Educational Aspirations and Academic Achievement among Tribal and Non-tribal Undergraduate Students in Dhemaji District, Assam.

Abstract

The present study was conducted to examine the levels of educational aspirations and academic achievement among tribal and non-tribal undergraduate students, to compare these variables between the two groups, and to investigate the relationship between educational aspirations and academic achievement.
The study adopted the descriptive survey method. The population comprised tribal and non-tribal undergraduate students studying in degree colleges of the Dhemaji district, Assam. A sample of 319 undergraduate students (167 tribal and 152 non-tribal), including 88 males and 231 females, was selected through the stratified random sampling technique. Data on educational aspirations were collected using the Educational Aspirations Scale developed by V. P. Sharma and A. Gupta, while academic achievement was assessed using students' examination results. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), the independent samples t-test, and Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient.
The findings revealed that the tribal and non-tribal undergraduate students in the Dhemaji district exhibit comparable levels of educational aspirations and academic achievement. The findings suggest that educational aspirations alone do not significantly influence academic achievement among the undergraduate students included in the study. The results may serve as a useful reference for educators, policymakers, and researchers in planning educational interventions aimed at promoting equitable educational opportunities and improving academic outcomes among tribal and non-tribal students.