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Teenagers are not yet fully developed, creating their self-identity, full of aspiration, and exploring their world through sometimes harmless acts. While it has long been acknowledged that delinquency can lead to a life of crime, criminologists vary on whether a criminal disposition is caused by internal and/or external forces. Labeling theory suggests it could be the negative labels placed upon youth that could inhibit future aspirations more so than the delinquent acts themselves. Using data from the National Youth Survey, this study examines the influence of negative labeling by significant others on educational aspirations among youth with varying levels of educational achievement. These analyses use the third wave of the National Youth Survey dataset when the respondents were teenagers, aged 13-19, as well as the fifth wave, two years later, to examine the internalization of negative labels and the transformative effects on self-identity and educational aspirations. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models show statistically significant relationships between negative labeling by significant others (teachers, parents, and friends) and lowered educational aspirations net of delinquency. Specifically, negative labeling by teachers has the most profound effect upon low achievers, while negative labeling by parents and friends has the greatest impact on middle achievers. Implications are discussed.

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This qualitative study utilizes data acquired from interviews with 18 community college transfer students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) majors and 7 university staff people who work in direct student services with this student population. This study explores the experiences of transfer students in STEM majors regarding what influenced their college persistence, particularly the relevance of STEM career aspirations. Students report their experiences of social and academic integration after transfer; the phenomenon of transfer shock is also explored and incorporated. Institutional policies such as articulation agreements are considered. Implications for student services practice and future research are presented.

ABSTRACT THE EASY WAY VERSUS THE HARD WAY: MIDDLE- CLASS BLACK MALE STUDENTS‟ PERCEPTIONS OF EDUCATION AS IT RELATES TO SUCCESS AND CAREER ASPIRATIONS by Rita D. Williams “Education is the key to success” is a common mantra on which schools base their goals and daily operations as well as the reason why most teachers enjoy job security. The majority of school personnel project two beliefs: (a) College is the appropriate next step after graduating from high school, and (b) white-collar occupations, such as professional, management, and supervisory positions, are desired career choices. However, after interacting with and observing the behavior of students in my classroom, I wonder how many young people agree with educators‟ thoughts on college and careers. Many Black males, in particular, do not enroll in college upon graduating from high school and often work in jobs that require less education (Joint Center Data Bank, 2003; Mincy, Lewis, & Han, 2006). Herr (1996) believed people operate within an ecological context that included “the combination of physical, social, political, and economic environments that persons occupy and combine to create the circumstances in which each person negotiates his or her identity, belief systems, and life course” (p. 6 – 7). Within this context, individuals developed values that are personal and important. These values may or may not be aligned to values that are prevalent in society. As such, it was worth conducting a qualitative study of how middle-class Black males perceived the role of education in success as well as their career plans. Any misalignment of thoughts between some middle-class Black males and school personnel could inform our understanding of why middle-class Black males, as a subgroup, academically perform lower than other similar subgroups. Research questions included (1) How do middle-class Black males in a predominantly Black high school perceive the role of education in success as well the career aspirations of Black males? (2) What self-identified factors influenced their perceptions of education, success, and careers? Through interviews and focus groups, I gained insight on the academic and career perspectives of 13 middle-class Black males. Constant comparison methods (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and organizational displays (Miles & Huberman, 1994) guided data analysis. The findings reveal that, although all participants plan to attend college, most respondents believe additional routes, besides a higher education, lead to career and life achievement.

