significantly more time on homework and perceived higher parental educational expectation than did White American students. White American students, on the other hand, reported more parental involvement in school activities. A negative relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement was found for the Asian immigrant and Asian American students. Implications of the findings on academic achievement are discussed based on cultural perspectives.The educational success of Asian countries, especially in the area of mathematics, has promoted many discussions and continuing interest among researchers (