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Can locus of control compensate for socioeconomic adversity in the transition from school to work?

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  • Ng-Knight, Terry
  • Schoon, Ingrid

Abstract

Internal locus of control is associated with academic success and indicators of wellbeing in youth. There is however less understanding regarding the role of locus of control in shaping the transition from school to work beyond the more widely studied predictors of socioeconomic background and academic attainment. Guided by a socio-ecological model of agency, the current study examines to which extent internal locus of control, understood as an indicator of individual agency, can compensate for a lack of socioeconomic resources by moderating the association between parental disadvantage and difficulties in the transition from school to work. We draw on data collected from a longitudinal nationally representative cohort of 15,770 English youth (48% female) born in 1989/90, following their lives from age 14 to 20. The results suggest that the influence of agency is limited to situations where socioeconomic risk is not overpowering. While internal locus of control may help to compensate for background disadvantage regarding avoidance of economic inactivity and unemployment to some extent, it does not provide protection against long-term inactivity, i.e. more than 6 months spent not in education, employment or training.

Suggested Citation

  • Ng-Knight, Terry & Schoon, Ingrid, 2017. "Can locus of control compensate for socioeconomic adversity in the transition from school to work?," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 46(10), pages 2114-2128.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:167645
    DOI: 10.1007/s10964-017-0720-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Schoon, Ingrid & Lyons-Amos, Mark, 2016. "Diverse pathways in becoming an adult: The role of structure, agency and context," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 46, pages 11-20.
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    5. Sophia Leontopoulou, 2006. "Resilience of Greek Youth at an Educational Transition Point: The Role of Locus of Control and Coping Strategies as Resources," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 76(1), pages 95-126, March.
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    1. Alfredo Alvarado & Belén Conde & Rafael Novella & Andrea Repetto, 2020. "NEETs in Latin America and the Caribbean: Skills, Aspirations, and Information," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(8), pages 1273-1307, November.
    2. Schoon, Ingrid & Heckhausen, Jutta, 2019. "Conceptualizing Individual Agency in the Transition from School to Work: A Social-Ecological Developmental Perspective," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 4(2), pages 135-148.
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    4. Alexander Patzina & Hans Dietrich & Anton Barabasch, 2022. "Health, Personality Disorders, Work Commitment, and Training‐to‐Employment Transitions," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(2), pages 369-382.
    5. Yaroslav Kuzminov & Pavel Sorokin & Isak Froumin, 2019. "Generic and Specific Skills as Components of Human Capital: New Challenges for Education Theory and Practice," Foresight and STI Governance, National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 13(2), pages 19-41.
    6. Yuliya Kosyakova, 2021. "Socioemotional Skills and Refugees’ Language Acquisition," RFBerlin Discussion Paper Series 2130, ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin).
    7. Enrico Ripamonti & Stefano Barberis, 2021. "The association of economic and cultural capital with the NEET rate: differential geographical and temporal patterns," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 55(1), pages 1-17, December.
    8. Sara Filipiak & Beata Łubianka, 2021. "On the Rocky Road to Independence: Big Five Personality Traits and Locus of Control in Polish Primary School Students during Transition into Early Adolescence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-20, April.
    9. Dicks, Alexander & Levels, Mark & van der Velden, Rolf, 2020. "From school to where? How social class, skills, aspirations, and resilience explain unsuccessful school-to-work transitions," Research Memorandum 013, Maastricht University, Graduate School of Business and Economics (GSBE).

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