'Who are you to know who I am?' Comparing the experiences of youth at risk of dropping out in England, Denmark and Hungary.

Early School Leaving (ESL) as an important societal issue has been a matter of debate in policy making for 30 years. But the differences in students' experiences have often been neglected, leading to a one-size fits all policy and pedagogical approach. This paper explores educational experiences of dropouts in England, Denmark and Hungary, and compares the measures related to ESL. Empirical data were collected from observations; a total of 28 interviews with students in three different country contexts. My original contribution to knowledge is that this study focused on students' experiences in education and career trajectories with a comparative lens and was able to give a more distinct image of dropouts. The paper recommends that rigid education systems need to adopt more flexible methods and adaptive learning pathways to work with challenging youth. Transitions to secondary education should be supported by career practitioners to help students find suitable pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]