Do teenagers have aspirations? Do they care about and plan for their futures? What inspires or motivates the youth of today?
The life experiences of the youth population are changing dramatically. In the 1970’s many people knew by the end of adolescence, where they would live, where they would work, and even, for some, who they would marry. However, the past two decades has seen a significant period of social transformation that has impacted on education, leisure, lifestyle and the family. Furthermore, these changes have taken place in a relatively short space of time – no longer generational as our parents and grandparents experienced. The traditional transitions between family, school and work have started to erode as futures become less certain, with an extension to the period of time young people are dependent on their parents, creating a new sub-group referred to by Arnett (2009), as Emerging Adulthood.
Despite the uncertainties of millennial living, modern youngsters are provided with greater opportunities in both work and learning than previous generations, with a rapidly changing labour market increasing the demand for flexible, skilled and educated workers. There are now more diverse routes through the education system, with greater availability of vocational or academic routes. As a result, young people are staying in education longer (OECD 2010), with Further or Higher Education no longer perceived as the preserve of a minority elite, but widely accessible to the masses. Nevertheless, the “opportunistic age” has also created a potential climate of trepidation and anxiety for young people in the face of the serious and complex choices ahead, which could lead to increased stress and vulnerability as individuals become more accountable for their own fates.
Traditionally, it has been assumed that the younger generation, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, either have limited aspirations or little commitment to achieve their life-goals. As far back as 1965, Kenneth Keniston referred to a sub-culture of seemingly unconcerned young people as the “uncommitted”, and in 2002, the unoccupied youth population found themselves re-branded and described, even defined, as NEET (DfE, 2010). Recent research (EEF, 2017; et al.,) however, would suggest that young people do have a clear vision of where they want to go, what they want to accomplish in life and why, even though they may not become committed to pursuing these until young adulthood. Evidence would suggest that children from all backgrounds, irrespective of class, gender or race (widely regarded as significant determinants of occupational attainment) have high aspirations, with many wanting to gain professional qualifications and become professionally employed. It is also asserted that teenage aspirations, and the ambition to achieve these, can significantly influence occupational outcomes, and as such, are connected to adult life-satisfaction and well-being.
One of the challenges for schools as the new curriculum develops, therefore, will be to ensure that the aspirations of young people are adequately addressed through pedagogic approaches that “provide examples of real-life authentic contexts for learning” (Professional Teaching Standards, 2018), not only as a bespoke program of Career-education, but as a natural part of the learning experience – in the classroom! In order to deliver a broad, balanced and engaging curriculum, focused on developing independent learning skills that will equip students for life, understanding their aspirations and ambitions will be a useful starting point. This could provide a platform for linking the skills they are developing in the classroom to real-life situations, thus further validating the learning experience.
Do we as teachers know what matters to young people today? Do we need to raise teenage-aspirations, or do we need to better understand them, supporting our young people to develop strategies to achieve their dreams? Who, sitting in our classes, will become a teacher, a lawyer, a politician, a carpenter, a hairdresser, a tattoo-artist, a business-owner, a care assistant, or even a social-media influencer?
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” A simple and yet potentially significant question to ask, moving forward.
J Bamsey