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In the present paper, we research the phenomenon of early school leaving through the biography of school leavers. The participants were 14 individuals (five females and nine males) who had left school early before completing secondary education. The interviewees' discourse highlighted the mediating factors and the reasons for leaving school. Also, early school leavers are a heterogeneous group of individuals, where the diversity of their family's cultural capital has shaped different inclusion conditions in the Greek educational system. According to the typology of Nairz-Wirth and Gitschthaler, we identified four types of early school leavers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In this scoping review, we examine the knowledge base concerning positive mental health studies for students in vocational education and training (VET). The VET student population embraces approximately 30-52% of secondary school students in the Nordic countries, and 40% of the global student population. The risk of early school leaving (ESL) is substantially higher in VET than in general education and mental health may be a relevant factor in this matter. Yet, an overview of mental health studies in VET is lacking and therefore, this article aims to map empirical research studies that have explored positive mental health in VET students. The positive mental health framework, with its origin in Antonovsky's (2002) salutogenesis and positive psychology, focuses on factors that promote mental health and wellbeing rather than taking on a pathological perspective. Methods: For our scoping review, we searched four databases, and 19 articles were found eligible for inclusion. These articles were systematically screened by means of a coding scheme to identify the following information: Country of origin of the study, its aim, research design, measures, conceptualization of mental health, and main findings. Results: The evidence suggests that positive mental health is understood as a multifaceted concept, and wellbeing is the dimension that is explored most often, followed by resilience and quality of life. The majority of the included studies used a validated questionnaire to assess various aspects of positive mental health, and most of them sought to explore correlations between different dimensions of positive mental health. Main findings of the studies suggest that a supportive school environment, physical activity, and a strong vocational identity may contribute to positive mental health for students in VET. Furthermore, correlations have also been identified between environmental factors and positive mental health. Finally, findings from the review illustrate how even small-scale interventions may have farreaching effects, due to the interrelatedness of the different dimensions within the positive mental health construct. Conclusion: Findings from this review illustrate that numerous factors may affect the wellbeing of students in VET. In particular, a strong vocational identity, a supportive school environment, and physical activity may contribute to positive mental health. These findings suggest that VET teachers may promote the wellbeing of their students by providing a supportive psychosocial learning environment at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In this scoping review, we examine the knowledge base concerning positive mental health studies for students in vocational education and training (VET). The VET student population embraces approximately 30-52% of secondary school students in the Nordic countries, and 40% of the global student population. The risk of early school leaving (ESL) is substantially higher in VET than in general education and mental health may be a relevant factor in this matter. Yet, an overview of mental health studies in VET is lacking and therefore, this article aims to map empirical research studies that have explored positive mental health in VET students. The positive mental health framework, with its origin in Antonovsky's (2002) salutogenesis and positive psychology, focuses on factors that promote mental health and wellbeing rather than taking on a pathological perspective. Methods: For our scoping review, we searched four databases, and 19 articles were found eligible for inclusion. These articles were systematically screened by means of a coding scheme to identify the following information: Country of origin of the study, its aim, research design, measures, conceptualization of mental health, and main findings. Results: The evidence suggests that positive mental health is understood as a multifaceted concept, and wellbeing is the dimension that is explored most often, followed by resilience and quality of life. The majority of the included studies used a validated questionnaire to assess various aspects of positive mental health, and most of them sought to explore correlations between different dimensions of positive mental health. Main findings of the studies suggest that a supportive school environment, physical activity, and a strong vocational identity may contribute to positive mental health for students in VET. Furthermore, correlations have also been identified between environmental factors and positive mental health. Finally, findings from the review illustrate how even small-scale interventions may have far-reaching effects, due to the interrelatedness of the different dimensions within the positive mental health construct. Conclusion: Findings from this review illustrate that numerous factors may affect the wellbeing of students in VET. In particular, a strong vocational identity, a supportive school environment, and physical activity may contribute to positive mental health. These findings suggest that VET teachers may promote the wellbeing of their students by providing a supportive psychosocial learning environment at school.

In Germany, the dual system of vocational education and training is an attractive alternative to tertiary programmes for school leavers with a higher education entrance certificate (HEEC). Most adolescents with this qualification opt for training occupations where the majority of apprentices hold an HEEC (e.g., bank clerk). This decision seems sensible considering that such training occupations are difficult for people with lower school‐leaving certificates to access and promise better career outcomes. Nevertheless, some adolescents with an HEEC enter occupations that are not typical of their school‐leaving qualification. This article examines under which circumstances adolescents with an HEEC aspire to training occupations atypical of their level of education and thus accept lower career outcomes. Following the rational choice paradigm, we expect differences in perceived benefit and probability of success between school leavers with an HEEC opting for HEEC occupations as opposed to non‐HEEC occupations. Using data from the 2018 DZHW Panel Study of German School Leavers With an HEEC, our logistic regression models show that the individuals’ self‐assessed strengths and their occupational goals explain why they aspire to training occupations atypical of their qualification. Contrary to our assumption, adolescents from academic families are not less likely to aspire to non‐HEEC occupations.

