Abstract

Educational aspiration term has close relations with expectations from and meaning of education; motivation, academic success of individuals, school attendancy/nonattendancy and dropouts and has an organic link with socio-economic situation of individuals. Educational aspiration indicates the individuals’ desire to attend schools at higher levels. The main aim of this paper is to present “educational aspiration” concept to Turkish literature and review researches about it according to ecological theory. In this context, it is summarized how educational aspiration concept and related literature can be handled in microsystem, mesosystem, macrosystem and crono-system. “Educational aspiration” term is examined as disciplinary and interdisciplinary in many areas such as curriculum and instruction, educational sociology, economics of education, educational policy, public health, educational psychology and guidance in international literature. Also, it is seen that studies focusing on the relation between educational aspiration and hidden curriculum are mainly at theoretical level, and based on analyses in the framework of Bourdieu’s cultural capital and habitus concepts. With this study, the nature and dimensions of concept and its relations with various areas will be tried to be put forward.

Key words: Educational Aspiration, Ecological Theory, Formal Curriculum, Hidden Curriculum, Review