Abstract:

Purpose – This study examines the factors influencing educational aspirations among adolescents in secondary and high schools across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, with a focus on their aspirations for higher and postgraduate education. Through an analysis of a sample comprising 1360 students from grades 7 to 11, the research explores the likelihood of these students pursuing tertiary education.

Design/methodology/approach - The ordered logit regression models were used to analyze the impact of variables related to family background, including parents’ education, family support and SES, and school grade, utilizing. Additionally, the Exploratory Factor Analysis was utilized to distill a smaller set of underlying factors or constructs from the measured variables.

Findings - The findings reveal that the educational level of mothers notably impacts the educational aspirations of their children in the Central Asian region. The study observes that as educational opportunities for mothers increase, the correlation between fathers and their children in terms of educational attainment weakens, whereas the correlation with mothers strengthens. Our research indicates that the educational bond between mother and child is becoming increasingly pronounced, particularly within the context of patriarchal family structures prevalent in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia as a whole. Concurrently, the influence of the father's educational background appears to be diminishing. This trend is consistent with the concept of educational hypogamy, wherein mothers possess higher educational levels than fathers, a phenomenon that is gaining prominence in contemporary family dynamics.