Career goal-related social ties during two educational transitions: Antecedents and consequences

Abstract This study examined adolescents’ career goal-related social ties during the transition from compulsory to post-compulsory education and during transition from post-compulsory education to working-life or further studies. A total of 687 Finnish adolescents aged 15–16 were surveyed of whom 654 also participated at the second measurement point one year later, and 497 three years later. Differences in career goal-related social ties were found according to gender, GPA, family structure, and SES. Moreover, social ties were associated with educational track after compulsory school above and beyond SES, GPA, and family structure. Adolescents who named a teacher or a romantic partner were …

Career goal-related success expectations across two educational transitions: A seven-year longitudinal study

The purpose of this seven-year longitudinal study was to examine the trajectories of adolescents' career goal-related success expectations during two educational transitions. Altogether 850 (48% female, M Age = 16) participants reported their success expectations for their career-related goals, first in the last year of comprehensive school and four times during the following seven years. Overall, the success expectations showed a significant increase. However, there was considerable heterogeneity in the development of these expectations. Growth Mixture Modeling showed that four trajectories fitted the data best: high-increasing (78%), low-increasing (9%), decreasing (6%) and U-shaped (7%).…

Adolescents ́ career goals in social context

Parents' work burnout and adolescents' school burnout: Are they shared?

There is considerable evidence that psychological distress not only has consequences for those who experience it but also can create problems for other members of the distressed person's family. To examine whether parents' work burnout and their children's school burnout are shared in the family, 515 adolescents (median age = 15) completed scales for school burnout and 595 of their parents (342 mothers, 253 fathers) completed scales for work burnout and their economic situation. The intraclass correlations showed that parents' work burnout and adolescents' school burnout was shared in the family. In addition, the better the economic situation the parents' experienced, the lower was the leve…

Gendered pathways in school burnout among adolescents

The aim of this study is to examine differences in student burnout by gender, time status with two time points before and after an educational transition, and educational track (academic vs. vocational). The definition of burnout is based on three components: exhaustion due to school demands, a disengaged and cynical attitude toward school, and feelings of inadequacy as a student (Salmela-Aro, Kiuru, Leskinen, & Nurmi, 2009). A total of 770 Finnish adolescents (M age = 16) were examined at the beginning of their last year in comprehensive school, and three times annually during their secondary education both on academic and vocational tracks. Among boys on the academic track, overall school…