#864: Cultivate Future-Oriented Identities among High School Students through Authentic Experience

This study investigates how high school students explore future-oriented identities that align with emerging possibilities in their academic, professional, and personal lives. To support this identity exploration, the school implemented a community-based, authentic research program in which students collaborated with professionals from diverse fields to engage in real-world research and practices. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven students who reflected on their experiences. Using thematic analysis, we examined how students’ identities were shaped through their authentic engagements with both the business and academic worlds. The findings suggest that the program helped students discover personal goals by reflecting on their personal characteristics, exploring the social worlds, and constructing a sense of who they aspire to become. This process of self-construction activated their agency and cultivated a dynamic mindset for their future self.