Exploring Children's representations of work: A review investigating content and influences

Abstract

Middle childhood has been identified as a critical period regarding the exploration and construction of the self, with strong implications for future vocational choices and occupational trajectories. Due to a shortage of both theoretical models and empirical data, a knowledge gap remains as regards children's perceptions and understandings of the concept of work between the ages of 5–8, and the differential variables influencing these representations. This review aims to fill this gap by providing relevant information with respect to the investigation of the content of children's representations of work, as well as the factors influencing them. Considering the lack of papers covering this topic, this article approaches the subject through adjacent angles such as adult and adolescent representations of work, children's representations of occupations, and children's vocational preferences or career development. A theoretical model of children's mental representations of work is presented, and general methodological avenues are proposed to pursue further investigation on this research topic.