ABSTRACT
Summary: This chapter reports on a larger study by the authors, which is concerned with the determinants of the vocational choices of adolescents of South Asian background in Britain, focusing on the roles of ‘cultural conflict’ and the British educational system.
The first part of the chapter covers the antecedent considerations of migration, indigenous reaction and patterns of immigrant settlement, particularly of the South Asians; these are related to the specific educational requirements of the group. Such background information is vital to an understanding of the educational problems both encountered and posed by South Asian children in the British educational system.
The second part consists of a report on several specific aspects of the education of South Asians which are at present under study, and concentrates upon the vocational aspirations of South Asian adolescents prior to leaving school. An examination of aspirations in relation to cultural, social and personal factors revealed that aspirational level represents a complex interaction between the adaptation of migrants and their children to the British educational and occupational system and the general patterns of socialization and moderating personality variables. The chapter concludes with a reflection on the current plight of South Asian youngsters in British social and educational hierarchies, and makes suggestions for both curriculum change and further research.
