ERIC Number: ED509308
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 49
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: ISBN-978-1-9214-1387-2
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Education and Happiness in the School-to-Work Transition
Dockery, Alfred Michael
National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)
Education is generally seen as enhancing people's lives. However, previous research has reported an inverse relationship between education and happiness or satisfaction with life: as education level goes up, happiness goes down. Using data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), this report examines the relationship between education and happiness. The impact of factors such as family circumstances and personality traits are also considered. The report finds that undertaking vocational qualifications such as an apprenticeship has a positive impact on happiness both during the training period and after completion. For university graduates, however, happiness declines following completion of their study. Results for dummy variables for each wave of the survey are appended. (Contains 14 tables, 2 figures, and 11 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Education Work Relationship, Psychological Patterns, Life Satisfaction, Longitudinal Studies, Educational Attainment, Personality Traits, Family Characteristics, Vocational Education, Higher Education, College Graduates, High School Students, Young Adults, Measures (Individuals), Foreign Countries
National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd. P.O. Box 8288, Stational Arcade, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia. Tel: +61-8-230-8400; Fax: +61-8-212-3436; e-mail: ncver@ncver.edu.au; Web site: http://www.ncver.edu.au
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Authoring Institution: National Centre for Vocational Education Research
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A