High School Curriculum and Aspirations of Students in Ohio and Southwest Georgia.

This paper examines the relationships between high school curriculum (academic, general, and vocational) and students' occupational and educational aspirations in rural schools. The study was conducted in Ohio and then replicated in Southwest Georgia. In Ohio, 767 predominantly white rural senior students completed a questionnaire and the students' academic records were reviewed. In Georgia, 266 senior students completed the same questionnaire. The rural Ohio population was nearly all white, while the Southwest Georgia population was 73 percent black. In both sites, students in the academic curriculum: (1) had an underrepresentation of non-whites; (2) had a higher mean socioeconomic status (SES); (3) had the highest SES index scores for their desired and expected occupations; (4) were more confident about their occupational aspirations; and (5) were more likely to plan to further their education and pursue that education immediately after high school. In Ohio, a greater proportion of females were in the academic curriculum. A much higher percentage of Southwest Georgia than Ohio students felt their parents expected them to further their education. A much higher income was expected by rural students in Southwest Georgia than students in rural Ohio. Further research should focus on reasons for gender and ethnicity differences. Educators should consider the desirability of classifying students into specific programs. (KS)