title: Preparation for Meaningful Work and Life: Urban High School Youth's Reflections on Work-Based Learning 1 Year Post-Graduation.
abstract: The challenges confronted by low-income high school students throughout school and across the transition to higher education and employment are well-documented in the US and many other nations. Adopting a positive youth development perspective (Lerner et al., 2005), this study reports findings from interviews with 18 low-income, racially and ethnically diverse graduates of an urban Catholic high school in the US. The interviews were designed to shed light on the post-high school experiences of urban high school graduates and to understand how students construct meaning about the value of school and work-based learning (WBL) in their preparation for meaningful work and life. The interviews highlight the perceived value of the academic and non-cognitive preparation students experienced through high school and WBL in relation to the challenges they encountered along the pathway to post-high school success and decent work. Overall, the findings suggest the potential of WBL for low-income youth in facilitating access to resources that build academic and psychological/non-cognitive assets, while also illustrating the role of structural and contextual factors in shaping post-high school transitions and access to meaningful work and life opportunities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Lynch School of Education, Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Maureen E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kenny
authors.affiliation: Counseling Center, University of New Hampshire Durham, NH, USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catraio
authors.affiliation: Wheelock College Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bempechat
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Lynch School of Education, Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA, USA; University of TexasAustin, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Minor
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Lynch School of Education, Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olle
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, Lynch School of Education, Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Blustein
authors.affiliation: Curry College Milton, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Seltzer
keywords: college access; decent work; employability of low-income youth; post-high school transition; school to work transition; work-based learning