Adolescents' effort in vocational education and training and upper secondary general education. Analyses of stability, determinants, and group differences

Abstract

The effort adolescents make determines the risk for dropping out of vocational education and training (VET) early and their chances of graduating upper secondary education. Studies have shown that adolescents' efforts decrease during the transition to upper secondary general education and increases for the transition to VET. In this study, we examined adolescent self‐efficacy in lower secondary education, adolescent‐instructor relationship (AIR) in VET and general education, and perceived person–environment fit (PEF) as predictors of adolescent effort. We calculated two longitudinal multigroup structural equation models. Group 1 comprised 1266 (mean age in = 15.7 years; female: 44%) lower secondary education graduates who moved on to VET with two learning contexts, company and vocational school in Switzerland. Group 2 included 517 (mean age in = 15.7 years; female: 44%) lower secondary education graduates who moved on to upper secondary general education and thus stayed in a school. Adolescents' survey data was collected in 2016 and 2017. Self‐efficacy in lower secondary education and AIR in upper secondary education indirectly predicted effort in upper secondary education via PEF, controlling for effort in lower secondary education. Findings were similar for general education and vocational school. However, the effects differed between company and general education (moderation). The positive effect of AIR on PEF was statistically significantly weaker for adolescents in general education than for adolescents in VET and their company learning context. We discuss strategies to enhance adolescents' efforts in upper secondary education.