A Systematic Review of Factors Influencing Students’ Educational Aspirations

Abstract

This systematic review was conducted to synthesize the existing research evidence on factors influencing school students’ educational aspirations. To achieve this desired objective, Joana Briggs Institute’s systematic review format was followed. Online literature databases - Google Scholar, Semantic scholar, Research gate, Proquest, JSTOR, ERIC, Web of Science, Springer, Sage, Wiley Online Library, Taylor Francis, Elsevier, PsychINFO, and Scopus - were searched for the identification and retrieval of research studies published between January 2010 and June 2022. A total of twenty six (26) published papers (double –blind peer reviewed) were included in the review. Through the process of narrative synthesis using the method of thematic analysis, the factors identified were categorized in two broader themes i.e. students individual characteristics (gender, locale, academic performance, religiosity, ability to delay gratification and peer-group affiliation) and family characteristics (socio-economic status, socio-cultural capital, parental education, occupation, income, and aspirations). The review contends that existing evidence is not enough to establish the causal inferences or to make conclusive statements or to predict which factor influences most and which least.