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Relational aspects in career and life-designing of young people

  • Marjatta Vanhalakka-Ruoho
Article
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Abstract

Relational aspects in the life-designing of young people are the focus of this article. These aspects consist of the involvement and use of one’s relational network in life-designing. The data consists of 146 narratives of young people, 111 ninth graders in comprehensive school and 35 students in upper secondary school. The research question centres around how young people narrate the ways in which their significant others engage, or are invoked in their life-designing. The results suggest that career and life-designing entails both relatedness and self-regulation.

Keywords

Relational Life-design Narratives 

Résumé

Les aspects relationnels dans la construction de la vie et de la carrière des jeunes. Les aspects relationnels dans la construction de la vie et de la carrière des jeunes est le centre de cette étude. Ces aspects consistent en l’implication et l’utilisation des réseaux relationnels de chacun dans la construction de la vie. Les données consistent en 146 récits de jeunes, 111 écoliers de 9ème année secondaire et 35 étudiants à l’école secondaire supérieure. La question de recherche se centre autour de comment les jeunes gens relatent les manières dans lesquelles leurs « autres significatifs » s’engagent ou sont évoqués dans leur construction de vie. Les résultats suggèrent que la construction de la vie et de la carrière nécessite à la fois la parenté et l’auto-réguation.

Zusammenfassung

Beziehungs-Komponenten in der Laufbahn- und Lebensgestaltung von Jugendlichen. Dieser Artikel fokussiert auf Beziehungs-Komponenten in der Lebensgestaltung von Jugendlichen. Diese Komponenten bestehen aus der Involviertheit und dem Gebrauch vom persönlichen Beziehungs-Netzwerk in der Lebensgestaltung. Die Daten stammen von 146 Berichten von Jugendlichen, 111 im neunten Schuljahr in der Gesamtschule und 35 Schülerinnen und Schüler im Gymnasium. Die Forschungsfrage befasst sich im Kern damit, wie Jugendliche die Art beschreiben, wie wichtige Bezugspersonen in ihrer Lebensgestaltung engagieren sind und involviert werden. Die Resultate zeigen, dass Laufbahn- und Lebensgestaltung sowohl Beziehungen als auch Selbstregulierung beinhaltet.

Resumen

Aspectos relativos a la construcción de la vida y de la carrera de los jóvenes. Este estudio se basa en los aspectos relativos a la construcción de la vida y la carrera de los jóvenes. Estos aspectos consisten en la implicación y utilización de las redes relacionales de cada uno en la construcción de la vida. Los datos consistes en 146 narraciones de personas jóvenes, 111 alumnos de noveno año en la escuela secundaria y 35 estudiantes de la escuela secundaria superior. El objetivo de la investigación se centra en la manera en que los jóvenes relatan las formas en las que “los otros significados” se comprometen o son evocados en la construcción de la vida. Los resultados sugieren que construcción de la vida y de la carrera necesita de la parentela y la autorregulación.

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Notes

Acknowledgements

This research was conducted in connection with the Finnish CHANCES—project. CHANCES “Developing career counselling services to prevent exclusion of young people” is a development project (2005–2006) funded under the EQUAL Community Initiative Programme of the European Social Fund and coordinated by the Finnish National Board of Education.

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© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Educational Sciences and PsychologyUniversity of Eastern FinlandJoensuuFinland

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