Long and winding roads: educational decision- making of youngsters at risk of early school leaving in Flanders

Abstract

Increasing numbers of youngsters are at risk of early school leaving. In this study, we examine educational decision-making of inner-city youth during their educational trajectories and how this could contribute to the decision to leave school without an educational qualification. Based on interviews with 34 youngsters in a Flemish city (Antwerp, Belgium; 2014–2016), our findings show that the educational trajectories of these youngsters were very diverse in terms of educational choices, characterized by frequent, illogical movements across fields of study, institutions and type of educational programmes. These educational trajectories can be seen as the result of a series of short-term decisions made throughout the school career, in which youngsters relied on the information available within their social networks. Educational decisions seemed influenced by the often precarious living conditions in which these youngsters live. The value of education is constantly negotiated against the importance of other life domains. © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Early school leaving Educational trajectories educational choices rational action theory

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

Centre for Migration and Intercultural Studies, Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerpen, VAN, Belgium

Research Group TOR, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, BRU, Belgium

Funding & Acknowledgements

Seventh Framework Programme, FP7

Funding text 1: The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Union’s Seventh Framework programme under Grant Agreement number SSH-CT-2011-320223 (Acronym: RESL.eu).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by the FP7 Socio-Economic Sciences and Humanities [RESL.eu; SSH-CT-2011-320223]. The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Union’s Seventh Framework programme under Grant Agreement number SSH-CT-2011-320223 (Acronym: RESL.eu).

FP7 Socio-Economic Sciences and Humanities, SSH

Grant: SSH-CT-2011-320223

Funding text 1: The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Union’s Seventh Framework programme under Grant Agreement number SSH-CT-2011-320223 (Acronym: RESL.eu).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by the FP7 Socio-Economic Sciences and Humanities [RESL.eu; SSH-CT-2011-320223]. The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Union’s Seventh Framework programme under Grant Agreement number SSH-CT-2011-320223 (Acronym: RESL.eu).

FP7 Socio-Economic Sciences and Humanities, SSH

Funding text 1: The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Union’s Seventh Framework programme under Grant Agreement number SSH-CT-2011-320223 (Acronym: RESL.eu).; Funding text 2: This work was supported by the FP7 Socio-Economic Sciences and Humanities [RESL.eu; SSH-CT-2011-320223]. The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Union’s Seventh Framework programme under Grant Agreement number SSH-CT-2011-320223 (Acronym: RESL.eu).

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Long and winding roads: educational decision- making of youngsters at risk of early school leaving in Flanders

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