Operationalising differential confidence in the career aspirations of senior primary-aged children from diverse backgrounds

This dissertation is primarily about the influence of social class on senior Irish primary school children’s career aspirations, including teaching. The rationale for the study stems from the lack of research, especially in Ireland, about the career aspirations of children, and in particular the dearth of research exploring and comparing the perspectives of children from diverse backgrounds. This in-depth qualitative study explores the perspectives and experiences of 47 senior primary-aged children (aged 10-12), as they identify and explore the influences on their individual career aspirations. The participants also considered the teaching profession, including reasons to aspire (or not) to become a teacher, and their perspectives on the lack of diversity in the teaching profession. This research gives voice to the perspectives of children from ‘lower’ and ‘higher’ social class backgrounds, as well as diverse ethnic and migrant backgrounds. The methodology employed was Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT), through which 11 in-depth, semi-structured focus group and 24 in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with 47 participants over four iterative rounds of data generation and analysis. The overall CGT is articulated as ‘operationalising differential confidence in the career aspirations of primary children from diverse backgrounds’, through which the perceptions of opportunity of children from diverse backgrounds affected their confidence in planning for their futures, and their career aspirations, including teaching, and illustrating the impact of socio-demographic positionality therein. This CGT study demonstrates the significant familial influence on participants’ career aspirations, with this influence mediated by social class, migrant and ethnic background, how family influence impacted participants’ confidence to pursue certain careers, and their decision to aspire (or not) to become a teacher, and how they perceived the issue of diversity in the teaching profession. The process of ‘operationalising differential confidence in the career aspirations of primary children’ is seen through the three categories, 1) Family Funnelling, 2) (Un)Confidently Aspiring, and 3) Differentially rejecting the teaching career. Drawing on the work of Bourdieu, Bronfenbrenner, Gottfredson, Lewin, and Hill, as well as relevant empirical findings from previous research, the study provides an original contribution to knowledge in the field through evidencing how social class, and migrant and ethnic background mediate primary-aged children’s career aspirations, including how they consider and prepare for future careers and, overall, reject a teaching career. Given the contrast in participants’ perspectives regarding their confidence to pursue certain career aspirations, and the reasons behind their aspirations, a number of grounded recommendations for policy, practice, and research are offered.

Publisher

University of Galway

Rights

CC BY-NC-ND

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Collections

University of Galway Theses (PhD Theses)