Future orientation in pro-social and delinquent youth: The impact of context and behavior

This study examined the behavioral and contextual theories of future orientation among male delinquent adolescents. Comparisons were conducted between 23 delinquent males placed within an alternative high school context and 31 non-delinquent males rooted within a traditional high school context (ages 15--18) with regard to several future oriented dimensions (expectation and control beliefs), concerns (vocation and higher education), and domains (life course and exist). Findings revealed that the delinquent alternative high school males were more likely to endorse future concerns around vocation and conversely that their non-delinquent traditional school counterparts were more likely to endorse future concerns around higher education. However, contrary to predictions, the two groups did not significantly differ with regard hopeful expectation and control beliefs. In fact, both groups by in large reported a high likelihood of the future hopes coming true (57% of the delinquent adolescents and 71% of the non-delinquent adolescents) and a general sense of internal control with regard to their future (71% of the delinquent adolescents and 87% of the non-delinquent adolescents). As such, this study provides further support for the theory that delinquency and its affiliated school context are related to the content of several future oriented concerns. Likewise, it also suggests that educators within a variety of alternative high school contexts may want to consider making a concerted effort to aid delinquent adolescents in accessing the resources needed to make their vocational aspirations come true, and for educators at large to recognize the resilient ability of such adolescents to construct a hopeful orientation to future when placed within such a contexts.