저소득층 청년들의 고교 이후 진로 준비 경험에 대한 질적종단연구

초록

This qualitative longitudinal study explores the post-secondary career preparation experiences of low-income youth. Four young adults born in 2000 were selected from participants in a longitudinal study conducted by the S Scholarship Foundation, and data collected between 2021 and 2023 were reanalyzed through their career narratives. The findings show that participants entered higher education viewing university attendance as a pathway to social mobility and economic independence. Support from parents and teachers played an important role during the transition to higher education but weakened or disappeared after university entry. Career preparation became increasingly constrained as participants navigated financial burdens, uncertainty, and instability. The study demonstrates that career exploration and preparation are not fixed individual capacities but capabilities exercised through social networks, access to information, financial resources, and institutional support. For low-income youth, limited opportunities to exercise these capabilities and the vulnerability of the capabilities themselves reinforced one another. Disadvantaged economic and sociocultural conditions functioned both as barriers to career choice and as forces directing young people toward pathways perceived as relatively stable. Furthermore, the destandardization of youth transitions did not expand opportunities but instead narrowed career decision-making toward minimizing economic risks and the costs of failure. The study highlights the need for nuanced, micro-level support to strengthen the career capabilities of low-income youth and suggests capability-oriented support measures for care leavers preparing for independent adulthood.

키워드