Abstract
A life-span developmental perspective suggests that variations in social context will lead to differences among individuals in their “action orientations.” An action orientation is defined by an individual's values, control beliefs, goal orientation, and decision-making perspective. To investigate differences in the action orientations of adolescents embedded in different contexts, 83 sophomore and senior high school students on either a vocational training or college-preparatory trajectory participated in the study. A discriminant function analysis of action orientations showed that the action orientations of vocational training and college-preparatory students differed: College-preparatory students had a “career preparation” action orientation and vocational students had an “adult preparation” action orientation; also, sophomores may have had a “socializing” orientation. The findings are discussed in terms of the developmental tasks facing students in different grades and on different life-course trajectories.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baltes, P. B., Reese, H. W., and Lipsitt, L. P. (1980). Life-span developmental psychology.Ann. Rev. Psychol. 31: 65–100.
Beech, R. P., and Schoeppe, A. (1974) Development of value systems in adolescents.Develop. Psychol. 10: 644–656.
Brandtstädter, J. (1984). Personal and social control over development: Some implications of an action perspective in life-span developmental psychology. In Baltes, P. B., and Brim, O. G. (eds.),Life-Span Behavior and Development (Vol. 6). Academic Press, New York.
Connell, J. P. (1985). A new multidimensional measure of children's perceptions of control.Child Develop. 56: 1018–1041.
Crandall, V. C., Katkovsky, W., and Crandall, V. J. (1965). Children's beliefs in their own control of reinforcements in intellectual-academic situations.Child Develop. 36: 91–109.
de Armas, A., and Kelley, J. A. (1989). Social relationships in adolescence: Skill development and training. In Worell, J., and Danner, F. (eds.),The Adolescent as Decision-Maker: Application to Development and Education. Academic Press, New York.
Duryea, E. J., and Okwumabua, J. (1985). An exploratory study of the health decision-making variables of New York and Montana ninth-graders.Adolescence 20: 899–908.
Erickson, E. (1968).Identity: Youth and Crisis. Norton, New York.
Goodman, N. G., and Barenblatt, L. (1983). Adolescent mobility potential and socio-political attitudes.Adolescence 18: 457–472.
Hogan, D. P., and Astone, N. M. (1986). The transition to adulthood.Ann. Rev. Social. 12: 109–130.
Jencks, C., and Riesman, D. (1976). Higher education as a social sieve. In Henslin, J. M. (ed.),Down to Earth Sociology. Free Press, New York.
Johnson, L. D., Backman, J. G., and O'Malley, P. M. (1986)Monitoring the Future: Questionnaire Responses from the Nation's High School Seniors, 1985. Institute for Social Research, An Arbor, MI.
Kohlberg, L. (1969). Stage and sequence: The cognitive-developmental approach to socialization. In Goslin, D. A. (ed.),Handbook of Socialization Theory and Research. Rand McNally, Chicago.
Kohli, M., and Meyer, J. W. (1986). Social structure and the social construction of the life course.Human Develop. 29: 145–149.
Kohn, M. (1969).Class and Conformity. Dorsey, Honewood, IL.
Lamm, H., Schmidt, R. W., and Trommsdorf, G. (1976). Sex and social class as determinants of future orientation (time perspective) in adolescents.J. Personal. Social Psychol. 34: 317–326.
Leontyev, A. N. (1981). A contribution to the theory of the development of the child's psyche. In Leontyev, A. N. (ed.),Problems of the Development of the Mind. Progress Publishers, Moscow.
National Center for Educational Statistics. (1980).High School and Beyond: Data File User's Manual. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, Ann Arbor, MI.
Nesselroade, J. R., and Baltes, P. B. (1974). Adolescent personality development and historical change: 1970–1972.Monogr. Soc. Res. Child Develop. 39 (1, Serial No. 154).
Nuttin, J. (1985).Future Time Perspective and Motivation: Theory and Research Method. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ.
Piaget, J. (1970). Piaget's theory. In Mussen, P. H. (ed.),Carmichael's Manual of Child Psychology (Vol. 1, 3rd ed.). Wiley, New York.
Spence, J. T., and Helmreich, R. L. (1978).Masculinity and Femininity: Their Psychological Dimensions, Correlates, and Antecedents. University of Texas Press, Austin.
Tabachnick, B. G., and Fidell, L. S. (1989).Using Multivariate Statistics (2nd ed.). Harper & Row, New York.
Tillery, D., and Kildegaard, T. (1973).Educational Goals, Attitudes, and Behaviors: A Comparative Study of High School Seniors. Ballinger, Cambridge, MA.
Travers, E. F. (1983). The role of school in political socialization reconsidered: Evidence from 1970 and 1979.Youth Soc. 14: 475–500.
Whiting, B. (1976). The problem of the packaged variable. In Riegel, K. F., and Meacham, J. A. (eds.),The Developing Individual in a Changing World. Vol. 1: Historical and Cultural Issues. Mouton, The Hague.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received Ph.D. from West Virginia University. Research interests are cognitive and social cognitive development in cultural and institutional contexts.
Received Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. Research interests include adult developmental and problem solving.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Klaczynski, P.A., Reese, H.W. Educational trajectory and “action orientation”: Grade and track differences. J Youth Adolescence 20, 441–462 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537185
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537185