Racial/ethnic group and socioeconomic status variation in educational and occupational expectations from adolescence to adulthood

This longitudinal study examined the development of educational and occupational expectations from adolescence to adulthood in relation to racial/ethnic and socioeconomic status (SES) group membership. Hierarchical linear modeling on national data (NELS:88) spanning 12 years yielded several findings: (a) African American participants reported the highest educational expectations, followed by Hispanic and Asian American/Pacific Islander, European American, and American Indian/Alaskan Native participants, (b) African American and Asian American/Pacific Islander participants reported the highest occupational expectations, followed by Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and European American participants, (c) racial/ethnic group patterns persisted from adolescence to adulthood, and (d) SES positively predicted expectations. Results highlight the importance of considering SES when examining educational and occupational expectations across racial/ethnic groups.