Can Individual Agency Compensate for Background Disadvantage? Predicting Tertiary Educational Attainment among Males and Females

Abstract

Adolescent agency has been identified as a central aspect in the study of social mobility and status attainment. There is however still a lack of understanding of (a) how different SES dimensions influence the expression of multiple dimensions of agency; (b) the interplay of SES and adolescent agency in shaping adult outcomes; and (c) variations in these associations by gender. Focusing on educational mobility, this study adopts a multiple exposure multiple outcome approach specifying the associations between multiple SES dimensions and multiple indicators of domain-specific agency and their relative role as predictors of educational attainment, also testing for potential gender differences. The study draws on data collected for the nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, comprising 6719 individuals born in 1989/90 (48% female; 85% first generation students; 15% ethnic minority status). The findings show that multiple SES indicators independently influence the expression of different agency dimensions, in particular regarding educational intentions and success expectations. Moreover, multiple dimensions of education-related agency are significant predictors of enrolment in university by age 20 and degree completion by age 25, after controlling for family SES, ethnicity, and prior academic attainment. The evidence points to mainly independent agency effects and provides some support for compensatory effects regarding school engagement. Although females report higher levels of education-related agency, the manifestation of agency benefits both males and females equally. The findings suggest that critical insights into social mobility processes can be gained when using more complex models that take into account multiple dimensions of SES and agency and their interactions over time.

Stability and Change in Adolescents’ Sense of Agency: Contributions of Sex, Multiple Risk, Pandemic Stress, and Attachment to Parents

“…The sense of agency is a process through which individuals believe they are active agents in directing their life course (Schoon & Cook, 2021 ). This process translates into the perception of the ability to optimize resources, transform, or overcome constraints to achieve self-determined goals (Zimmerman & Cleary, 2006 ).…”

“…This process translates into the perception of the ability to optimize resources, transform, or overcome constraints to achieve self-determined goals (Zimmerman & Cleary, 2006 ). Although research on sense of agency has increased in recent decades, it has faced some difficulties arising from different terminology and measurement approaches (Schoon & Cook, 2021 ). Nonetheless, there is general agreement that the sense of agency is a multidimensional construct (Bandura, 2006 ; Eccles & Wigfield, 2002 ; Schoon & Heckhausen, 2019 ).…”

“…Socio-ecological models of human development emphasize the role of multiple contextual factors in shaping the sense of agency (Conger et al, 2010 ), including the contribution of sex, cumulative risk exposure, and characteristics of changing social context. There is established evidence of sex differences in adolescents’ sense of agency, with boys reporting a stronger sense of agency than girls (Schoon & Cook, 2021 ). Gender stereotypes and inequalities in most Western societies can explain these findings (Schoon & Eccles, 2014 ).…”

“…Many aspects of the pandemic, such as fear of infection, general lockdown, social isolation, and distance learning, likely elevated stress reactions that could undermine adolescents’ mental health (Duan et al, 2020 ). Evidence also suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic can adversely impact adolescents’ sense of agency and outlook on the future (Schoon & Cook, 2021 ). The current study will consider and analyze the contribution of pandemic-related stress on the evolution of the sense of agency during adolescence.…”

COCON – A Multi-Cohort, Multi-Informant Panel Study

“…Different theories advance arguments about the outcomes of this interplay across time. They range from cumulative advantage as a mechanism for inequality (DiPrete & Eirich, 2006), compensatory advantage when social background helps to overcome the deficiency in some competencies (Bernardi, 2014) or agency compensating for disadvantages related to social background (Schoon & Cook, 2020).…”