The Influence of Kinship Care on Career Development: Reflections of Adults Living in a Peri-Urban Context

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2020

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Morobane, Masego

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Abstract

There are various reasons why children grow up under kinship care such as migrant labour, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, teenage pregnancy, and financial constraints faced by biological parents, to mention a few. The specific area of focus for this study is how the exploration of influences of circumstances and life events may have shaped children generally and specifically their career development. An analysis of the influence of being raised in and living under kinship care within a peri-urban area was conducted. This was undertaken to understand how such a situation influences the career development of young adults through their reflective process on this period in their lives. Furthermore, it involves a present understanding of these young adults and adults’ reflection on their past adolescent experiences as well as their current career trajectories. Ten participants, between the ages of 21 and 35 years old, who grew up in kinship care and within peri-urban environments, were interviewed in a qualitative paradigm, through individual, semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that the circumstances of living in kinship care and in a peri-urban area had hindered the development of the participants’ career development with many identified barriers. The overarching theme of these barriers was discussed as two separate main themes of individual/internal barriers and contextual/external barriers. The subthemes identified were the influence of insecure attachment styles and psychosocial development, the participants’ financial circumstances, lack of career intervention and exposure to the effect that the South African political history had on people living in peri-urban areas and under kinship care. These barriers mentioned also provided opportunities for resilience and growth, which subsequently swayed their career self-efficacy. In addition, these findings aligned with the core ideas espoused by the Systems Theory Framework developed by Mary McMahon, and in particular, how various intrapersonal, interpersonal and contextual influences can affect an individual’s career development. Another theoretical framework applied was the Attachment theory, which assisted in comprehending the relationship and impact of being raised under kinship care.

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A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education in Educational Psychology to the Faculty of Humanities, School of Human and Community Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020

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