Self concept and vocational aspirations of adolescents

Includes bibliographical references (pages 103-112)The objective of this study was to determine whether\ud adolescent females demonstrate a pattern of lower aspirations\ud and self concepts than adolescent males. A further\ud purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant\ud relationship between self concept and vocational aspirations\ud in adolescents and between these two variables\ud and socio-economic status.\ud This study was motivated from the fact that research\ud on the work role of women has found that women, who constitute\ud 42 per cent of the labor force, continue to fill\ud traditionally femine, low status, low paying jobs with\ud little possibility of advancement and that research has \ud of adolescents are predictive of subsequent adult attainment.\ud Ninety nine subjects (62 females and 37 males) from\ud two senior high schools in Los Angeles were used. Three\ud instruments were utilized for this study. The Tennessee\ud Self Concept Scale was the instrument used to measure self\ud concept. A revised version of the Hatt-North Occupational\ud Prestige Scale was utilized in order to ascertain the\ud occupational prestige value of the occupations selected\ud by the subjects as their probable life 1 s work. A questionnaire\ud was used in order to obtain other pertinent\ud information for the study.\ud Results indicated that the vocational aspirations\ud and self concepts of adolescent females were not significantly\ud different from adolescent males. Correlational\ud analyses indicated that there was not a significant relationship\ud between the self concepts and vocational aspirations\ud of adolescents, nor between these two variables\ud and socio-economic status. For this group, lower socioeconomic\ud status was associated with higher aspirations.\ud The research indicated that the role conflicts of\ud adult women (housewife versus careerist), and the sexual\ud biases (both internal and external, and from men and other\ud women alike) are probably more influential in determining\ud the level of occupational attainment of women than the \ud aspirations and self concepts experienced in adolescence.\ud It was recommended that further studies be done on\ud the relationship between self concept and vocational aspirations\ud of adolescents, the unique vocational development\ud of women, and the effects of significant others on\ud the attitudes and eventual vocational attainment of adolescents