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Introduction. The formation of social competences of schoolchildren is an important area of modern science and pedagogical practice. Despite the large number of publications on this issue, there is virtually no research on the analysis of social context, which largely determines the practical implementation of social competences. The aim of this article is to analyse the high schoolʼs activities on social competence development using a contextual approach. The novelty of the approach lies in the identification of social competencies that characterize the effectiveness of the educational impact of the high school, taking into account the subjective context. Materials and Methods. The empirical base of the study includes data collected from sociological surveys conducted in Togliatti schools in 2010, 2014 and 2019 in the monitoring mode (in 2010, n = 1 183, in 2014, n = 945, in 2016, n = 1 745; in 2019, n = 976). The collection of data in the monitoring mode made it possible to identify the dynamics of results over a ten-year period and to determine how well the high school is doing in terms of developing social competences. Results. Among the social competencies that the high school forms, high school students note the ability to work with information, understand people, determine the propensity for science, independence, as well as a tolerant attitude to representatives of other cultures. There are contradictions in the formation of social competencies, and this is especially evident in the assessment of civic qualities. Over the past decade, the number of students who believe that school has prepared them for life has significantly decreased. Discussion and Conclusion. The results contribute to the development of scientific concepts of social competences. The materials of the article will be useful for the study of problems and contradictions of value self-determination of the younger generation. The practical significance of applying the proposed contextual approach is to increase the effectiveness of the school in the formation of studentsʼ social qualities necessary for life in modern society.

A unique series of surveys of school leavers in Scotland (1952-98) is used to investigate long-term developments in the transition of young people from school. Transitions changed greatly in the half century, and varied by sex and socio-economic status. School attainment became increasingly important in giving school leavers access to post-school education, especially for female students and for students of low socio-economic status (SES). For low-SES and medium-SES students of both sexes, attainment also was important in gaining access to employment throughout the period. There was no evidence that the ending of selection into different kinds of secondary school had any immediate effect on transitions to education, training, or employment. However, there was evidence that reform to the school curriculum in the 1980s may have increased the proportions entering employment with or without training among low-SES students with relatively high attainment. At the same time, leavers with low attainment in that core curriculum benefited from the development of short, specifically vocational courses, though to a decreasing extent in the 1990s. Leavers who did not follow any such courses, and who had no core attainment, continued to face very difficult transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth unemployment is one of the most pressing problems in the world today, which, through its spill-over effects, affects more than just young people. From an economic point of view, it is also important to examine at what age and with what type of qualifications do young people start to work or how mobile they are. These factors have an impact on the current and future tendencies and developments in a country’s labor market and thus in it’s total economy. Despite the actual trends among the generations that have grown up during their university years, it has been observed in recent years that students are paying more attention and becoming increasingly conscious in their specific expectations when choosing their future workplace and working conditions. This paper reviews some of the tendencies of starter labor generations that can be observed in Hungary. In our study, we examine the active work experience of full-time BA and higher education vocational training students at the University of Debrecen, majoring in tourism focusing on what work experience they have, what factors do they associate to labor market, can attract them, how they are affected by the issue of employment, and what their preliminary expectations and plans may be in connection with subsequent employment. In our research, we tried to draw conclusions based on the obtained results, with which we can help either higher education institutions or employers by exploring the needs and intentions of young people related to labor. We wanted to explore what the most important aspects are that influence students when they have to decide whether to leave their current residence because of a job opportunity. Our study was conducted using a student questionnaire in which the questions focused primarily on work-related experiences, job expectations, the relocation effects of more developed residential areas, and mobilization.

As the construction industry does not seem to enjoy a positive image, it is not necessarily the career of choice when compared with other industries. This study examines the image of the industry in order to establish what the perception of the industry is, the effects of that perception, and how the image of the sector could be improved. A mixed approach is used that involves a questionnaire survey of a purposive sample of high-school students, employers and employees in the Greater Durban area of KwaZulu-Natal province as well as a focus group of employers. The findings of the study are important if the image of the construction industry is to be improved so that it can become the career of choice for larger numbers of high-school students and other potential new entrants. The study is confined to the KwaZulu-Natal province and high schools in the western suburbs of Durban.

