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Peterson, Gary W., Debra S. Osborn, Emily Bullock-Yowell & Seth C. W. Hayden (2025): Reaching Further Into a Theory of Career Problem-Solving and Decision-Making. In: Journal of Career Development, Jg. 52, H. 1, S. 57-74. DOI:10.1177/08948453241299349

Abstract

"This work presents an advancement in a theory of career problem-solving and decision-making, namely, Cognitive Information Processing (CIP). New conceptualizations of the Pyramid of Information Processing domains and CASVE Cycle are defined and discussed. Developmental aspects, internal aspects and external presses of the career decision context, and the role of self-regulated learning are presented with implications for career counseling in fostering transferable career problem-solving and decision-making skills. The metacognitive aspect of CIP has been expanded to discuss the implications of new considerations of beliefs, experiences, and knowledge in reflecting on the career decision-making process. Suggestions for further avenues of research are proposed based on theoretical modifications presented." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Petzold-Rudolph, Kathrin, Marion Pohl, Christian Steib & Dina Kuhlee (2025): Attraktivität beruflicher Aus-, Fort- und Weiterbildung aus der Perspektive von jungen Menschen mit und ohne Hochschulzugangsberechtigung. Befunde im Kontext der Programminitiative InnoVET. In: Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik - online H. 48, S. 1-26.

Abstract

"Die InnoVET-Programminitiative des BMBF förderte von 2021-2024 insgesamt 17 Verbundprojekte mit dem Ziel, die Attraktivität beruflicher Bildung insbesondere für leistungsstarke junge Menschen durch die Entwicklung innovativer beruflicher Bildungsformate v. a. im Bereich der Fort- und Weiterbildung zu stärken. Basierend auf empirischen Befunden einer Fragebogenerhebung der InnoVET-Begleitforschung diskutiert der Beitrag Attraktivitätsparameter, welche die Entscheidung für einen beruflichen Ausbildungs- und Karriereweg von Auszubildenden mit und ohne Hochschulzugangsberechtigung beeinflusst haben und wie die Auszubildenden die neukonzipierten Fortbildungsformate der InnoVET-Projekte hinsichtlich ihrer Attraktivität bewerten. Es zeigt sich, dass bei den Befragten ein hoher Bedarf an Informationen über berufliche Bildungswege existiert und für die Bildungswegentscheidung teils unterschiedliche Attraktivitätsparameter ausschlaggebend sind. Auch schreiben die Auszubildenden beruflichen Fort- und Weiterbildungen generell eine hohe Bedeutung zu, differenzieren allerdings deutlich hinsichtlich deren konzeptioneller Ausgestaltung. Die Befunde werden kritisch in den Forschungsstand eingeordnet und mit Blick auf die Zielstellungen der InnoVET-Programminitiative reflektiert." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Quintana, Rafael, Soojin Park & Suyeon Kang (2025): Causal decomposition analysis in disparities research: investigating the effect of self-efficacy on the gender gap in STEM. In: Quality & quantity, Jg. 59, H. 4, S. 3327-3351. DOI:10.1007/s11135-025-02110-0

Abstract

"The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields has been a subject of extensive research and policy debate. However, there is limited clarity regarding the specific mechanisms that generate these disparities, and which interventions are most effective in reducing the gap. In this study, we use causal decomposition analysis to estimate how the gender gap in STEM participation would change if we were to intervene on women’s self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics. Women tend to underestimate their abilities in math-related fields, which can affect their educational and career choices. The question we ask is to what extent the gender gap in individuals’ enrollment in STEM majors and identification with mathematics would be reduced if self-efficacy in mathematics were set to be equal across gender categories. The results suggest that equalizing this target factor will reduce the observed disparities in math identity by 53%, and in the enrollment of STEM majors by 2.5%. The modest influence of self-efficacy on enrollment disparities suggests that it is not the predominant factor. We discuss the implications of our empirical findings, as well as how causal decomposition analysis can benefit social and behavioral disparities research." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Rolph, Chris, Samuel Williams & David Woolley (2025): A qualitative investigation into opportunity structures and disjuncture in the education-employment transition: ‘it’s scary, innit?’. In: Journal of education and work, Jg. 37, H. 7/8, S. 582-597. DOI:10.1080/13639080.2025.2487425

