Educational Aspirations and Tribal School Students: A Rural-Urban Comparative Study in Western West Bengal

Abstract

Educational aspirations determine students’ future goals and the level of education they wish to achieve. This study aims to explore the level of educational aspirations of tribal students in rural and urban areas of Paschim Bardhaman district in West Bengal. It also aims to examine the difference between educational aspirations and students’ gender. A self-made semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect general information, and the “Level of Educational Aspiration Test” by Yashmin Ghani Khan (1999) was used to identify the level of aspiration of students. The study was conducted on 82 tribal learners of 2 schools in Paschim Bardhaman district. The descriptive statistical tools t-test and frequency tables were used to analyze the data. The study found that there was no significant difference in educational aspirations and gender among the tribal students, but area emerged as a significant differentiating factor, with rural students demonstrating notably higher aspirations than urban students. Despite limited awareness of higher education opportunities, tribal students showed a positive and goal-oriented attitude toward schooling. There is a need to highlight the need for targeted interventions to expand their knowledge of different educational and career paths.