Data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 were used to describe and compare postsecondary education enrollment patterns of first- and continuing-generation students. Social cognitive career theory was used to explain the processes of educational and career pursuit and attainment, as well as personal, behavioral, and…

While experiences of students with disabilities transitioning from high school to college have been well documented, the influence exerted by selected factors on these experiences is less well understood. Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, the influence of selected risk and resilience factors on the short-term postsecondary…

Data from high school sophomores (n=6,935) indicated that females were more likely to expect high- and low-prestige occupations; males had more moderate expectations. Educational aspirations were the most important variable for those with stable high-prestige expectations. Undecided students were less likely to believe they would obtain…

Of a sample from the National Educational Longitudinal Study who were high school seniors in 1992, nondisadvantaged and vocational track participants were more likely to be employed in 1996 than disadvantaged and nonvocational students. Vocational track participants were more likely to be employed over 20 hours per week. (SK)

Data on 6,370 work-bound, 6,949 college-bound, and 1,057 unemployment-bound adolescents were analyzed at grades 8 and 10. The work and unemployment groups' achievement profiles were similar to each other and lower than the college-bound. Socioeconomic status significantly influenced aspirations and postsecondary status. Educational aspiration was…

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this study found that high school seniors with learning disabilities held lower aspirations than peers for both educational and occupational outcomes. No practical gender differences were found for students with learning disabilities. (DB)

A study conducted two years after high school of 441 young adults with learning disabilities (LD) and 10,737 typical young adults found that individuals with LD reported lower graduation rates, were more likely to aspire to moderate or low-prestige occupations, and were more likely to be employed rather than in postsecondary programs. (Author/CR)

This paper describes structural equation modeling (SEM) and possibilities for using SEM to address problems specific to workforce education and career development. A sample of adolescents identified as work-bound (i.e., transition directly from secondary school to work) from the National Education Longitudinal Study 1988-1996 database (NELS:…