Self-direction and socialization towards work life during emerging adulthood Katariina Salmela-Aro ma prof, University of Jyväskylä Finnish Institute of Occupational Health School and business – making transition work , Kuopio

Outline From healthy student to useful employee- the role of motivation and strategies in this process Self-direction & socialization model personal goals and strategies Four studies during emerging adulthood: transition from school to work success and problems

Finnish features of school to work transition (1) Education- and work transitions take place late: 9 th grades: the first decisions concerning their future education Long time gap between secondary and tertiary studies Young people start their university or vocational school late University (free of charge) studies takes long time Transition from school or university to work takes place late (2) Young workers: Irregular, part-time and non-permanent employement, regular career takes long to achieve (3) However, Finnish students are doing well in PISA etc

Background (1) Life-span psychology On the other hand, age-graded challenges direct life On the other hand, people select certain paths, select certain environments and produce reactions in other people (2) Motivation psychology Personal goals and projects How people produce goals on the basis of their thinking and emotions (3) Cognitive action theory What kinds of typical action patterns people have in achievement context and in social life context different thinking and action strategies How people evaluate their success and failure causal attributions

The life period during emerging adulthood Young adulthood (age period 15-30): Emerging adulthood (Arnett) Excessive amount of transitions and changes educational transitions changes in peer groups transition from school to work changes in relationships with parents becoming a parent Main developmental tasks (Erikson, Havighurst) (1) deal with the new academic demands (2) adapt to novel social circles by making new friends

Career-related Self- direction & socialisation WHAT? Selection Personal goals Commitments HOW? Strategies EVALUATION? Adjustment, goal reconstruction, Compensation, causal attributions WHEN? Socialisation Chanelling Developmental tasks Transitions Roles Challenges Constraints Well-being Achievements Socialization to work Motiivit WHY? Motives WITH WHOM? So- cial Net- work Institutional tracks, Action opportunities Standards

Self-direction in age-graded environment Age-graded environment Self-direction DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS ACTION POSSIBILITIES STANDARDS MOTIVATION PERSONAL GOALS STRATEGIES EVALUATION IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT

(1) Personal goals Personal projects, Personal strivings, Personal goals… (1) What? Contents of personal goals, such as education (2) How? Appraisals of personal goals, such as progress, effort (3) With whom? Social resources related to personal goals

Personal goals and well-being (1) Appraisal of personal goals: progressed well, and high commitment -> high well-being (2) What works makes you happy: personal goals that help to deal successfully with challenges and demands -> high well- being; Goal reconstruction related to demands and challenges -> consequences for well-being (3) Life-span theory: individuals do not only adjust to life-span changes but also direct their own development -> the role of goals in selection and adjustment, reflect developmental tasks

(2) Achievement and Social Strategies: Key concepts 1) Expectations positive, success / negative, failure (2) Behavior task-focused /task-avoidant or task-irrelevant (3) Causal attributions how one explains success/failure, self-serving attributional bias ->Functional (optimism) and malfunctional (avoidance, self-handicapping)

Emerging adulthood - four data sets 1. Transition from secondary school 2. Transition to university 3. During university studies 4. Transition from vocational school to work AGE

1.1. Data Transition from secondary school Research questions: What kinds of future plans & personal goals 9th graders have? What kinds of social resources related to career-goal they have? The role of education-related personal goals

1. Data 168 9th graders (50% girls/50% boys) 2 Finnish comprehensive schools Methods: Future plans Little’s Personal Project Analysis: four personal goals & social resources related to education goals Self-Efficacy scales, Career Barriers & Resources

Future plans…. %

Examples of adolescents personal goals “To receive a study place in the field I like” “Pass the test tomorrow” “Make new friends” “Make the best of high school” “I want to get into law” “To buy an expensive car” “In the future to have three kids”

Personal Goals Mean Girls more education, friends; Boys more property

Social resources related to education-goal Girls more mother and friend than boys No difference between those who have divorced parents/not divorced

How many mentioned one or more education-related personal goals? %

Education-related goal Those who mentioned (versus those who not mentioned) education-related goal had higher school & career self-efficacy less career barriers better social resources progress goal appraisals functional strategies

1. Conclusion:Transition from secondary school Importance of having education-related goals in this transition from secondary school to further education Goals reflect developmental tasks The meaning of strong social nework

To promote successful Career development process Identification & development of education goals Related strong ties Gathering information about action opportunities and institutional careers Career strategies Career goal construction

2. Data Entrance to university Research questions: The role of education-related goals, social network and well- being during the entrance to university?