Abstract

"We present a small-scale qualitative study of the transition from full time education to employment, focusing on young people who are just approaching this phase of their lives. We explore their understanding of this milestone through a series of focus groups. We also interviewed significant professionals working with young people: school teachers, careers leaders, and local employers. From the responses we identify four common themes: hopes and dreams; careers advice; industry links; and work readiness. While these themes were common to all of our participant groups, the articulation and understanding of them differed, such that adult views contribute to social structures that potentially reduce opportunity, reinforcing the sense of disjuncture for young people. Adult respondents underestimated the aspirations of young people and mistook expectations for ambitions. Both employers and those working in schools recognised a need for improved education-industry links, but there was a mutual sense of incapacity to make this happen, and different understandings of what it might mean to be work ready. Systemic failings appear to exacerbate difficulties faced by children whose families might struggle to support them as they navigate the education to employment transition." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"This report sets out key findings from PISA as they relate to teenage career development. The report shows that across OECD countries, students are now expressing very high levels of career uncertainty and confusion. Job expectations have changed little since 2000 and bear little relationship to actual patterns of labour market demand, including in working areas of high strategic importance. The education plans of students moreover are more strongly shaped by social background than by academic performance. Many students understandably exhibit considerable anxiety about their career preparation. Wider longitudinal research shows that participation in many career development activities is positively associated with better employment outcomes. However, PISA shows that too few students in most countries are engaging in activities which are most strongly related with better transitions. In particular, young people are not getting enough guidance in crucial fields which connect them with employers and people in work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Schludi, Martin; Silke Anger, Bernd Fitzenberger & Anna Heusler (interviewte Person) (2025): Neue Online-Panelbefragung des IAB zur beruflichen Zukunft von Jugendlichen: BeYou setzt kurz vor dem Schulabschluss an (Interview). In: IAB-Forum H. 12.11.2025. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20251112.02

Abstract

"Mit „BeYou - Berufswahl und Du“ hat das IAB eine neue Längsschnittbefragung von Jugendlichen aufgesetzt. Damit soll eine Datenbasis aufgebaut werden, mit der sich die Wirkung der Berufsorientierung langfristig untersuchen lässt. Die Redaktion des IAB-Forum hat bei Silke Anger, Bernd Fitzenberger und Anna Heusler nachgefragt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Seufert, Sabine, Mandana York, Patrick Emmenegger & Scherwin Michael Bajka (2025): Zukunft der Arbeit. Geschlechtervergleich in der Berufsorientierung im Zeitalter der Künstlichen Intelligenz. Gender Comparison in Career Orientation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. In: Zeitschrift für Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik, Jg. 121, H. 1, S. 57-79. DOI:10.25162/zbw-2025-0002

Abstract

"Dieser Beitrag untersucht, wie Jugendliche ihre berufliche Zukunft in einer zunehmend von KI geprägten Welt einschätzen und welche geschlechtsspezifischen Unterschiede bestehen. In einer Online-Umfrage (N = 2144) in der Schweiz bewerteten Jugendliche auf der Sekundarstufe I ihr AI Empowerment. Anhand eines Vignettenexperiments wurde der Einfluss von Augmentationsstrategien auf die Wahrnehmung von IKT-Berufen untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Mädchen sich im Umgang mit KI weniger befähigt fühlen als Jungen. Dialogorientierte Augmentationsstrategien könnten dazu beitragen, KI-Berufe für junge Frauen attraktiver zu machen. Bildungseinrichtungen und Unternehmen könnten hier ansetzen und eine zukunftsorientierte Grundhaltung fördern, um Jugendliche für die Zusammenarbeit mit KI zu stärken." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Tanhua, Inkeri (2025): Racialised discourses on migrants and language skills in Finnish vocational education. In: Journal of vocational education and training, S. 1-18. DOI:10.1080/13636820.2025.2543591

