Recent theory and research on intellectual achievement suggest that a seldom-examined factor, student aspirations, plays an integral role in students' educational accomplishments. The staff of the National Center for Student Aspirations developed the Student Aspirations Survey to aid educators in their efforts to address aspiration issues at the secondary level. After extensive piloting, a 98-item instrument with 13 scales was administered to students from four New England high schools representing both rural and suburban areas. Results provide evidence of sufficient internal consistency for group administration, but confirmatory factor analyses suggest that the factor structure can be improved.
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