A test of Gottfredson's theory using a ten-year longitudinal study

Occupational aspirations of a longitudinal sample of students were examined over a ten-year time period, from second to twelfth grade. Hypotheses from Gottfredson's theory of career development (1981, 1996) and from social le arning theory (Lent, Brown & Hackett, 1994) were examined. The social value of children's occupational aspirations increased into the early high schoo l years and started to fall by their senior year in high school when intern al, unique personal factors were more evident in occupational aspirations a s Gottfredson would predict. Through eighth grade, about 40 percent of boys and up to 20 percent of girls held occupational aspirations that could be classified as fantasy. Social learning theory suggests that children would relinquish fantasy occupational aspirations with age because of self-awaren ess and knowledge of the world of work. This change was evident as a signif icant shift toward more realistic occupational aspirations occurred during the late high school years.