Working and growing up in America / Jeylan T. Mortimer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mortimer, Jeylan T., 1943-

Series:

Adolescent lives ; 2.

Adolescent lives ; 2

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Youth--Employment--United States--Longitudinal studies.

Youth.

Youth--United States--Attitudes--Longitudinal studies.

School-to-work transition--United States--Longitudinal studies.

School-to-work transition.

Youth--Employment--United States--Psychological aspects.

Physical Description:

xi, 283 p. : ill.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Should teenagers have jobs while they're in high school? Doesn't working distract them from schoolwork, cause long-term problem behaviors, and precipitate a "precocious" transition to adulthood? This report from a remarkable longitudinal study of 1,000 students, followed from the beginning of high school through their mid-twenties, answers, resoundingly, no. Examining a broad range of teenagers, Jeylan Mortimer concludes that high school students who work even as much as half-time are in fact better off in many ways than students who don't have jobs at all. Having part-time jobs can increase confidence and time management skills, promote vocational exploration, and enhance subsequent academic success. The wider social circle of adults they meet through their jobs can also buffer strains at home, and some of what young people learn on the job--not least responsibility and confidence--gives them an advantage in later work life.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1. SHOULD ADOLESCENTS WORK?

2. THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT STUDY

3. TIME ALLOCATION AND QUALITY OF WORK

4. THE ECOLOGY OF YOUTH WORK

5. PRECURSORS OF INVESTMENT IN WORK

6. WORKING AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT

7. THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD

8. WORKING AND BECOMING ADULT

APPENDIX. Panel Selection

NOTES

REFERENCES

INDEX

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [249]-269) and index.

ISBN:

9780674041240

0674041240

OCLC:

923112263