Background: Very few studies have evaluated the performance of transition to work (TTW) service providers after the TTW program was implemented in New South Wales, Australia since 2005. This paper examines employment outcomes achieved by 35 TTW service providers in Sydney. Method: Descriptive statistics and chi-square were used to analyse the TTW outcome data. Results: We found that (a) there was a constant growth in the number of TTW program entrants and an overall increase in the employment rate of TTW clients; (b) many TTW service providers in Sydney served fewer than four clients annually on average; and (c) huge differences were evident in the employment outcome performance of individual TTW service providers. Conclusion: The TTW programme in Sydney allowed more school leavers to achieve employment. However, further research is needed to examine the associations between TTW program features and different employment outcomes to build an optimal TTW program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, result of research from ethnography for peace, we reflect on the manifestations of violence in the educational practices in School Education in the State of Mexico which may be determining the school leaving. The purpose of this research is based on the idea that teachers can give a full sense of their teaching practices, opening spaces where teachers analyze whether there are demonstrations of violence in their teaching practice, and amend them to practice peace, which could positively influence learning processes of students with low valuations and thus reduce dropouts. Methodologically starts from ethnography to peace around context and manifestations of violence that occur in the classroom between teacher-student.

Целью работы стало выявление взаимосвязи между школьными оценками – уровнем успешности учебной деятельности и результативностью ЕГЭ. Представлены аргументы в пользу актуальности изучения проблемы ЕГЭ как фактора результативности общего образования в контексте педагогической психологии и возможности использования результатов исследования в психологической подготовке учеников и педагогов к ЕГЭ. Предметом исследования была взаимосвязь результатов ЕГЭ и уровня успешности учебной деятельности выпускников школы. Исследование носит эмпирический характер, в качестве основных методов выступили анализ документов, беседа, вычисление процентных соотношений, статистический критерий Спирмена. Рассмотрены данные результативности выпускников школ. Сопоставлялись оценки учеников-старшеклассников из школьного журнала за последние два года школьного обучения и оценки по Единому государственному экзамену по соответственным предметам. Выводами, полученным в результате сопоставления, стало положение о том, что в абсолютном большинстве случаев средняя оценка ученика превышала его среднюю оценку за ЕГЭ, а также обнаруженные корреляции между средней годовой оценкой и оценкой за ЕГЭ по отдельным предметам – четыре из восьми предметов имели корреляцию от 0,5 по критерию Спирмена.

This article, which stems from ethnographic research, shows the importance of faculty intervention in the classroom setting in encouraging student attendance. Our findings indicate that the habitus the educator establishes can either encourage youth to continue their studies, or lead them to drop out, thus placing them at risk of addictions, illegal activities, unemployment or low-paid jobs. The Pedagogy of Hope therefore provides an option for effecting large-scale changes in personal, school, family, community and socio-economic conditions. The paper’s conclusions include providing training to teaching faculties on coexistence issues; ensuring coordination between school and family, and emphasizing an integral approach to education as means of promoting school attendance.

Abstract Objective: To investigate alcohol consumption, substance use and risky and harmful behaviour among young people attending ‘schoolies’ week in Victoria. Methods: Breathalyser tests and brief surveys (n=558) measuring alcohol, energy drink and illicit drug use, and experience of aggressive incidents, alcohol‐related injury and unprotected sex, were undertaken with young people attending schoolies week in Lorne and Torquay. Results: Schoolies reported consuming a mean of 8.8 drinks in the current session, with a mean blood alcohol count (BAC) of 0.05; 18.3% recorded a BAC of greater than 0.08. One in six participants had consumed alcohol with energy drinks; 7.7% reported using illicit substances. Participants who co‐consumed alcohol and energy drinks recorded a higher BAC than alcohol‐only users. One in five participants had experienced alcohol‐related harm at schoolies week, including aggressive incidents, alcohol‐related injury and engagement in unprotected sex. Each alcoholic drink consumed increased the potential for involvement in aggressive incidents by 8% and alcohol‐related accidents/injuries by 5%; illicit drug use was associated with six times the likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex with a non‐partner. Conclusions and implications: Excessive alcohol consumption and experience of related harms are common among young people attending schoolies week. Harm reduction initiatives targeting schoolies week should focus on the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption, illicit drugs and the co‐consumption of alcohol and energy drinks.

