Education: The conscious and unconscious forces of socialization

Reflect upon and attempt to analyze objectively the conscious and unconscious forces of socialization on your choice of educational goals.

• What assumptions did you grow up with as a child regarding whether you would go to college, what you would study and what kinds of work you would probably do?
• Which personality traits were encouraged in school?
• How did labeling affect your aspirations?
• What effect did your peer group have on your academic aspirations?

Discuss how your peer group encouraged or ridiculed academic performance. Discuss how standardized achievement tests influenced your educational goals. Discuss the impact of college entrance interviews or instructor counseling on your education. Did your performance on vocational guidance tests influence your choices? Finally, if you could do it all over again, discuss what you would do differently. Your WAM should be 500 words or more.