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Author: Gardner, Nicole P.
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Gardner, Nicole P.
Linking Parental Work Experiences to Adolescents' Future Orientation
Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Michigan, 2004. DAI-B 65/02, p. 1050, Aug 2004
Cohort(s): NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: UMI - University Microfilms, Bell and Howell Information and Learning
Keyword(s): Educational Aspirations/Expectations; Educational Attainment; Maternal Employment; Mothers, Income; Occupational Attainment; Parent Supervision/Monitoring; Parental Influences; Transition, School to Work; Work Experience; Work Hours/Schedule

For many young people, the experiences that parents have with work carry implications for their outlook on the future, and possibly for their educational achievement and occupational attainment. Despite the potential for parents' jobs to influence adolescents' future orientation, there have been few investigations of how parents' work experiences relate to adolescents' orientation to future education or employment. This dissertation uses three studies to explore how the characteristics of parents' jobs and their work experiences relate to adolescents' thoughts, plans, and outlooks on the future. The first study uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine how mothers' work hours, wages, and occupational complexity predict adolescents' educational aspirations and expectations. Using data from a local sample of adolescents, the second study examines how adolescents' perceptions of parents' jobs predict their optimism about educational and employment prospects. The third study continues the investigation using qualitative interviews with adolescents to explore themes reflective of the link between parents' jobs and adolescents' future orientation. Results from these three studies indicate that parents' work experiences matter for how adolescents think about their educational and occupational futures. The more favorable parents' experiences with work, the more optimistic adolescents are about their futures. For adolescents whose parents have unfavorable experiences with work, parental support and adolescents' mastery appear to buffer any negative effects of parents' jobs on adolescents' future orientation. These findings suggest implications for interventions and policies aimed at fostering successful transitions from school to work for all adolescents.
Bibliography Citation
Gardner, Nicole P. Linking Parental Work Experiences to Adolescents' Future Orientation. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Michigan, 2004. DAI-B 65/02, p. 1050, Aug 2004.