Parents aren't necessarily in the clear when their children walk
across the stage to claim their high school diplomas, according to a
study by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social
Research.
About 20 percent of students who were doing well as high school
seniors were not meeting their stated or expected goals at age 26,
according to a study called "Monitoring the Future".
"What's scary is that it's unpredictable," says John Schulenberg,
Ph.D., professor of developmental psychology at the University of
Michigan in Ann Arbor, and the study's lead researcher. "We used to think
that if things were going well in high school, they'd continue to go
well."
The ongoing study analyzed data from more than 2,900 young people
initially surveyed as 18-year-old high school seniors, and again at ages
21 to 22, and 25 to 26, to assess whether respondents were thriving in
key developmental areas.
By age 26, the study showed 29 percent were not financially
independent, which they defined as supporting themselves alone or with
the help of a spouse. Another 21 percent had strayed from previously
stated educational goals, which included graduating from two-year or
four-year colleges.
Transitioning to adulthood may be more difficult in the U.S., says
Schulenberg. American youths lack institutional structures such as
apprenticeship programs, which guide young Europeans in their
careers.
But there is a flip side to the U.S. story: Many young adults who
feel stifled and unhappy in high school thrive on their new freedom and
responsibility after graduation, according to Schulenberg.
The study did not track how parental influence affected post-high
school success.
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