Students at High Risk of Poor School-to-Work Outcomes: Mitigating Factors

Abstract

Objective:The specific aim of this study was to use data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS-2) to examine modifiable factors that were related to competitive employment acquisition for students who were at high risk of poor school-to-work outcomes.Design:Quantitative descriptive design using path analysis.Participants:580 students were identified as at risk of poor school-to-work outcomes through a prior study.Results:Logistic regression models indicate that the modifiable factors most closely related to employment were higher expectations for competitive employment on the part of the parents, higher levels of self-advocacy, and participation in some type of postsecondary education and training.Conclusion:Our findings indicated that postsecondary education and psychosocial interventions aimed at changing parental expectations and enhancing students’ self-advocacy, self-efficacy should be considered for transition-age youth at risk of poor post-high school employment outcomes.