When the parent gives direct advice rather than ‘ coaching / listening ’ there appears to be resistance and internal challenge . For example , Kevin said ,
But I think the biggest conversations I ’ ve probably had with my mum . She wants me to go to uni , she thinks it ’ ll be like the best thing I ’ ve done . But she ’ s also quite a big person to , like , push me on not to do physio , go onto other courses . So I get my back up quite a bit with some conversations we ’ ve had .
Another student , Brian ’ s parents wanted him to travel abroad to work which he found difficult . He explained ,
I would say they ’ re more pushy . I ’ m the one that ’ s a bit more worried about it and they ’ re like , you ’ ve got to do it while you ’ re young .
These findings suggest that the participants responded more favourably to parental advice when it was an open discussion rather than more directive .
In addition to parents , discussions surrounding the role that friendship groups played in the decision-making process focused on more of a sounding board than an influential contributor . The majority of reference was made to friends within their class , however some reference was made to friends at work , friends from sports teams and family friends . The friendship groups external to college focused on discussion regarding university experience as these groups had individuals within them that were currently at university . Kevin said ,
I have mates who are at uni now and mates who are going to uni , not in this college , and they ’ ve all gone to different unis , like Bournemouth and Nottingham and stuff . So it wasn ’ t really based on where they ’ ve gone and what they want to do , it ’ s just something which I thought would be good and the best for me .
The friendship groups within college focused on regular discussions regarding what each other were doing or had done in preparation . There was consistent reference to the decisionmaking being one that was individual and not necessarily influenced by peers . For example , Hannah discussed how she felt friends were pressuring her to make the same decisions as they had . She said ,
As much as , like , in college I can speak to people on my course , quite a lot of them , I feel like they ’ d want me to do what they ’ re doing sort of thing . Like , quite a few of them have been I ’ m not going to uni , like , you can go into a full-time job . And then it ’ ll
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