URBAN BLACK YOUTHS EDUCATIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL GOALS - THE IMPACT OFAMERICA OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE

An attitude formation model was developed to test the processes throug h which economically disadvantaged Black students form their education al and occupational goals. The model assumed that the development of a spirations among urban youths represents an interplay of structural an d subjective factors. The model predicted that urban Black youths' goa ls would be influenced by their perceptions of the structural limitati ons of American society The model was tested on 175 African-American m ale and female 12th graders in an urban school district. Results from regression equations revealed that the model accounted for up to 51 % of the variance in students' aspirations. Findings indicated that Blac k males held mom negative perceptions of the opportunity structure and had lower aspirations than Black females. Indeed, Blacks males' perce ptions of the opportunity structure carried the same weight in influen cing the type of educational plans that they established for themselve s as did how well they performed in schooL The study's findings are di scussed within the context of the marginalization of urban Black males Recommendations are offered for enhancing the status aspirations of B lack youths in general, and inner-city Black males in particular.