Abstract

"This article examines how discourses on migrants, language skills, and the suitability of educational and vocational paths can racialize the students perceived as migrants in Finnish vocational education and training (VET). The study draws on observations and interviews with students and teachers on two differently gender-typed programs, women-dominated dental technology and men-dominated mechanical engineering. In both programmes, most students have moved to Finland and started learning Finnish a few years before entering vocational education. Drawing on critical race theory and critical discourse analysis, the article identifies four discourses that racialize the students perceived as migrants. The discourse on VET as ‘a realistic choice for migrants lacking language skills’ in dental technology and the idealization of ‘hard-working migrants’ in mechanical engineering encourage migrants’ entry to these programs, but simultaneously racialise them. The discourse on ‘sufficient Finnish skills’ in mechanical engineering encourages, while the discourse on ‘high level of language proficiency’ in dental technology discourages migrants’ entry to the profession, and demonstrates that racism can be hidden behind the talk on language skills. Together, these discourses show that the processes of racialisation are mundane in VET and can direct people’s educational and occupational paths." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Uunk, Wilfred (2025): Can Gender Stereotypes Explain the Gender‐Equality Paradox? A Reassessment. In: Sociology Compass, Jg. 19, H. 10. DOI:10.1111/soc4.70117

Abstract

"The social science literature surprisingly found that gender differences in the choice of and preference for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) study majors are larger in more gender-equal and affluent countries. This phenomenon is known as the Gender-Equality Paradox (GEP). Some scholars attributed GEP regarding students' mathematics intentions entirely to gender stereotypes, particularly the stereotype that “math is not for girls”. In this study, I reassess the finding that gender stereotypes can explain GEP because (a) the stereotype measure was not independently assessed from the prime respondents, overestimating the stereotype effect, (b) gender-STEM stereotypes may not associate with gender equality and societal affluence, and (c) the effect of gender-STEM stereotypes on gendered mathematics intentions may decrease with societal affluence. Multilevel analyses of data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 support my suggestions. A measure of gender-science stereotypes independently assessed from PISA—the Implicit Association Test—cannot satisfactorily account for GEP regarding students' mathematics intentions. The reasons are a weak association between gender-science stereotypes and societal affluence/gender equality, an only partially significant effect of these stereotypes on the gender gap in mathematics intentions, and a normative effect that decreases with societal affluence. Therefore, GEP remains a puzzling issue that warrants further investigation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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de Koning, Bart K., Didier Fouarge & Robert Dur (2025): Correcting Beliefs About Job Opportunities and Wages: A Field Experiment on Education Choices. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 17951), Bonn, 72 S.

Abstract

"We run a field experiment in which we provide information to students about job opportunities and hourly wages of occupations they are interested in. The experiment takes place within a widely-used career orientation program in the Netherlands, and involves 28,186 pre-vocational secondary education students in 243 schools over two years. The information improves the accuracy of students' beliefs and leads them to change their preferred occupation to one with better labor market prospects. Administrative data that covers up to four years after the experiment shows that students choose (and remain in) post-secondary education programs with better job opportunities and higher hourly wages as a result of the information treatment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Anger, Silke, Laura Goßner, Pascal Heß, Philipp Jaschke, Ute Leber, Brigitte Schels, Franziska Schreyer & Carina Toussaint (2024): Chancengleichheit und berufliche Bildung. Stellungnahme des IAB zur Anhörung der Enquetekommission I „Chancengleichheit in der Bildung“ des Landtags Nordrhein-Westfalen am 28.6.2024. (IAB-Stellungnahme 02/2024), Nürnberg, 27 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.SN.2402

