Abstract
The present study analyzed whether the perceived attainment of developmental goals differs by school type and between adolescents with visual impairments and sighted peers. We created a matched-pair design with 98 German students from the middle school track and 98 from the highest school track; half of the members of each group were visually impaired. Students from the middle school track reported a higher attainment of identity development, career choice, and gender role awareness than students from the highest school track. Furthermore, students with visual impairment were less progressed with peer-group integration and forming intimate relationships than sighted students, but they reported higher levels of attainment of skills that are important for their future profession. However, we did not find an overall interaction effect between school type and vision status on the perceived attainment of developmental goals. The observed school type differences can be explained by the fact that students from the middle school track face the transition from school to work earlier. Implications for practice are discussed.
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Acknowledgments
The present study was supported by a grant of the German Research Council (grant number Pi291/9-1).
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Jens P. Pfeiffer. Department of Psychology, Philipps University, Gutenbergstrasse 18, D-35032 Marburg, Germany. E-mail: jens.pfeiffer@staff.uni-marburg.de; Web site: http://www.uni-marburg.de/fb04/ag-pp-ep/
Current themes of research:
Visual impairment. Goal engagement in adolescence. Goal attainment in adolescence.
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Pfeiffer, J.P. (2007). Be smart or try hard: zur Bedeutung von Intelligenz und Motivation bei der Vorhersage von Schulleistungen [Be smart or try hard: The importance of intelligence and motivation in predicting academic achievement]. Unpublished diploma thesis, University of Marburg.
Martin Pinquart. Philipps University, Department of Psychology, Gutenbergstrasse 18, D-35032 Marburg, Germany. E-mail: pinquart@staff.uni-marburg.de; Web site: https://cms.uni-marburg.de/fb04/ag-pp-ep/pinquart/
Current themes of research:
Developmental regulation in adolescence. Adolescent problem behavior. Development of children and adolescents with disabilities and chronic illness. Effects of social change on psychological development. Intervention research.
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Ahnert, L., Pinquart, M., & Lamb, M. (2006). Security of children’s relationships with non-parental care providers: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 74, 664–679.
Pinquart, M., & Silbereisen, R.K. (2004). Transmission of values from adolescents to their parents: The role of value content and authoritative parenting. Adolescence, 39, 83–100.
Pinquart, M., Silbereisen, R.K. & Grümer, S. (in press). Perceived demands of social change and depressive symptoms in adolescents from different educational tracks. Youth & Society.
Pinquart, M., & Teubert, D. (2010). Effects of parenting education with expectant and new parents: A meta-analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 316–324.
Teubert, D., & Pinquart, M. (2010). The association between coparenting and child adjustment: A meta-analysis. Parenting: Science and Practice, 10, 286–307.
Hannes Münchow. Department of Psychology, Philipps University, Gutenbergstrasse 18, D-35032 Marburg, Germany. E-mail: muenchow@students.uni-marburg.de.
Current themes of research:
Visual impairment. Goal engagement in adolescence. Goal attainment in adolescence.
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
None.
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Pfeiffer, J.P., Pinquart, M. & Münchow, H. School type differences in attainment of developmental goals in students with visual impairment and sighted peers. Eur J Psychol Educ 27, 389–402 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-011-0077-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-011-0077-2