ABSTRACT

This article investigates the parental role in educational decisions of young adults in Poland. The country-context is vital due to the profound impact of the 1989 transition on educational aspirations and subsequent ‘degree boom’ in the younger cohorts. Using data from two qualitative studies, we adopt an intergenerational lens to examine how young men and women are affected by their mothers and fathers when making choices about their educational pathways. We propose a matrix of four types of educational aspirations framed by parents, pointing to the importance of resources (capitals/socialisational conditions) on the one hand, and the notion of socialisation influences linked to pragmatism and experimentation, on the other. Based on the analysis we discuss four ideal-types of Successors, Questers, Trailblazers and Hustlers. Accounting also for the gender dimension, we contribute to the broader debates on the reproduction of inequalities and unpack ‘critical moments’ in youth transitions.

摘要

本文调查了父母在波兰年轻人教育决策中的作用。由于 1989 年的转型对年轻群体的教育愿望和随后的“学位热潮”产生了深远的影响，因此国家背景至关重要。使用来自两项定性研究的数据，我们采用代际视角来研究年轻男性和女性在选择教育途径时如何受到父母的影响。我们提出了一个由父母制定的四种教育愿望的矩阵，一方面指出资源（资本/社会化条件）的重要性，另一方面指出与实用主义和实验相关的社会化影响的概念。在分析的基础上，我们讨论了四种理想类型的继承者、探索者、开拓者和骗子。