Originally published in 1991, this volume represents the first systematic attempt to apply a pattern approach to a comprehensive longitudinal investigation. It focuses on individual differences in female career development, from early adolescence through young adulthood. Rather than constructing a general model of career development, the authors use the interplay between theory and observation to build networks of patterns demonstrating the long-term consequences for adult women's career involvement, their educational levels, their family commitments, and their social networks.
Throughout their investigation the authors interpret individuals' patterns as characterizing processes that underlie women's differential development. They illustrate that a research strategy oriented toward pattern analysis and related methodology reveals information that is generally obscured in more traditional variable-oriented designs. They also argue that a pattern approach is particularly suited to the tenets of modern interactionism, which provides the theoretical foundation of the study.
"Preface, 1. An Interactional Perspective on Female Career Development, 2. Research Strategy and Methods, 3. Girls’ Ability and School Adaptation at Ages 13 and 16, 4. A Closer Investigation of Particular ""Developmental Streams"", 5. The Relation of Family Background to Girls’ Ability and School Adaptation in Early Adolescence, 6. A Closer Look at Parents’ Values and Their Daughters’ Achievement, 7. Aspiration and Choice as Related to Girls’ Ability/Adaptation Patterns in Early Adolescence, 8. The Relation of Family Background to Girls’ Ability and School Adaptation in Midadolescence, 9. Aspiration and Choice as Related to Girls’ Ability/Adaptation Patterns in Midadolescence, 10. In Adulthood – Shared Life Experiences, 11. In Adulthood – Differential Life Experiences, 12. Summary and Implications, Appendix A: Measures of Ability and School Adaptation at Ages 13 and 16, Appendix B: A Note About the Average Coefficient, Appendix C: Measures of Parental Values When Girls Were Age 16, Appendix D: Measures of Girls’ Interactions With Their Parents in Midadolescence, References, Author Index, Subject Index"
Sigrid B. Gustafson and David Magnusson
