Careership: a sociological theory of career decision making

Hodkinson, Phil; Sparkes, Andrew C.

doi:10.1080/0142569970180102

Cited by 504 publications

(484 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Indeed, some students negatively contrasted teaching at school with the more narrowly focused approach to exam preparation characteristic of private tuition. Young people's own agency is crucial to our understanding of these dynamics since these young people are making 'pragmatically rational decisions' (Hodkinson and Sparkes 1997) in choosing to pursue the kind of learning which is rewarded in the assessment system. In effect, some students, particularly middle-class students with high aspirations, alter their perceptions of themselves as learners in order to 'win the game', requiring their teachers to act as effective 'coaches' in test preparation rather than providing access to the broader educational activities they previously found engaging.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies from the socio-cultural perspective have often been criticised for ignoring young people's agency (with perhaps the strongest critique coming from rational choice theorists; see, for example, Goldthorpe 2007). Here, agency is taken in a broad sense not only as relating to non-compliance or even resistance (see, for example, Willis 1978) but as relating to the conscious way in which young people weigh up alternative courses of action and operate accordingly (Hodkinson and Sparkes 1997). Some theorists counter that habitus is fluid, being shaped and reshaped over the lifecourse in response to different settings, including that of the school (Lareau 2003;Reay, Crozier and Clayton 2010).…”

Section: Social Reproduction and High Stakes Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High stakes testing and student perspectives on teaching and learning in the Republic of Ireland

Smyth

Banks

2012

Educ Asse Eval Acc

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There is now a well developed literature on the impact of high stakes testing on teaching approaches and student outcomes. However, the student perspective has been neglected in much research. This article draws on a mixed method longitudinal study of secondary students in the Republic of Ireland to explore the impact of two sets of high stakes examinations on student experiences. The analyses are based on surveys completed by 897 lower secondary students and 748 upper secondary students, along with 47 lower secondary and 53 upper secondary group interviews with students. Findings show the presence of impending high stakes exams results in increased workload for students, with many reporting pressure and stress. Throughout their schooling career, students clearly favour active learning approaches. However, for some students, particularly high-aspiring middle-class students, these views change as they approach the terminal high stakes exam, with many showing a strong preference for a more narrowly focussed approach to exam preparation. This article highlights how students shift from a position of critiquing exam-focused teaching methods as inauthentic to accepting such methods as representing 'good teaching'.3

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Social Reproduction and High Stakes Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High stakes testing and student perspectives on teaching and learning in the Republic of Ireland

Smyth

Banks

2012

Educ Asse Eval Acc

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“…The students in Barrack Street appear to attempt to obtain information on potential pathways through as many sources as possible. In the words of Hodkinson and Sparkes (1997), the girls attending Barrack Street 'are neither dopes nor pawns' but are making 'pragmatically rational decisions'. Moreover, both sets of students are able to critically evaluate the information they receive through school-based guidance.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘There was never really any question of anything else': young people's agency, institutional habitus and the transition to higher education

Smyth

Banks

2012

British Journal of Sociology of Education

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International research into educational decision-making has been extensive, focusing on the way in which young people and their families assess the different options open to them. However, to what extent can we assume that different groups of young people have equal access to the information needed to make such an assessment? And what role, if any, do schools play in this process? Using in-depth qualitative interviews from two schools with very different student intakes, this paper examines the key influences which shape young people's choices. Decisions about whether to go on to higher education are found to reflect three sets of processes: individual habitus; the institutional habitus of the school, as reflected in the amount and type of guidance provided; and young people's own agency, namely, the conscious process whereby students seek out information on different options and evaluate these alternatives.

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“…However, this theory, like trait theory, is very much focussed on the self with little regard for contextual factors. Hodkinson & Sparkes (1997) attempt to integrate internal aspects of career decisions with the influence of context, arguing that earlier models only serve to explain career decisions of those who are being pragmatic and rational about their future. Payne and Britain (2003) develop this idea further, by outlining three different approaches to studying young people's choices about their future.…”

Section: Educational and Career Choicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restrictions into opportunities: how boundaries in the life course can shape educational pathways

Shafi¹,

Rose

2014

Research in Post-Compulsory Education

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Careership: a sociological theory of career decision making

Cited by 504 publications

References 31 publications

High stakes testing and student perspectives on teaching and learning in the Republic of Ireland

High stakes testing and student perspectives on teaching and learning in the Republic of Ireland

‘There was never really any question of anything else': young people's agency, institutional habitus and the transition to higher education

Restrictions into opportunities: how boundaries in the life course can shape educational pathways

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