A Comparative Study on Educational Aspiration and Parental Encouragement among Rural and Urban High School Children

Adolescence is the time of transition from childhood dependence to early adulthood freedom and responsibility. Educational aspiration is explained as a psychological construct, which reflects a cognitive type of motivation of the individual. Educational aspiration reflects educational goals an individual set for himself/herself. Parental encouragement is the inspiration or extra-boosting given by the parents to the children for their active involvement in academic life. The present study was conducted in rural and urban areas of Hisar and Fatehabad district of Haryana state. The sample of study included 120 respondents from Hisar and 120 from Fatehabad district, thus total sample comprised of 240 respondents. Educational Aspiration Scale by Sharma and Gupta (2015) was used to assess educational aspiration and Parental Encouragement Scale by Sharma (1997) was used to assess parental encouragement of students. The results of study revealed that majority of respondents belonged to moderate category of educational aspirations and majority of respondents perceived moderate level of parental encouragement. There were significant differences in educational aspirations and parental encouragement of children from rural and urban area. In urban area, respondents had significantly greater educational aspiration and parental encouragement as compared to respondents from rural area.