Are Adolescents in One‐Parent Families a Previously Unnoticed Group in Inclusive Career Guidance?

Abstract

In Germany, schools are largely responsible for adolescents’ career development. Corresponding interventions in career guidance must take into account various endogenous and exogenous factors of individualized development to foster successful post‐school transitions. Parents, in particular, are one of the most significant influencing factors when it comes to shaping after‐school plans usually having a highly positive effect along with teacher support. Children in one‐parent families constitute a group that has received little attention so far in the context of career guidance analysis. They are at a higher risk of social decline into precarious circumstances and of living in families with lower education levels as well as less parental care time. In addition, one‐parent families more often report that they are unable to adequately support their children concerning career development, ultimately impacting the children’s post‐school transition. Based on the theoretical model of career competence, a sample from eight German schools (N = 1998) is used to investigate to what extent adolescents in one‐parent families differ from their peers in other family compositions regarding both support and development of career competence. Each school’s location and teacher support are included in the calculations. This study shows that adolescents in one‐parent families display below‐average levels concerning three of the analysed facets (occupational knowledge, exploration, and self‐regulation).