Session Information
07 SES 08 C, Compensatory Pathways for Early School Leavers: Findings from the RESL.eu Project (Part 1)
Symposium to be continued in 07 SES 09 C
Contribution
Education gained an increased importance on the labour market in western societies together with a growing imagination of the latter as ‘knowledge societies’ (Bills, 2004). Over the last decades, industrial, technological and societal developments have led to a higher demand for a highly skilled labour force. Gradually, educational credentials became more widely valued on the labour market and more students entered higher (secondary) education. Educational credentials are increasingly considered a necessary good to be able to function on the labour market and modern-day knowledge society, a situation that may raise new forms of social injustice and put at risk the most vulnerable groups. Nevertheless, educational inequalities in education systems throughout Europe continue to persist (Araújo et al., 2014).
One of the most salient symptoms of this is the phenomenon of Early School Leaving (ESL), the end-result of a process already starting early on in an individual’s life, but at the same time a phenomenon that to some extent transcends the level of the individual (Elffers 2011; Finn 1989). Many of those who leave mainstream secondary education without attaining an ISCED 3 level qualification, do take on alternative pathways aiming to attain an educational and/or vocational qualification. Due to the increased vulnerability of early school leavers on the labour markets in ‘knowledge societies’ across Europe concrete measures have been implemented within institutions outside of regular secondary education. These institutions provide compensatory pathways for early school leavers by offering alternative pathways that allow them to (in)directly attain an ISCED 3 level qualification of upper secondary education. (Downes, 2014; European Commission, 2013; Glorieux et al., 2009). Moreover, these compensatory measures have been designed to provide youngsters with additional training and educational qualifications to facilitate labour market transition and social inclusion.
In the present symposium, we aim to provide an overview of the existing compensatory measures across 7 different European countries, namely the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Belgium (Flanders) and Poland. All participants of the current symposium are part of the RESL.eu project (Reducing Early School Leaving in Europe) which allow for innovative cross-case comparison taking into account country and region specific elements. Presenting the findings of the RESL.eu project together in one symposium, as case selection, data collection and analysis are identical, enables us to compare measures developed by institutions providing compensatory pathways towards upper secondary qualifications across Europe. Three types of compensatory pathways are included in the case studies: i) second chance education, ii) (part-time) work-based vocational education and training, and iii) educational reintegration strategies, which are often organized by distinct types of institutions. Qualitative research methods, such as focus group discussions and individual interviews are used to grasp parents’, students’ and school staff’s perspectives and to provide an integral approach and theory-driven evaluation of compensatory measures for ESL (Clycq et al, 2014). In this symposium, we want to apply a comparative approach to understand which compensatory pathways, and more in particular specific measures and institutional features, can be identified as successful in reducing ESL.. Risk and protective factors for compensatory measures for ESL and the (perceived) differences with mainstream secondary education will be discussed. Special attention will be given to the reasons why they appeal to youngsters that left school early, to the overrepresentation of particular vulnerable groups in these measures and to how this varies across different types of compensatory measures for ESL.
References
Araújo, Helena C., Magalhães, António M., Rocha, Cristina, & Macedo, Eunice (2014). Resistance processes to EU initiatives. In Policies on Early School Leaving in Nine European Countries: A Comparative Analysis (p. 48). Antwerp: University of Antwerp. Bills, D.B. (2004). The sociology of education and work. Malden: Blackwell Publishing. Clycq, Noel, Nouwen, Ward, Braspenningx, Marjolein, Timmerman, Christiane, D' Angelo, Alessio, Kaye, Neil. (2014). Methodological approach of the qualitative fieldwork. RESL.eu project paper 4. Antwerpen, Universiteit Antwerpen. Downes, Paul (2014). Access to Education in Europe: A Framework and Agenda for System Change. Lifelong Learning Book Series, Dordrecht: Springer. Elffers, Louise. 2011. “The transition to post-secondary vocational education. Students’ entrance, experiences and attainment.” Dissertation, Universiteit van Amsterdam. European Commission. 2013. Preventing Early School Leaving in Europe – Lessons Learned from Second Chance Education. Retrieved from :http://ec.europa.eu/education/library/study/2013/second-chance_en.pdf Finn, Jeremy D. 1989. “Withdrawing from school.” Review of Educational Research 59(2): 117-142. Glorieux, Ignace, Heyman, Ryfka, Taelman, Maaike, Van Dorsselaer, Yolis. (2009). “Wie herkanst? Sociografische schets, leerroutes en beweegredenen van de deelnemers aan het Tweedekansonderwijs en de Examencommissie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap.” Antwerpen: Maklu.
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