Perceptions of school and future adjustment to life: A longitudinal study between the ages of 18 and 25

A group of senior high school students, 18 years old, answered a questionnaire about their perceptions of their school situation. Around one-third of the group seemed to like school very much and another third seemed to hate or dislike school very much. This group was followed up until they were 25 years old. Of the original sample 82%, 462 persons, answered a new questionnaire about how they had succeeded in life, what kind of further education they had got, what kind of job they had, how they looked upon their future job and life careers, etc. They were also asked about their memories and feelings about their former school experiences. In the analyses we relate the students' school perceptions at age 18 to their memories of school when 25. A substantial number of the respondents remembered school in the same way as they perceived school when in school. Those who hated school seemed to be more vulnerable when they were adult. We also discuss what could be done to change school so that it does not loose one-third of its students. We introduce the concept of the 'learning centre', the aim of which is to teach the joy of learning and stimulate the students' thirst for knowledge.