Does School Environment Facilitate Marginalised Young People's Aspirations for Forward Movement in India?

This study investigated structural linkages of the school environment and parental support to the behavioural intentions of marginalised young people for the forward movement. Marginalised young people (n 246) randomly selected from 10th grade participated in the study. A single measure covering all three constructs was developed. The partial least squares-structural equation method (Smart PLS-SEM) was used to examine the structural linkages among the constructs. Behavioural intentions reflected students’ educational aspirations for a desired future. Marginalised young people suffer from the paradox of ambition and the mismatch between educational aspirations and opportunities. Whatever they acquired during schooling could not align with their expectations and aspirations. This mismatch restricted their forward movement. Parental support and the school environment led to the behavioural intentions of the forward movement. Remarkably, this forward movement centred around the chota-mota naukari (lower-rung jobs) and the change in social status within the communities for which they continued schooling. School education must bridge the gap between aspirations and expectations by reframing pedagogy and state-specific interventions.