Graduating from high school : The role of gender - related attitudes , self - concept and goal clarity in a major transition in late adolescence

An 11-month longitudinal study (T1: N = 520, M age = 19 years) investigated the role of gender-related self-concept and goal clarity during the transition period surrounding graduation from upper secondary school in Switzerland. The first assessment took place a few months before graduation and assessed participants’ gender-related self-concept (instrumentality, expressivity), gender-role attitudes, goal clarity, and job-related aspirations. Despite the high level of education, gender-related differences in attitudes and self-concept showed that boys endorsed more traditional gender-role attitudes than girls. Relationships between gender-related self-concept and attitudes showed different patterns for girls and boys. Regarding adaptation to the transition, gender-related self-concept predicted change in career-related goal clarity, which, in turn, predicted an increase in life satisfaction over time. Our results highlight the important role of instrumentality, expressivity, and career-related goal clarity during the transition of graduating from high school. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2013.772508 Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich ZORA URL: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-88952 Accepted Version Originally published at: Freund, Alexandra M; Weiss, David; Wiese, Bettina S (2013). Graduating from high school: The role of gender-related attitudes, self-concept and goal clarity in a major transition in late adolescence. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 10(5):580-596. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2013.772508 Running Head: GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL 1