| Popis: |
Identity development, or the process of forming a strong and stable sense of self, is a key task during adolescence. While most adolescents seem to be able to establish this task by finding identity coherence and self-certainty, some adolescents experience difficulties in this process and as a result experience identity crisis and self-uncertainty (Erikson, 1968). Adolescents experiencing identity crisis are at risk for social and psychological problems (for a review, see Branje et al., 2021), making it important to understand when and how difficulties in identity development arise and which factors can aid adolescents in reaching identity coherence. An important domain for adolescent identity development is the educational domain, where identity processes reflect finding out who one is and which direction one wants to go regarding one’s school, academic track, and vocational profile (Grotevant, 1987). According to the dual cycle models of identity, exploration and commitment are key processes for identity development (Crocetti et al., 2008; Luyckx et al., 2008; Marcia, 1966). Exploration reflects searching for different identity alternatives by, for example, comparing different tertiary education options. Commitment concerns the process of selecting one of these alternatives and integrating it with one’s values, beliefs, and goals by, for example, selecting a tertiary education and integrating it with one’s plans for the future. Additionally, adolescents may experience doubt over finding the right school and worry whether they like their selected school, a process labelled “self-doubt” (Luyckx et al., 2008; Porfeli et al., 2011). While identity development is relatively stable during adolescence (Meeus et al., 2010), there does seem to be a higher degree of change in educational identity surrounding the school transition from secondary to tertiary education (Christiaens et al., 2021). Within the school context, adolescents are encouraged to explore their educational identity while preparing to make the transition. By selecting a follow-up education, adolescents commit to a specific educational path and evaluate whether this commitment fits their expectations and needs. However, identity development may be less likely to change when adolescents are not offered the opportunity to alter their current educational trajectory when the transition is still further away. Moreover, some adolescents may remain undecided about their tertiary education or reconsider their commitments after the transition because they feel unsatisfied with their choice. The school transition may determine whether and which identity processes are part of normative or non-normative development (Branje et al., 2021; Christiaens et al., 2022). Adolescents in crisis are characterized by experiencing heightened exploration and doubt with a lack of strong commitments. Before the transition, the experience of crisis may be part of normative development as adolescents are in the process of forming their identity. Contrary, after the transition when adolescents are expected to have committed to a tertiary education, being in crisis may be less adaptive as it could indicate that the choice was unsatisfactory and in need of reconsideration. Similarly, experiencing identity coherence before the transition, characterized by strong commitments with lower levels of exploration and doubt, might indicate an underdeveloped identity as educational options are not actively evaluated. However, after the transition experiencing coherence could indicate arrival at a satisfactory end state. Therefore, while generally optimal identity is characterized by heightened commitment and moderate to high exploration, before the transition optimal identity development might also be characterized by moderate to high levels of exploration without heightened commitment. Besides understanding the role of the school transition in identity development, it is important to consider factors that may aid adolescents in this process. Adolescents’ interpersonal relationships are an important source for feedback and reflection in identity development (Erikson, 1968; Koepke & Denissen, 2012) and create a secure base for adolescents to explore their identities (Branje et al., 2021). Specifically, supportive relationships with parents and friends can be an important resource in reducing the stress that accompanies the school transition (Nelemans et al., 2018) and promote optimal identity development (Beyers & Goossens, 2008; van Doeselaar et al., 2016). Additionally, when adolescents feel personally connected to their school and experience a supportive classroom climate they feel more confident to try out new roles and reflect on their thoughts and feelings (for a review see Verhoeven et al., 2019), which in turn may foster optimal identity development. Therefore, positive interpersonal factors, as indicated by perceived parent and friend support and experiencing school belongingness, could be related to predicting being in a more optimal identity status and influence whether adolescents’ make a progressive developmental shift surrounding the transition to tertiary education. In the present study we will examine 1) whether adolescent educational identity development around the school transition can be captured by identity crisis and coherence, 2) the extent to which a developmental shift occurs between identity crisis and coherence surrounding the school transition, and 3) whether interpersonal factors (i.e., parent support, friend support and school belongingness) influence the identity status of adolescents and the probability of making a progressive developmental shift. To examine the role of interpersonal factors, we will control for sociodemographic factors that have been shown to influence identity (i.e., age & gender; e.g., Christiaens et al., 2021; Verschueren et al., 2017). We will examine these questions in a Dutch sample focused on the transition from secondary (i.e., pre-transition context) to tertiary education (i.e., post-transition context), with one year between the pre- and post-transition contexts. |
