Students who think about future in high school attain higher education

WASHINGTON - A recent study has concluded that students who have high aspirations and put thought into their futures during their high school years tend to reach higher levels of educational attainment.

And what’s a significant factor in those goals and expectations taking shape in the first place? It matters if teens are involved in extracurricular activities-whether it’s football, fine arts or French club.

The research, by Sarah Beal and Lisa Crockett of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, surveyed hundreds of high school students about their educational and career goals and expectations while also examining the types of activities they took part in during high school. Then researchers studied how each activity, from extracurricular clubs and teams to part-time jobs to volunteering, was related to students’ thoughts about their futures.

They found that student educational plans and their occupational goals and expectations were related to and predicted the level of education they ultimately attained. Also, extracurricular activities were related to students’ educational goals and career expectations-and vice-versa.

That unique relationship, the study says, played a role in predicting how far teens eventually went with their educations.

“Adolescents’ expectations about their occupational and educational attainment as adults predict their eventual educational attainment, and these expectations seem to shape and be shaped by extracurricular activities — which, in turn, contribute to young adult educational attainment,” said Beal, a UNL graduate student in psychology and the study’s lead author.

“It may be the case that adolescents learn about their abilities and preferences through the extracurricular activities they engage in, resulting in changes to their expectations for the future.”

The longitudinal study tracked students from adolescence into adulthood. It showed that what adolescents think about their futures is relevant for their development through adulthood, and suggests that they can use their projections about the future to adapt their behavior in ways that promote achievement later in life.

“There is a longstanding notion that what adolescents do sets the stage for their adult lives,” said Crockett, a professor of psychology.

“Our results support this idea and indicate that what they think matters as well.”

What appears to happen, Crockett said, is that teenagers’ plans influence their behaviors, especially extracurricular activities, which in turn influence their educational attainment.

“When you consider how important educational attainment is for adult life — its relation to occupational attainment, financial security, health, and other aspects of well being-it appears that the steps adolescents take have important implications for their future success,” she said.

The study has appeared in a recent edition of the journal Developmental Psychology. (ANI)