Tyrimo objektas – bedarbių, augusių ilgalaikių bedarbių šeimose, gyvenimo siekiai. Tyrimo aktualumą atspindi probleminiai klausimai: 1) kaip tėvų ilgalaikė bedarbystė įtakoja vaikų gyvenimo siekius? 2) kokiais gyvenimiškais siekiais pasižymi bedarbiai, augę ilgalaikių bedarbių šeimose. Probleminiai klausimai suponavo tyrimo tikslą: ištirti tėvų ilgalaikio nedarbo įtaką vaikų gyvenimo siekiams. Iškelti tyrimo uždaviniai: 1) aptarti asmenybės gyvenimo siekių formavimosi turinį; 2) atskleisti ilgalaikio nedarbo poveikį šeimos funkcionavimui; 3) išryškinti tėvų ilgalaikės bedarbystės poveikį vaikų gyvenimo siekiams; 4) atskleisti bedarbių, augusių ilgalaikių bedarbių šeimose, gyvenimo siekių ypatumus. Iškelta tyrimo hipotezė: ilgalaikių bedarbių šeimose augę bedarbiai pasižymi žemesniais gyvenimo siekiais lyginant su bedarbiais, augusiais šeimose, nepriskirtinose ilgalaikių bedarbių kategorijai. Darbe panaudoti teoriniai (mokslinės literatūros ir dokumentų analizė), empiriniai (kiekybinis ir kokybinis) ir statistiniai tyrimo metodai. Mokslinės literatūros analizė atskleidė, kad ilgalaikė bedarbystė kaip būklė ir statusas neišvengiamai įtakoja asmens ir jo artimiausios aplinkos socialinį ir asmeninį gyvenimą bei savimonę. Ši įtaka pasireiškia negalėjimu pilnavertiškai tenkinti asmeninių ir socialinių poreikių bei dalyvauti visuomenės gyvenime, o tuo pačiu iškreipia moralinių normų ir bendrabūvio taisyklių suvokimą. Ilgalaikių bedarbių šeimose stipriai... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The influence of parent‘s long-term unemployment towards the children‘s life aspirations is analysed in this paper. The paper is based on the doctrin that the jobless who has lived within the family of long-term unemployed are distinquished for the lower life aspirations on comparison to the jobless who has lived within the family of parents who weren’t unemployed. The problematic questions have reflected the topicality of this research: 1) what influence the parent‘s long-term unemployment has towards the children‘s life aspirations? 2) what kind are the life aspirations of the jobless who has lived within the family of long-term unemployed? The aim of the research is to explore the influence of parent‘s long-term unemployment toward the children‘s life aspirations. The next tasks have been realized in the work: 1) to discuss the content of the pesonal development of the life aspirations; 2) to reveal the influence of long-term unemployment towards the families function; 3) to show the influence of parent‘s long-term unemployment towards the children‘s life aspirations; 4) to reveal the peculiarities of the life aspirations of the jobless who has lived within the family of long-term unemployed. The methods of the research has been used: theoretical (analysis of the academic literature), empirical (the quantitative and the qualitative analysis), statistical. The theoretical analysis of the research problem show that the long-term unemployed as the state... [to full text]

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First-generation students and students of lower socioeconomic status often prepare for postsecondary education without the benefit of information provided by their families, resulting in lower levels of college access (Lundberg, 2007). Few researchers have sought to understand how potential first-generation college students might go about obtaining the necessary information for a successful transition to college. The purpose of this dissertation was to determine to whom students talk about college and to explore the potential reciprocal relationship between resources for and information about college provided by others and students’ educational beliefs. This dissertation consisted of two empirical studies. In the first study, the composition of students’ networks and differences in social capital were examined among middle and high school students from a rural Appalachian school district (N = 388). Students reported to whom they talked about college and answered questions about each person that they named. Junior and senior high school students spoke to fewer individuals about college than middle grades students. Senior high school students spoke to individuals in their networks more frequently than middle grades students. Boys spoke to fewer individuals about college than girls. Boys received fewer pieces of information about college compared to girls. Potential first-generation college students had fewer individuals in their network who had completed a college degree. The purpose of the second study was to examine the relationship between students’ college information networks and students’ beliefs about college. Participants were 364 students in Grades 6-12 from a rural Appalachian school district. Information on students’ college information networks was collected to better understand the relationship among first-generation college students’ access to social capital, their college-going self-efficacy, and their educational aspirations. College-going self-efficacy and educational aspirations were both significant predictors of available social capital. Social capital was not a significant predictor of students’ educational beliefs. College cultural capital was a significant predictor of students’ social capital and educational beliefs. Results of this dissertation are discussed relative to social cognitive theory and suggestions for educational interventions and future research are offered.

Most men and women are employed in occupations largely dominated by people of their own sex. Since occupational aspirations have proven to predict future labor market behavior it is of importance to study young boys’ and girls’ occupational preferences. With the use of a survey based on Swedish 15-year-old children this study examines the association between the gender composition of parent’s occupation and the gender composition of children’s most preferred occupation. Drawing from the sex-role model that emphasizes the importance of the same-sex parents in forming children’s preferences, this study has investigated whether the gender composition of mothers’ (fathers’) occupations has an impact on the gender composition of girls’ (boys’) occupational aspirations. In line with previous research, the sex-role model received support for girls. But the observed association between fathers and sons disappear upon adding control variables. It was also hypothesized that the mothers’ generation entry into high status occupation would make children more likely to also regard their opposite sex parents as a role model. However, this hypothesis did not receive support. The result for girls can be interpreted as a sign that sex-role modeling some extent can be one reason behind the persistent sex segregation in the labor market.