Research on the school-to-work transition is predicated on a middle class understanding of young adulthood and does not reflect the most pressing concerns of low-income students entering the post-college labor market. The transition to work for low-income students is marked by multiple economic constraints—including the pressure to repay college loans and gain financial independence from parents—that can lead them to self-select out of competitive job pools. Quadlin’s research aims to understand the job searching behaviors of low-income undergraduate students and develop and test an intervention that encourages low-income undergraduate students to apply to more selective jobs. In this study, Quadlin will analyze longitudinal in-depth interviews with undergraduate students to examine how they construct the transition to work, the meanings they ascribe to their experiences, and how they interface with the university. She will also develop a daily diary survey to capture data about students’ job search behaviors. Quadlin will expand her expertise in psychological approaches to youth behavior and qualitative interviewing and analysis. She will receive mentorship from Lauren Rivera, Professor of Management & Organizations in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and Hazel Rose Markus, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University.
How can four-year colleges better support low-income students’ school-to-work transition?
