Work and growth: A review of research on the impact of work experience on adolescent development

Work has not been extensively studied as a context for adolescent development, even though increased work experience has been widely recommended as a means of improving the transition of adolescents to adulthood. Studies of the impact of work experience on adolescent socialization, defined broadly, suggest that work has beneficial results that persist over time. Developmental theorists and critics of conventional patterns of workplace organization remind us, however, that current knowledge is inadequate to specify optimal types and amounts of work experience for adolescents. Studies of narrower outcomes of work experience — career knowledge and plans, job-related attitudes, behavior, and skills — are less persuasive. An ecological strategy is recommended for future research. Such research should consider the varying effects of different kinds of work experience on different adolescents and should seek those effects in settings other than the workplace and over long periods.Received his Ed.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1975. Main interests are the transition of adolescents to adulthood and the development and evaluation of programs to ease that transition.Main interests are the interaction between families and human development, especially the effects of work.