"What do you want to do when you grow up?" Occupational aspirations of Taiwanese preschool children

Bibliographic Data

ID13918947
AuthorsLee Hung-Chang (corresponding author), Hung-Chang Lee
Year2012
Volume40
Issue1
Pages115-127
Publication date2012-02-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Behavior and Personality An International Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0301-2212 • E-ISSN: 1179-6391
PublisherScientific Journal Publishers Limited (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2224/sbp.2012.40.1.115
OpenAlexW2062976424
LanguageEN
Citations received4

Occupational aspirations have mainly been investigated with teenagers, high school students, and adults. Following Gottfredson's (1981, 2002) theory of circumscription and compromise, in which it is proposed that occupational aspirations originate in the preschool years, in this study the occupational aspirations of 1,044 preschool children in Taiwan were explored. Children who attended 38 kindergartens and were between the ages of 5 and 6, expressed their preferences about and gender orientations towards occupations and careers. In general, the occupations Taiwanese children said they most desired to pursue were teaching, being police officers, and working as doctors. Most children can recognize the occupations of their parents at this stage, and the results in this research show that children still identify strongly with their parents' stereotypical occupations. More boys than girls showed a preference for masculine-dominated occupations. More girls than boys showed a preference for nontraditional occupations. Factors that influence occupational aspirations were found to be parental identification and identifying with the role of teachers

Compromise · Developmental psychology · Preference · Sociology · Diverse Educational Innovations Studies · Early Childhood Education and Development · Educational Environments and Student Outcomes · Psychology · Social Psychology

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