RESEARCH NOTES REPORT FROM THE FIELD The Integrated Technology , Education , Information , and Communication ( ITEIC ) Project : Malawi . By Dr . Kate Cloud

Research in countries of the Western World has shown that mother’s occupational and educational status affects daughters’ plans for their future life (Pearson, 1983; Rosenfeld, 1978). In developing countries of Africa and Asia, mother’s education also plays an important role in the future education of young girls (Handa, 1996; Hyde, 1993; Tilak, 1993). This article contributes to this literature offering the perspective of a country of Eastern Europe: Albania. The study demonstrates that mother’s education is of importance in the plans adolescents make with regard to their future education, work and marriage/family. Several psychologists have concluded that adolescence can be conceived as a period of thinking about the future in preparation for transition to adulthood (e.g., Erikson, 1959; Poole & Cooney, 1987). Perceptions of the future for adolescents play an important part in their identity formation, which is often defined in terms of exploration and commitment concerning future-oriented interests (e.g., Marcia, 1980; Nurmi, 1991). Studies of adolescent development cross-culturally have identified three main interest domains for the future: education, occupation and family (e.g., Gillispie and Allport, 1955; Nurmi et al. 1995). In the present study, future orientation toward education, work/career and marriage/family is defined as the degree of involvement adolescents display with regard to these domains. Future orientation does not develop in a vacuum. Relevant literature has shown that parents set standards for the future orientation of their adolescent children. Trommsdorff (1983) emphasizes that educational and social status of the parents determine their socialization goals and behavior toward their children. Their own experience in responsible activities and long-term planning may guide their socialization practices, which in turn moderate the future orientation of their children. According to Nurmi (1991), parents contribute to adolescents’ future orientation by (1) setting normative standards, thus moderating the development of their children’s interests, values and goals; (2) serving as models for solving different developmental tasks; (3) providing support that may serve as a basis for adolescents’ internal and optimistic attitudes toward the future. Ideally, a measure of parental socioeconomic status (SES) would have contributed to more precise results. However, in the present study it was not possible to measure SES. According to Entwisle and Astone (1994), the three factors that could indicate socioeconomic