Media and Occupational Aspirations: The Effect of Television on Career Aspirations of Adolescents

Abstract

Vocational decisions are important decisions for adolescents. This article takes television effects into account. A literature review for the occupational world in TV programs reveals a strong focus on some occupations as well as small cultivation effects plus learning effects from mediated role models. A secondary analysis of 2 panel waves was undertaken to study the effect of media role models on occupational aspiration. Television usage in a program segment correlated with corresponding aspirations. A process models showed a strong effect of career aspiration in 1 panel wave on related television usage and career aspirations in the following panel wave.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Katrin Döveling for many helpful comments on earlier versions of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Volker Gehrau

Volker Gehrau (Ph.D., Freie Universität Berlin, Germany) is a professor in Communication at the University of Muenster, Germany. His research interests include media consumption, media effects, and media and occupational orientation.

Tim Brüggemann

Tim Brüggemann (Ph.D., University Muenster, Germany) is a professor in vocational education at the University of Applied Science (FHM) Bieledfeld, Germany. His research interests include occupational orientation, transition from school to work, media, and occupational orientation.

Jutta Handrup

Jutta Handrup (M.A., University Twente, Netherlands) is a doctoral candidate in Communication at the University of Muenster, Germany. Her research interests include media and occupational orientation, media priming, media, and social affiliation.