ABSTRACT
This chapter will address the ongoing debate on the role of structure and agency in shaping youth transitions. An integrative socio-ecological developmental framework for the study of youth transitions is presented, informed by life-course sociology and life-span psychology. It is argued that individual agency is a relational and intentional process that evolves through interactions with a changing socio-cultural context. Agency is conceptualised as a multi-dimensional construct, comprising capabilities to intentionally select goals, plan their pursuit and attainment in the future, and transforming intentions into action. Social structures circumscribe the field for action, comprising conditions within the wider socio-historical context, societal institutions as well as social stratification and inequality. Focusing on the transition from school-to-work, the chapter explores the ways in which social structures support, constrain, and enable the development and manifestation of agency.