Abstract

"Zur schriftlichen Anhörung der Enquetekommission I „Chancengleichheit in der Bildung“ des Landtags Nordrhein-Westfalen hat das Institut für Arbeitsmarkt-und Berufsforschung (IAB) seine Stellungnahme abgegeben. Darin werden Herausforderungen und Lösungen (praxistaugliche Ansätze zur Unterstützung erfolgreicher Maßnahmen) folgender Themenfelder behandelt: Verbesserung der Berufsorientierung und -vorbereitung in Schulen, der Übergänge aus der Schule in berufliche (Aus-)Bildung sowie den Übergangssektor, Verringerung von Ausbildungsabbrüchen, Erschließung der Potenziale der Berufsbildung für die Integration von Zugewanderten und Geflüchteten, Bedeutung von Rollenvorbildern, bildungspolitische Hebel für mehr Chancengleichheit, Bildungsforschung am IAB sowie Verringerung der Unterrepräsentation von Frauen in Handwerksberufen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Anger, Silke, Sarah Bernhard, Hans Dietrich, Felix Knau, Adrian Lerche, Alexander Patzina, Malte Sandner & Carina Toussaint (2024): Welche Erwartungen Abiturient*innen mit einem Studium oder einer Berufsausbildung verbinden (Serie "Berufsorientierung Jugendlicher"). In: IAB-Forum H. 03.09.2024, 2024-09-02. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20240903.01

Abstract

"Nach dem Abitur eröffnen sich jungen Menschen alle weiterführenden Bildungswege. Neben der Wahl der Fachrichtung steht die Entscheidung zwischen Studium oder Berufsausbildung im Vordergrund. Hier geht es neben persönlichen Interessen und Fähigkeiten um die Erwartungen der Abiturient*innen hinsichtlich der Aussichten auf dem Arbeitsmarkt und in Bezug auf die Arbeitsbedingungen nach einem Studium oder einer Ausbildung. Diese Erwartungen unterscheiden sich je nachdem, ob sie eher zu einem Studium oder einer Ausbildung tendieren." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Anger, Silke, Bernhard Christoph, Agata Danuta Galkiewicz, Tobias Hörl, Shushanik Margaryan, Milan Maushart, Frauke Peter, Malte Sandner & Thomas Siedler (2024): Berufliche Pläne von Haupt- und Realschüler*innen: Der Anteil der Unentschlossenen steigt. In: IAB-Forum H. 24.09.2024 Nürnberg, 2024-09-12. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20240924.01

Abstract

"Der Anteil der Jugendlichen, die sich sicher sind, eine Ausbildung absolvieren zu wollen, sinkt zusehends. Zuletzt traf dies nur noch auf 42 Prozent der befragten Hauptschüler*innen und auf 37 Prozent der Realschüler*innen in den jeweiligen Abschlussklassen zu.." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Augustine, Grace & Brayden G. King (2024): From Movements to Managers: Crossing Organizational Boundaries in the Field of Sustainability. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 51, H. 2, S. 207-248. DOI:10.1177/07308884221142215

Abstract

"This study investigates a route to occupational activism whereby individuals with significant experience in a social movement enter organizational positions that have been established to address those same movement's concerns. Utilizing data on the career pathways of 800 individuals from the field of sustainability in higher education, we formulate and test hypotheses related to whether or not individuals with more experience in the environmental movement gain access to sustainability manager positions, and whether or not entry patterns change as the roles become more institutionalized. These questions matter because although movements pressure organizations to address issues such as equality, diversity, and sustainability, it is individuals inside organizations who are best positioned to institutionalize movement-aligned practices and policies. And if those individuals have movement backgrounds, they can be carriers of movement praxis and ideals. Through our analyses, we find that although individuals with more experience in the environmental movement have a higher likelihood of entering sustainability manager positions overall, their advantage diminishes as the positions become institutionalized as formalized organizational roles. Our findings contribute to scholarship on occupational activism and in particular to outstanding questions regarding the role of occupations and occupational members in furthering social movement ideals and initiatives inside organizations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Birkelund, Jesper Fels (2024): Economic returns to reproducing parents' field of study. In: The British journal of sociology, Jg. 75, H. 3, S. 303-321. DOI:10.1111/1468-4446.13090

