Career Values and Occupational Aspirations of Adolescents and Their Parents Aspire for the Future of Their Child

Abstract

This qualitative explorative case study investigated career values and occupational aspirations of adolescent girls and boys and those that their parents aspired to for their child’s future. 45 high school students (53% girls) and their parents (n=45), from a relatively collectivist city in the Southeast region of Turkey participated to the study. Results showed that girls and their parents noted economic security; boys and their parents mentioned cultural identity, in common. Girls, boys, and their parents, all, attached importance to prestige, achievement, and loyalty to family. It was seen that both girls and boys appreciated leisure time besides work and life style, differently from their parents. In terms of occupational aspirations, while adolescent girls aspired to be English language teacher, doctor, nurse, and architect, mostly, adolescent boys aspired to be military pilot and officer, police officer, and doctor in the future. Girls' parents mentioned doctor, nurse, teacher, and lawyer and boys’ parents underlined engineer, lawyer and police officer as their aspirations for their children’s future occupations. The results implied the role of parental and contextual influences within a communal culture as well as adolescents’ own generational characteristics on career values and occupational aspirations.

Keywords

• Career values
• occupational aspirations
• adolescents
• parental aspirations
• culture

Ergenlerin ve Ailelerinin Çocuklarının Geleceklerine Atfettikleri Kariyer Değerleri ve Kariyer Umuları

Öz

Keşfedici durum çalışması desenine dayalı bu nitel araştırmada, ergenlerin kendi geleceklerine ve ebeveynlerinin çocuklarının geleceğine yönelik atfettikleri kariyer değerleri ile mesleki umuları karşılaştırılmıştır. Çalışmaya, Türkiye’nin Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi’ndeki görece toplulukçu kültüre dayalı bir şehirden 45 lise öğrencisi (%53'ü kız) ve onların bir ebeveyni (N=45) katılmıştır. Bulgulara göre; kız ergenler ve ebeveynleri tarafından ortak bir şekilde vurgulanan kariyer değeri ekonomik güvence olurken, erkek ergenler ve ebeveynleri tarafından ortak olarak vurgulanan kariyer değeri kültürel kimlik olmuştur. Ergen kızlar, erkekler ve onların aileleri tarafından ortak olarak vurgulanan kariyer değerleri ise; saygınlık, başarı ve aileye sadakat olmuştur. Ebeveynlerinden farklı olarak hem kız ergenlerin hem de erkek ergenlerin serbest zamana sahip olma ve yaşam stilini önemsedikleri görülmüştür. Mesleki umular olarak kız ergenler, çoğunlukla gelecekte İngilizce öğretmeni, doktor, hemşire ve mimar olmak istediklerini ifade ederken erkek ergenler askeri pilot, subay, polis ve doktor olmak istediklerini belirtmişlerdir. Kız ergenlerin ebeveynleri çocuklarının gelecekte doktor, hemşire, öğretmen ve avukat olmalarını isterken, erkek ergenlerin ebeveynleri ise çocuklarının mühendis, avukat ve polis olmalarını istediklerini belirtmişlerdir. Bu bulguların, birarada değerlendirildiğinde, hem aile hem de toplulukçu kültür gibi bağlamsal özelliklerin ergenlerin kariyer değerlerinin ve mesleki umularının oluşması ve şekillenmesi üzerindeki rollerine işaret ettiği söylenebilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• kariyer değerleri
• mesleki umular
• ergenler
• ebeveynler
• kültür

Kaynakça

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