Article Abstract

A key predictor of educational success, educational aspiration is a psychological construct that includes a person\'s hope, ambitions, and long-term goals regarding their future life circumstances. It influences academic choices, effort, and resilience. The article is intended to examine the educational aspirations of higher secondary school students in the Kalimpong district of West Bengal, with attention to how students\' aspirations vary based on gender and school type (government or private school). The study employed a descriptive analytical survey research design to explore educational aspirations of students. A sample of 100 students from 2 government and 2 private Higher secondary schools were selected. The stratified random probability sampling technique was adopted for sampling. The data was collected using the Educational Aspiration Scale (EAS) developed by Rozia Bashir and Dr. Najmah Peerzada. Data analysis has been done with the help of statistical techniques such as the Mean, Standard Deviation (SD), and t-test. The study revealed that the students overall educational aspiration was significantly low to below average. Considerably low number of students was ranked \'extremely low\' or \'low\' aspirations. As far as gender was concerned, a statistically significant difference in educational aspiration was found between male and female students. Females showed more educational aspirations than males. No significant difference educational aspiration was found between government and private higher secondary school students. The findings provide an overview of how individual and environmental factors shape educational goals, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to boost student aspirations. The study also suggests socio-cultural elements and societal norms may influence gender-specific aspirations more than the type of educational institution and highlight the need to target these aspirations.
Keywords: Educational Aspiration, Higher Secondary Students, Gender and School Type, Level of Educational Aspiration