Despite a wide international literature on the effect of vocational and general education on school-to-work transition, relatively little is known about the role of having studied specific subjects in explaining inequalities in young people’s labour market outcomes. This paper aims to fill this gap by examining differences in employment chances of young people who left education early, either at the end of compulsory schooling or at the end of secondary school. Using data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study, a large-scale linkage study created using data from administrative and statistical sources, we found little gender differences but strong parental background differences in school leavers’ employment status and type of occupation entered. Social inequalities in labour market outcomes were only partly explained by curriculum choices. Moreover, after controlling for social origin and grades, only history and business for lower-secondary leavers and maths for upper-secondary leavers were associated with a reduction in the chances of being unemployed/inactive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Fewer than half of the young people attending vocational institutions in Norway complete their education within the allotted five years. Indeed, many of these students have non-linear paths to completion. However, it is not changes in the dropout rate that make this different from earlier generations but the expansion of formal education and the rise of the knowledge society and individualisation. The term “tightrope biographies” is used here to encapsulate why individualisation cannot be thought of in terms of choice, because today’s youth are often held accountable for their educational progression rather than this progression being viewed as dependent on institutional mechanisms. The present study characterises young people as “tightrope dancers” in their interactions with vocational schools. Selected data collected from ethnographic interviews during the ongoing longitudinal project Youth, Completion and Dropout in Telemark are used here to capture the voices of young people. These data focus on the non-linear educational careers of these youth when they re-enter schools and explore the stories they tell about dropping out and re-entering. These stories suggest that, to succeed, students need customised support throughout the process from school to the workplace and that many depend on this support. The study identifies three different ways of understanding these students as tightrope dancers trying to get back on track, characterising them as The Steady, The Shaky and The Shivering.

David Raffe was a highly influential figure in the field of transitions research. His work carefully delineated how national institutional policies shape transition processes and outcomes. Curriculum structure and organisation were seen as key features of these transition systems, his work tracing the relative impact of vocational and academic qualifications across countries and exploring tendencies towards, and away from, unified qualification frameworks. This paper builds upon David’s work by unpacking the influence of curriculum choices in secondary education on young people’s labour market destinations in Ireland and Scotland, two countries which share many similarities in their transition and post-16 education systems but differ in the degree of student subject choice at upper-secondary level. Using regression analyses of school leavers’ survey data from both countries, we analysed the extent to which subjects studied and grades achieved in secondary school matter for young people’s occupational opportunities. We found that subject choice matters for employment chances and access to higher status positions in Scotland but to only a limited extent in Ireland. Grades matter for employment chances in Ireland while higher grades enhance access to higher quality jobs in both countries. The conclusions offer some reflections on David’s most recent work and his legacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary In Ireland school leavers with intellectual disabilities were tracked over a 10-year period from 2004 to 2014. Nearly half were no longer known to services after 10 years., In the 5 years after leaving school, most young adults went to either training centres or to care centres. After 10 years, most were placed in care centres. Few were getting help to obtain paid work or were receiving support in the community., New models of day supports are being promoted by the Government but they are not widely available. Shortage of money and pressure to provide places for school leavers may have contributed to the growth of attendances in care centres., Abstract Background In recent years, efforts have been made to improve the transition of pupils with intellectual disabilities to adult services and to offer a wider range of choices. However, there have been few longitudinal studies to monitor the services provided to young adults post-school. This case study in the Republic of Ireland identified the services provided 5 and 10 years after pupils had left school. Method Using records from the National Intellectual Disability Database ( NIDD), a cohort of 3,206 young people aged 14 to 21 years in 2004 were followed up in 2009 and again in 2014. The pathways to different types of services were identified. Results Upwards of 50% of school leavers were no longer in receipt of services 10 years later. Most had mild intellectual disabilities. Of those who were still involved with services, after 5 years most attended either training centres or care centres with small proportions in sheltered workshops or employment schemes. By 2014, most students leaving training centres had transferred to care centres; including those with mild disabilities. There had been little increase in the numbers receiving other types of day support. Conclusions Care centres remain the most common form of day services provided to school leavers in the Republic of Ireland. The economic recession may have contributed to this. Recent government policies aim to promote more innovative day supports with a focus on employment but further cohort studies should monitor the success of these initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The aim of this methodological evaluation study is to examine the likely effects of sample attrition on the social and psychological outcomes variables often examined in studies of school leavers and which have been included in many studies of employment. Methods We examine the effects of sample attrition based on analysis of a recently completed 10-year longitudinal study of school leavers. Results The results showed that the dropouts differed from the stayers on a number of variables. For example, the dropouts tended to be older and were more likely to use illicit substances, such as marijuana. Males were more likely to drop out than females. On the other hand, the dropouts did not differ from the stayers in terms of the main variables of interest: psychological well-being (including self-esteem, suicidal ideation, life satisfaction, and other related variables). Conclusions Given that longitudinal studies of adolescents are often used to inform theoretical developments and policies relating to early intervention and longer term outcomes, these findings provide cautious optimism that selective attrition does not pose a major threat to the external or internality validity of employment studies investigating psychological or social outcomes, but it does raise questions about the importance of dealing with missing data in studies of high-risk behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]