Abstract

"Research on the influence of family background on college graduates' earnings has not considered the importance of the match between parents' and children's field of study. Using a novel design based on within-family comparisons, I examine long-term earnings returns to reproducing parents' field of study in Denmark. I find that individuals whose field of study matches that of a parent have earnings that are 2 percent higher than those of their siblings with college degrees in different fields, on average. Earnings returns to field inheritance are highest in the fields of law (9 percent), medicine (6 percent), and engineering (4 percent) and are driven mainly by income from self-employment. I find no direct evidence of nepotism as the earnings advantage does not arise from inheritance of parents' firms or employment in parents' occupational network. My findings indicate that, although a college degree generally equalizes family background differences in economic outcomes, there are additional payoffs to field inheritance, particularly in traditional fields characterized by a high degree of social closure and self-employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Choi, Koangsung, Francesco Renna & Chung Choe (2024): The impact of field of study on the gender wage gap: evidence from the first job offer out of college. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 56, H. 53, S. 6713-6729. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2023.2276078

Abstract

"Using a sample of recently graduated college students from South Korea, we estimate the effects of the between-majors and within-major gender wage gap. We use a recentered influence function to decompose the wage differential between majors and find that women face a higher rate of return to the field of study. In addition, women tend to select their program of study with the intention of optimizing their earnings potential relative to men. In calculating the within-major gender wage gap, we control for selectivity into a field of study extending the current methodology to a multinomial logit setting. We test our model using a sample of new graduates from South Korea. We consider six college majors. The within-major wage differential ranged from 8.2% for natural science graduates to 17% for social science graduates. After selection is accounted for, the gender wage gap becomes smaller in humanities graduates but increases in natural science and medicine graduates. Decomposing the selection correction term into explained and unexplained factors eliminates discrimination in medicine and points to reverse discrimination in natural science." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Christoph, Bernhard, Heike Spangenberg & Heiko Quast (2024): Tertiary Education, Changing One's Educational Decision and the Role of Parental Preferences. In: Research in Higher Education, Jg. 65, H. 2, S. 283-302., 2023-08-08. DOI:10.1007/s11162-023-09752-9

Abstract

"Unequal access to university and the decision processes that give rise to it are important factors in the accumulation of educational inequalities. In this paper, we investigate a specific aspect of such decision processes by focusing on those students who change their original plans to start a (nontertiary) vocational education and decide to pursue a tertiary degree instead. In doing so, we find that more than one-fifth of the students in our sample who originally planned to pursue a vocational education change their original decision in this way. Moreover, while students from a more advantaged background are more likely to go to university in the first place, those among them that initially opted for a vocational education are also more likely to change their decision and go to university instead. We also find that parental preferences for tertiary education play an important role in the process of changing one’s mind, even for adult children. Moreover, we find that differential parental preferences contribute to both the emergence of social background effects and - as a result - the perpetuation of educational inequalities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer) ((en))

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Damdinsuren, Erdenebulgan, Mariya Mitkova & Anna Zaharieva (2024): Parental networks, wage expectations, and the intergenerational educational mobility. In: Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Jg. 218, S. 146-175. DOI:10.1016/j.jebo.2023.12.004

Abstract

"We develop a novel theoretical framework for studying the relationship between parental social networks and educational choices of children allowing us to analyze the implications of network structure, especially size and homophily, for intergenerational schooling mobility. When the market skill premium is unobservable, families rely on noisy wage information obtained from their social contacts giving rise to heterogeneous expectations across families. Under skill homophily, children in low skill families are stronger affected by imprecise information due to a smaller number of interactions with high skill families, hence, their expectations are more dispersed and they are less likely to study. This yields a positive intergenerational schooling correlation. Empirically, a larger share of high skill parental friends is positively associated with a probability of studying, in line with the model, after controlling for the education of parents, cognitive abilities and personality traits." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

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Driesel-Lange, Katja, Jerusha Klein, Iris Morgenstern, Lore Funk & Wenka Wentzel (2024): Perspektive Pflege? Die Sicht der Eltern auf die Berufswahl. In: Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik - online H. Spezial HT2023, S. 1-19.

