When Moving Up Implies Moving Out: Rural Adolescent Conflict in the Transition to Adulthood.

This paper examines the influence of community context on the attitudes of rural and nonrural adolescents toward their own future geographic and social mobility. Part of a national sample in a longitudinal study of career development, the 1,060 subjects were public school students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 from 3 contrasting Illinois communities. Subjects completed questionnaires based on those used in the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS), and some also participated in the experience sampling method for obtaining self-reports on activities and moods. Some analyses were replicated using NELS data. Hypotheses were that rural adolescents would be more likely than their nonrural counterparts to have future residential preferences that would be incompatible with their career aspirations, and that the resulting conflict would lead to uncertainty and negative affect regarding the future. Questionnaire data revealed a greater prevalence among rural than among nonrural adolescents of a potential conflict between the perceived importance of staying close to parents and relatives and moving away from their area. Those adolescents expressing this potential conflict were more likely to indicate feeling empty, angry, and pessimistic about their futures. Compared to urban and suburban students, rural adolescents (particularly rural males) expressed more hesitancy about pursuing further education, more anger about their futures, and more worry and lower motivation when doing activities related to their future goals. Contains data tables, figures, and 16 references. (Author/SV) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. *********************************************************************** When Moving Up Implies Moving Out: Rural Adolescent Conflict in the Transition to Adulthood Joel Hektner University of Chicago PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY