1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The purpose of this study was to examine different ways by which mothers support and thwart adolescents’ autonomy, and how such manifestations of autonomy support and control relate to adolescents’ career decision making.» (p. 168)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Participants were French-Canadian adolescents who participated in a longitudinal study on the role of parents in adolescents’ career decision making and postsecondary transition. The study followed adolescents, their mothers, and fathers when the adolescents were in Secondary 3 in the Quebec education system […]. The sample came from a random list of students provided by the Quebec Ministry of Education […]. Of the 1,109 families who answered positively to the invitation to participate in the longitudinal study, 840 participated by having at least one member (i.e., mother, father, or adolescent) individually filling out an online [survey] at least once over the 6 years of the study. […] For this study, [authors] used adolescent reports from Secondary 3 (Time 0; T02), Secondary 4 (T1), Secondary 5 (T2), and 1 year after graduation (T3). […] The sample included 637 adolescents (54% girls; Mage at T1 = 14.24 years, SD = .51).» (p. 163)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

The authors «found that autonomy-supportive behaviors tend to occur together, which is not the case take the child’s perspective, offer choices and opportunities for exploration and self-expression, and provide rationales for demands and requests. Adolescents whose autonomy is supported by these parental behaviors feel autonomous and competent in their career search and feel more certain about their career choice. In contrast, there is more than one way for parents to thwart their child’s autonomy—using threats, inducing guilt, and/or imposing performance pressures. But the bottom line is that irrespective of the salience of one controlling behavior over the others, parental control in any form undermines adolescents’ autonomy and competence in their career search, preventing them from committing to a career choice that best expresses their self. The illusionary “benefit” of parental control is likely short-lived and temporary. Altogether, the findings emphasize the importance of parents’ role in supporting autonomy and reducing any form of parental control—be it internal or external—in facilitating optimal career development in adolescents.» (p. 171)