Social Support for Pursuing and Perseverance in Career Related Higher Education: The Lived Experiences of First-Generation Maldivian Youth
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Abstract
The current education and employment policies of Maldives highlight the importance of increasing the number of youths with higher education for the sustainable development of the country. Given the importance of social support, this article focuses on young people's experiences of social support in deciding to pursue a career relevant to higher education and their commitment to the programme and future career. The study used a qualitative research methodology of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participant selection focused on capturing recent experiences of making career-relevant higher education decisions. Hence, 14 first-generation higher education students studying in an undergraduate degree programme (in Maldives) were purposively selected as participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore their experiences of choosing a career-related higher education programme. Findings show that family networks were the most dominant source of social support and few participants also received social support from institutional members (school and college/university personnel), peers, and work colleagues. The article describes the degrees of social support mobilised by the students from different social networks and highlights the importance of strengthening institutional social networks for youth.
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