Peer Influences, Learning Experiences and Aspirations of Romanian High School Students in their Final School Year

More than 80% of the Romanian senior high school students wish to continue their studies after graduation, even it is not a realistic aspiration in the conditions of the actual Romanian society. In the frame of this study the social context-related factors that influence the aspirations of the students were analysed. Beside demographic characteristics, variables related to the most relevant social contexts of adolescents (family, friends, school, neighbourhood) were taken into account. The sample is composed from 3524 high school students in their final school year (12th grade). These adolescents were surveyed in the first wave of the survey “Outcomes of Adolescence; a longitudinal perspective on the effect of social context on successful life transitions”. The measure used was a questionnaire based on the SSP [1] which was completed and adapted to Romania by the research team. The results indicate that among the demographic characteristics used, educational level of the parents had the strongest effect on the students’ aspirations. Conversations with parents and aspirations of friends also influenced the respondents’ own future plans. In contrast, perceived teachers’ support and school-related attitudes of youth from the neighbourhood had no significant effect on the aspiration of the students.