School or Work? The Choice May Change Your Personality

Abstract

According to the social-investment principle, entering new environments is associated with new social roles that influence people’s behaviors. In this study, we examined whether young adults’ personality development is differentially related to their choice of either an academic or a vocational pathway (i.e., entering an academic-track school or beginning vocational training). The personality constructs of interest were Big Five personality traits and vocational-interest orientations. We used a longitudinal study design and propensity-score matching to create comparable groups before they entered one of the pathways and then tested the differences between these groups 6 years later. We expected the vocational pathway to reinforce more mature behavior and curtail investigative interest. Results indicated that choosing the vocational compared with the academic pathway was associated with higher conscientiousness and less interest in investigative, social, and enterprising activities.

General or Vocational Education? The Role of Vocational Interests in Educational Decisions at the End of Compulsory School in Switzerland

“…Interests in the enterprising dimension are related to leading positions in the economy. Such positions are generally associated with higher educational attainment (Golle et al 2019) and are mainly restricted to university degrees. This seems especially plausible because the standard path to universities is to go through BAC (SCCRE 2018).…”

“…In addition to the well-documented finding of gender disparities (Ion et al 2017) with strong differences regarding the socalled "People-Things" dimension (Lippa 2010;Prediger 1982), best represented by the social (people: female-dominated) and realistic (things: male-dominated) interests (Armstrong et al 2011;Lippa 2001;Lubinski 2000;Nagy et al 2010;Proyer and Häusler 2007;Su et al 2009), the congruence hypothesis has been well examined. The latter focuses not only on vocational (Nauta 2010;Sheu et al 2010;Sverko and Babarovic 2008;Tracey and Hopkins 2001;Volodina and Nagy 2016) but also on educational choices (e.g., Golle et al 2019;Marks 2013;Päßler and Hell 2012;Patrick et al 2011;Usslepp et al 2020). The main results show that vocational interests are dominant and unique predictors of these choices over and above other (psychological) core variables such as gender, self-efficacy, (cognitive) abilities, school grades or needs and values (Larson et al 2010;Lent et al 2003;Lent et al 2010;Leung et al 2014;Päßler and Hell 2012;Volodina and Nagy 2016).…”

“…However, overall, the state of research regarding this question must be described as rudimentary. The results show that realistic interests are mainly related to technical courses that are foremost embedded in vocational education, while investigative interests are related to engineering, mathematics and natural science courses that are all mainly embedded in general educational tracks (Golle et al 2019;Patrick et al 2011;Stoll 2013). Overall, investigative and artistic interests are generally associated with a higher level of educational achievement and therefore should be predictive for the academic track.…”

RIASEC interests and the Big Five personality traits matter for life success—But do they already matter for educational track choices?

“…Moreover, the educational track choices of the nonacademic students were associated with family background indicators such as migration background. Golle et al (2019) used propensity score matching to examine the personality development (the Big Five personality traits and RIASEC interests) of previously nonacademic students within the chosen educational tracks. The results indicated that students who had pursued the vocational track developed higher Conscientiousness and lower Investigative, Enterprising, and Social interests than those in the general educational track.…”

Personality trait change at work: Associations with organizational socialization and identification

“…Indeed, attending a police academy is conceivably one of the work experiences with the greatest potential impact on personality (Jackson et al, 2012), given that the police academy culture is militaristic in nature, and characterized by a rigid hierarchy, clearly defined rules and values, strict discipline, and a strong sense of community life (Soeters, 2018). Moreover, past research in the police work environment has shown that the personality traits of emotional stability (i.e., low neuroticism), conscientiousness, and, to some extent, extraversion are associated with better job performance (Cortina, Doherty, Schmitt, Kaufman, & Smith, 1992;Detrick & Chibnall, 2006) and lower levels of work-related stress (Garbarino, Chiorri, & Magnavita, 2014;Garbarino, Cuomo, Chiorri, & Magnavita, 2013).…”