Abstract

"Um die Berufswahl zu meistern, wünschen sich Jugendliche vor allem Unterstützung durch ihre Eltern (vgl. Ulrich et al. 2019, 300). Eltern gelten als Einflussfaktor für Bildungs- und Berufsverläufe (vgl. Kracke/Middendorf/Buck 2018, 1). Darüber hinaus nehmen sie u. a. durch ihr Engagement Einfluss auf berufliche Entwicklungsprozesse (vgl. Kracke/Noack 2005, 187). Die elterliche Sicht wurde bisher, vor allem mit Blick auf unterschiedliche berufliche Domänen, wenig differenziert beleuchtet (z. B. Calmbach/Schleer 2020). 1599 Eltern wurden zu Einstellungen zur Berufswahl der Kinder und ihrer Sicht auf Berufsfelder befragt. In diesem Beitrag werden vor allem Gesundheitsberufe betrachtet, die als dynamische Domäne sowohl in ökonomischer als auch gesamtgesellschaftlicher Hinsicht von großer Bedeutung sind (vgl. Weyland 2020, 337). Nur ein Zehntel der Eltern bekundet, dass ihre Kinder Perspektiven in Gesundheitsberufen nachgehen. Sie schätzen ferner diese Berufe, im Vergleich mit naturwissenschaftlichen und technischen Berufen, vor allem im Hinblick auf Verdienst und Karrieremöglichkeiten, eher kritisch ein. Erkennbar ist eine Hierarchie der Berufe, die sich möglicherweise aus vermuteten Erträgen und Perspektiven in spezifischen Berufen ergibt. Ausgehend von den Erkenntnissen zu den elterlichen Perspektiven der hier adressierten Domänen und Berufe sollen Implikationen für die Elternarbeit herausgestellt werden. Diese Befunde sind vor dem Hintergrund der von Eltern geäußerten Aufgabe des Aufzeigens von zukunftssicheren Berufen und der Breite an Ausbildungen und Studiengängen (vgl. Calmbach/Schleer 2020, 44) für Konzepte der Beruflichen Orientierung zu diskutieren." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Fischer-Browne, Melanie, Lea Ahrens, Corinna Kleinert & Brigitte Schels (2024): Compromises in occupational choice and premature termination of vocational education and training: gender type, prestige, and occupational interests in focus. In: Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, Jg. 16, 2024-06-14. DOI:10.1186/s40461-024-00168-y

Abstract

"This study examines whether premature termination of vocational education and training (VET) is more likely when trainees have to make compromises between their realistic occupational aspirations and the occupation for which they are trained in terms of the occupational dimensions of gender type, prestige, and occupational interests. Specifically, it examines the relative importance of the three compromise dimensions on premature VET termination. The study is based on a sample of 3,241 VET entrants from a cohort of ninth graders in 2010 in the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS-SC4) in combination with aggregated data on occupational characteristics. Results from discrete hazard rate models indicate a higher risk of premature VET termination for trainees whose VET occupation differs from their realistic occupational aspiration from their school days. While compromises in prestige have no overall effect, both compromises in interests and gender type threaten the stability of VET. The results also indicate that compromises in interests have the strongest effect on the risk of premature VET termination and that the effects of compromises in gender type are partly mediated by the effects of compromises in interests. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis revealed that the main effects of compromises in gender type and prestige are gender specific." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))