Possible Selves in Adolescence Predict Young Adult Educational Attainment Sarah J. Beal

1
Possible Selves in Adolescence Predict Young
Adult Educational Attainment Sarah J. Beal
Lisa J. Crockett University of Nebraska-Lincoln



Introduction
Results
Adolescence is a time of identity exploration and
future planning, when young people envision their
future lives and set goals related to education,
occupation, and family life. The theory of
possible selves, as proposed by Markus and
Nurius, suggests that possible selves (what
adolescents hope and expect to be in the future)
act as a motivator and regulator of behavior.
Possible selves motivate an individual to
increase behaviors that support attaining
possible selves and decrease behaviors that
impede such goal attainment. Through this
process, adolescents possible selves should
influence their future outcomes. Unfortunately,
no research has examined the role of adolescents
possible selves over multiple years, so little is
actually known about the influence they have on
subsequent behavior and long-term attainments.
This study was designed to examine the influence
of adolescents possible selves on their
educational attainment in early adulthood.
Hypotheses (1) Educational and occupational
possible selves will influence young adult
educational attainment. (2) Adolescent behaviors
(e.g., academic activities) will mediate the
relations between adolescent possible selves and
young adult outcomes.
Table 2. Regressions Predicting Young Adult
Educational Attainment from Possible Selves and
Behavior in Adolescence.

• Multiple regression was used to examine the
  relationship of possible selves to young adult
  educational attainment, as well as the mediating
  role of adolescent behavior (see Table 2). In
  separate analyses, each possible self (hoped for
  occupation, expected occupation, or expected
  educational attainment) at T1 was entered along
  with controls for age, GPA, and mothers
  education. First, each possible self (and
  controls) was used to predict adolescent
  behaviors and adult educational attainment,
  respectively. Next possible selves, controls, and
  adolescent behaviors were used to predict adult
  educational attainment (Figure 1).
• Hoped for occupational selves, expected
  occupational selves, and expected educational
  attainment significantly predicted academic
  activities one year later. Furthermore, expected
  educational attainment significantly predicted
  extracurricular activities.
• Adolescent hoped for occupational selves
  significantly predicted adult educational
  attainment with and without adolescent behaviors
  included in the model.
• Adolescent expected occupational selves
  significantly predicted adult educational
  attainment initially. However, expected
  occupational selves were no longer significant
  when adolescent behaviors were included in the
  model. Extracurricular activities emerged as the
  primary mediator.
• Finally, adolescents expected educational
  attainment significantly predicted adult
  educational attainment initially and after
  adolescent behaviors were in the model .

Sample
Table 1. Bivariate relations, means, and standard
deviations among predictors (T1), mediators (T2),
and outcome (T3)
Figure 1. Possible selves predicting educational
attainment.

• N 305 young adults (166 women) from lower to
  middle class rural white families.
• Three cohorts of students in a rural school
  district were surveyed annually during junior
  high school and senior high school. Adolescent
  measures for the present analyses were taken from
  third and forth annual surveys (1987 and 1988)
  when participants were in grades 9-11 (T1) and
  10-12 (T2), respectively.
• Young adult data came from the young adult
  follow-up (1995-1996) when participants were ages
  21-26 (T3).

T2 Adolescent Behaviors
.01 - .20
.14 - .27

T1 Possible self (hoped/expected occupation,
expected education), Controls
T3 Young Adult Educational Attainment







.11 - .39

Measures
.08 - .37
Adolescence (T1 T2 single item measures unless
noted) Controls Age, Marks in school
(GPA), and Mothers Education (range 1
some high school to 7 professional degree)
Possible Selves 1. Hoped For Occupation 2.
Expected Occupation What career do you hope
/expect to have when you are finished with
school? (NORC occupational prestige score,
range 0 to 100) 3. Expected Educational
Attainment How much education do you expect
to complete? (range 1 some high school to
7 professional degree) Adolescent
Behaviors (Mediators) How often do you
engage in (range 1 never to 6 almost every
day or more) Academic Activities e.g., Doing
homework or a school project after
school Extracurricular activities e.g.,
Participating in a club or band Volunteer
activities e.g., Helping a charity or working
as a candy striper Vocational Activities e.g.,
Working a part-time job Substance Use Scale
-- Been drunk, smoke, high on drugs 3 items
alpha .67 Delinquency Scale e.g., Broke
school property on purpose 12 items alpha
.82 Young Adulthood (T3) Educational
Attainment How much education have you
completed? (range 1 some high school to 7
professional degree)
p lt .05, p lt .01 (.XX - .XX) beta ranges
p lt .05 p lt .01 Mains entries are
standardized regression coefficients

Implications

• Evidence of full mediation was found regarding
  expected occupational selves, and partial
  mediation was found with expected educational
  attainment. However, there was no evidence that
  adolescent behaviors mediated the effect of hoped
  for occupational selves.
• Adolescent possible selves have a significant
  impact on young adult development. In some cases,
  this impact is above and beyond adolescent
  behaviors.
• Hoped for possible selves predict and interact
  with adult outcomes differently than expected
  selves do. This could indicate a difference
  between these domains of self. Future research is
  needed. It could be the case that expected selves
  are more closely tied to behavior, where behavior
  may impact the level of expectation but not the
  hoped for self.
• Expected educational attainment most strongly
  predicted later educational attainment,
  indicating that possible selves are most
  influential with regard to domain-specific
  relationships. However, the fact that
  occupational possible selves made a significant
  contribution suggests that the impact of possible
  selves is not limited to specific domains.
• Extracurricular activities came out as the
  primary mediator, suggesting that these types of
  behaviors play an important role in both expected
  self development and young adult outcomes.
  Researchers have begun exploring the importance
  of these types of behaviors this information may
  be useful in further understanding the impact of
  extracurricular activities.

p lt .05 p lt .01