Educational and Occupational Aspirations: A Longitudinal Study of Vienna Youth

During their transition from lower to upper secondary education, young peoplemake educational and occupational choices driven by their aspirations. Such aspirations are shaped by the individuals’ social environment, their idea of what seems achievable and desirable, and their experiences. Therefore,...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ona Valls, Franz Astleithner, Brigitte Schels, Susanne Vogl, Raphaela Kogler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cogitatio 2022-06-01
Series:Social Inclusion
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/5105
_version_ 1818011089936318464
author Ona Valls
Franz Astleithner
Brigitte Schels
Susanne Vogl
Raphaela Kogler
author_facet Ona Valls
Franz Astleithner
Brigitte Schels
Susanne Vogl
Raphaela Kogler
author_sort Ona Valls
collection DOAJ
description During their transition from lower to upper secondary education, young peoplemake educational and occupational choices driven by their aspirations. Such aspirations are shaped by the individuals’ social environment, their idea of what seems achievable and desirable, and their experiences. Therefore, aspirations can change during the transitional phase. In this article, we explore the development of educational and occupational aspirations of young people over three years. At the start of the study period, the students were attending the lower track in lower secondary education, the so‐called Neue Mittelschule (8th grade), in the city of Vienna in the 2017–2018 academic year. Drawing on the panel survey data (2018–2020) of the Pathways to the Future project, we simultaneously explore stability and change of educational and occupational aspirations. We describe different patterns of change in aspirations and analyse the influence of sociodemographic characteristics and prior achievement on these patterns. Using latent transition analysis, we identify 11 patterns of aspirations with important differences depending on social background. Most of the students have stable aspirations. However, the results show that school performance, migration background, and the level of parental education play important roles in explaining different levels and patterns of aspirations over time. These longitudinal analyses of educational and occupational aspirations provide important insights into the transition process.
first_indexed 2024-04-14T06:02:56Z
format Article
id doaj.art-affc53a491a541e9bd9e884957fb5494
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2183-2803
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-14T06:02:56Z
publishDate 2022-06-01
publisher Cogitatio
record_format Article
series Social Inclusion
spelling doaj.art-affc53a491a541e9bd9e884957fb54942022-12-22T02:08:41ZengCogitatioSocial Inclusion2183-28032022-06-0110222623910.17645/si.v10i2.51052475Educational and Occupational Aspirations: A Longitudinal Study of Vienna YouthOna Valls0Franz Astleithner1Brigitte Schels2Susanne Vogl3Raphaela Kogler4Department of Sociology, University of Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Sociology, University of Vienna, AustriaSchool of Business, Economics and Society, University of Erlangen‐Nuremberg, Germany / Department of Joblessness and Social Inclusion, Institute for Employment Research, GermanyDepartment of Sociology and Social Research Methods, University of Stuttgart, GermanyDepartment of Sociology, University of Vienna, AustriaDuring their transition from lower to upper secondary education, young peoplemake educational and occupational choices driven by their aspirations. Such aspirations are shaped by the individuals’ social environment, their idea of what seems achievable and desirable, and their experiences. Therefore, aspirations can change during the transitional phase. In this article, we explore the development of educational and occupational aspirations of young people over three years. At the start of the study period, the students were attending the lower track in lower secondary education, the so‐called Neue Mittelschule (8th grade), in the city of Vienna in the 2017–2018 academic year. Drawing on the panel survey data (2018–2020) of the Pathways to the Future project, we simultaneously explore stability and change of educational and occupational aspirations. We describe different patterns of change in aspirations and analyse the influence of sociodemographic characteristics and prior achievement on these patterns. Using latent transition analysis, we identify 11 patterns of aspirations with important differences depending on social background. Most of the students have stable aspirations. However, the results show that school performance, migration background, and the level of parental education play important roles in explaining different levels and patterns of aspirations over time. These longitudinal analyses of educational and occupational aspirations provide important insights into the transition process.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/5105educational aspirationseducational transitionslow‐qualified young peopleoccupational aspirationssocial inequalities
spellingShingle Ona Valls
Franz Astleithner
Brigitte Schels
Susanne Vogl
Raphaela Kogler
Educational and Occupational Aspirations: A Longitudinal Study of Vienna Youth
Social Inclusion
educational aspirations
educational transitions
low‐qualified young people
occupational aspirations
social inequalities
title Educational and Occupational Aspirations: A Longitudinal Study of Vienna Youth
title_full Educational and Occupational Aspirations: A Longitudinal Study of Vienna Youth
title_fullStr Educational and Occupational Aspirations: A Longitudinal Study of Vienna Youth
title_full_unstemmed Educational and Occupational Aspirations: A Longitudinal Study of Vienna Youth
title_short Educational and Occupational Aspirations: A Longitudinal Study of Vienna Youth
title_sort educational and occupational aspirations a longitudinal study of vienna youth
topic educational aspirations
educational transitions
low‐qualified young people
occupational aspirations
social inequalities
url https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/5105
work_keys_str_mv AT onavalls educationalandoccupationalaspirationsalongitudinalstudyofviennayouth
AT franzastleithner educationalandoccupationalaspirationsalongitudinalstudyofviennayouth
AT brigitteschels educationalandoccupationalaspirationsalongitudinalstudyofviennayouth
AT susannevogl educationalandoccupationalaspirationsalongitudinalstudyofviennayouth
AT raphaelakogler educationalandoccupationalaspirationsalongitudinalstudyofviennayouth