Aspirations and Transitions to Higher Education: Portraits of Young People Living in Portuguese Border Regions

This article reports the aspirations of young people growing up in border regions (Portugal-Spain) of continental Portugal after completing compulsory education (12th grade). That is, how young people are designing their perceptions about educational and career pathways combined with inherent contingencies, in spite of living in remote and mostly rural regions. Data were collected in 28 school clusters located in 28 border regions by means of a questionnaire to which 3653 young people from the 10th to 12th grade responded. The research involved a questionnaire concerning their expectations after completing compulsory education. Our findings suggest that despite the presence of undeniable regional struggles for the recognition and inequalities of these young people's right to education, they still want to pursue higher education because they believe that it will afford them greater opportunities, even if they have to leave their hometown. Moreover, gender and parents' education seem to have an influence in those processes. Young people's aspirations regarding their future seem to incorporate both the available options and their desired pathways.