Invited Commentary: Societal Constraints and Individual Agency: Navigating Educational Transitions for Upward Mobility.

This article discusses three empirical studies of the role of individual agency in educational transitions in the conceptual framework of the motivational theory of lifespan development that integrates life-course sociological and life-span psychological perspectives. The educational systems in the...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Youth & Adolescence Vol. 50; no. 3; pp. 437 - 446
Main Author: Heckhausen, Jutta
Format: Editorial
Published: Springer Nature Mar2021
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=149027352&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 149027352
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00472891
        JYA
      jtl: Journal of Youth & Adolescence
      issn: 00472891
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Mar2021
      vid: 50
      iid: 3
      pid: 237
      pub: Springer Nature
    artinfo:
      ui:
        149027352
        10.1007/s10964-020-01311-0
      ppf: 437
      ppct: 9
      formats:
        fmt:
          @attributes:
            type: P
            size: 488KB
      tig:
        atl: Invited Commentary: Societal Constraints and Individual Agency: Navigating Educational Transitions for Upward Mobility.
      aug:
        au: Heckhausen, Jutta
        affil: University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
      su:
        Upward mobility (Social sciences)
        Motivation (Psychology)
        Experience
        Agency theory
        Transitional programs (Education)
      sug:
        subj:
          Upward mobility (Social sciences)
          Motivation (Psychology)
          Experience
          Agency theory
          Transitional programs (Education)
      keyword:
        Agency
        Comparisons between US, UK and Switzerland
        Educational transitions
        Motivation
        Agency
        Comparisons between US, UK and Switzerland
        Educational transitions
        Motivation
      ab: This article discusses three empirical studies of the role of individual agency in educational transitions in the conceptual framework of the motivational theory of lifespan development that integrates life-course sociological and life-span psychological perspectives. The educational systems in the U.K., the US, and Switzerland set up specific opportunities and constraints in their primary to secondary and secondary to tertiary educational tracks. Individual agency plays out in different ways in these country- and transition-specific fields of action and accordingly enables or hinders individual youths' upward mobility. Early transitions into segregated secondary school systems are dominated by the influence of teachers and parents and tend to maintain social inequality. Later transitions into tertiary education are more open to individual agency that can substantially contribute to overcoming social inequalities in college admission. Finally, once enrolled in university, students have comparatively better opportunities to overcome disadvantages of their parents' socio-economic status and educational background.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Editorial
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N