2. Data: Entrance to University

Accepted to university Education-goal progress Education-goal stress Effort related to education-goal Accepted to university

Education-related goals and Entrance to University

Mother as a support-context related to education-goal and entrance to university

Friend as a support-context related to education-goal and entrance to university

Teacher as a support-context related to education-goal and entrance to university

Depression among Accepted/ not accepted

Subjective well-being among Accepted/ not accepted

2. Conclusion: Entrance to university Accepted to university: More education related goals, more effort, more strong ties & role models Higher level of well-being and lower level of depression before the exam

Data 3: During university studies Research questions What kinds of goals university students have? How depression changes during university years? Are strategies and personal goals different among depressed students? How goals and strategies predict satisfaction with studies, grades, graduation and loneliness? Do success in studies lead to optimistic goal appraisals and achievement strategies and failure lead to self- handicapping strategies?

Data 3: Helsinki University Longitudinal Student Study

Examples of university students personal goals What kinds of personal goal you have in your life at the moment? Please write three personal goals in the lines above. ”To pass the test tomorrow” ”Make new friends” ”Start to exercise regularly” ”To find a boyfriend” ”Find a part-time job”

Starting university studies (age 20-25): Personal goals

Finishing univerisy studies (age 26-30): Settling to adults life

Three Depression clusters low=46%, high= 16%, medium=38%

Depression, Goals, and Strategies High depression and: (1) Personal goals Low amount of social & education goals Low goal attainment & meaning, high negative emotions (2) Strategies Achievement strategies: Low Optimism & high self handicapping Social strategies: High avoidance

Depression and education-related goal appraisals depression goal progress depression goal progress.32*.83* * -.50* 1. Study year3. study year

Achievement goals and academic achievement Education goal progress, attainment Education-goal progress, attainment Academic satisfaction Academic achievement 1. Study year 3. Study year

Optimistic Self- handicapping Self- handicapping Self- handicapping Academic satisfaction Academic satisfaction Academic achievement Academic achievement 1 st year 2 nd year 3 rd year 4 th year 5 th year = negative path = positive path Strategies and Academic Achievements

optimismanxiety received grade avoidance behavior anticipated grade Before Just before course exam Strategies and Exam

University students social strategies and loneliness Social avoidance Loneliness Social optimistic Social avoidance st year2nd year3rd year4th year

Graduation from the university, goals & strategies Graduation Education goals Self-handicapping Social avoidance 1.year7 years later + - -

3. Conclusion: During University studies: cumulative cycles Positive cycle: Optimism and positive goal appraisals leads to high academic performance & satisfaction and decrease task-avoidance, which further increases academic performance Social optimism predicts social contacts, which again leads to social optimism Education goals leads to gradution, social goals to low depression Negative cycle: Task-avoidance leads to low academic performance and problems with graduation and again it increases task- avoidance Social avoidance predicted loneliness, which leads to social avoidance and problems with graduation

Data 4: Transition from school to work Research questions What kinds of goals young people have during transition from business-school to work? How depression, personal goals and work status are related? How goals predict employment and unemployment?

Data 4: Transition from school to work

Changes in personal goals during transition from school to work

Depression, goals and work status depres sion

Work-goal appraisals and unemployment Low importance of work goals Low work-goal achievement Unemployment Low importance of work goals Low work-goal achievement Spring termAfter graduationYear later

Work-goal appraisals and successful employment Importance of work goals Work-goal accomplishment Employment Importance of work goals Work-goal accomplishment Spring termAfter graduationYear later Positive emotions to work goals Positive emotions to work goals Network with also weak ties

4. Conclusion: Transition from school to work Personal goals reflect major developmental tasks They reconstruct their goals according to the transition and this promotes their well-being Successful showed a decreasing interest to no longer adaptive goals, unsuccessful turned to other types of goals Success requires a high level of interest in the goals that focus on this transition a beliefs in one’s ability to attain goals also weak ties

Emerging adulthood and transition to work life 1. Transition from secondary school 2. Transition to university 3. During university studies 4. Transition from vocational school to work AGE Education goals strong ties Effort strong ties role models Task-focused, approach Education & social goals Work goals importance weak ties flexibility

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