Educational policies as important tools for building the educational aspirations of young people in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region

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Published: 2026-01-27
DOI: https://doi.org/10.66221/v12n2p110
Keywords:
young people; , São Paulo., educational policy;, educational aspiration

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Fernanda de Magalhães Dias Frinhani
ESAMC Santos
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5219-9555
Veronica Maria Teresi
UNISANTOS
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7550-5025
Ana Claudia Poleto e Fava
UFABC
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5863-0254

Abstract

Young people's life plans are not necessarily preceded by rational analysis, but the results are linked to their choices. The theory of Aspirations aims to understand how young people's choices are guided by their aspirations. Context: Young people's aspirations reflect their lived reality and impact the decisions made in the educational, professional, and family spheres. This text is an excerpt from the research "Aspirations and Choices of Young Brazilians," conducted in the metropolitan regions of São Paulo, Belém, and Porto Alegre. Geographic focus, analyzing data from São Paulo, area focus, analyzing data on educational aspirations. Objectives: To reflect on educational policies as instruments for constructing young people's educational aspirations. To understand whether the theoretical framework of aspirations limits young people's life choices. To understand how young people make their educational choices according to their socioeconomic and cultural reality; what is the role of public policies for poverty alleviation, inclusion, universalization, and retention in education. Methodology: This is a qualitative research study, with data collected from semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Content Analysis. The Theory of Aspirations was the guiding concept. Results: It was observed that young people's aspirations are shaped by a set of interconnected circumstances – family, school, teachers, friends, and opportunities – that can both limit and propel their dreams and life projects, defining their "windows of aspiration." Socioeconomic factors influence the construction of aspirations. Conclusion: Educational aspirations can be an important factor in socioeconomic change, but they depend on public policies for poverty alleviation, inclusion, universalization, and retention in education. The encouragement of family, friends, and teachers, and belief in the viability of goals are favorable factors, while the need for early entry into the labor market and the lack of adequate educational infrastructure hinder the construction and realization of educational aspirations.

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Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2025): 14 (2) 2025

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Artigos
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Fernanda de Magalhães Dias Frinhani, ESAMC Santos

Fernanda de Magalhães Dias Frinhani – Professor and Researcher for over 20 years, currently affiliated with ESAMC Santos/SP and UNIBR São Vicente/SP. Post-doctoral internship at the Federal University of ABC, linked to the Center for Engineering, Modeling and Applied Social Sciences (CECS), with the theme "Aspirations and choices of young Brazilians regarding family, work and relationship with their origins and socioeconomic context" (2025). PhD from the Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo, with emphasis on Human Rights (2014). Master's degree in Psychology from the Federal University of Espírito Santo (2004). Graduated in Law from the Federal University of Viçosa (2000). Specialist in International Law (2018) and with an MBA in Project Management (2021).

Veronica Maria Teresi, UNISANTOS

Verônica Maria Teresi – Professor and Researcher. Currently conducting Post-Doctoral research at the Federal University of ABC, linked to the Center for Engineering, Modeling and Applied Social Sciences (CECS), on the topic "Aspirations and choices of young Brazilians regarding family, work and relationship with their origins and socioeconomic context". The project is coordinated by PUCRS, with the participation of UFPA and UFABC, and is funded by a CAPES scholarship. She holds a PhD in Human and Social Sciences from the Federal University of ABC (Feb/2021), and was awarded a CAPES scholarship. She has a Master's degree in International Law from the Catholic University of Santos (2007) and a Bachelor's degree in Law from the Catholic University of Santos (2000). She has been a consultant for Artival Research Evaluation (Spain) since July 2021, for Fundación Solidariedad Amaranta since November 2024, and a university professor at ESAMC/Santos since August 2010, at UniSantos in 2023, and at the Universidad Internacional de la Rioja (UNIR) in 2024.

Ana Claudia Poleto e Fava, UFABC

Ana Claudia Poleto e Fava - Professor and researcher at the Federal University of ABC in the area of ​​Economics, working mainly on the following themes: gender, durable goods, well-being, bargaining and intra-family allocation, economics of education and feminist economics. She holds a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a master's and undergraduate degree from the University of São Paulo. She was a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2019-2020. She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Innovation (RENI) of UFBAC and the Journal Studies in Risk and Sustainable Development of the University of Economics in Katowice, Poland. She was the first coordinator of the Postgraduate Program in Economics at UFABC and was part of the editorial board of the UFABC Press.

How to Cite

FRINHANI, Fernanda de Magalhães Dias; TERESI, Veronica Maria; FAVA, Ana Claudia Poleto e. Educational policies as important tools for building the educational aspirations of young people in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region. Unisanta Law and Social Science, Santos, v. 14, n. 2, p. 110–131, 2026. DOI: 10.66221/v12n2p110. Disponível em: https://periodicosunisanta.ojsbr.com/LSS/article/view/3274. Acesso em: 17 mar. 2026.

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