L’analyse comparative internationale du choix scolaire au vu de la théorie des capabilités. Défis et enjeux d’approches qualitatives et quantitatives

The question of social justice in various educational systems is continually at the heart of debates. In proposing a multidimensional and contextualized interpretation, analytical capability grids offer an innovative prospect for analysing the just or unjust character of school situations. In this article, we show that the capability approach may serve themes in constructing international comparative analysis. If the first attempts at ope­rationalizing Sen’s concepts used more quantitative methodologies, certain concepts, such as conversion factors or adaptive preferences necessitate recourse to more qualitative investigations. The article seeks to present two international comparative studies which have allowed us to shed light on the paths taken by pupils and students in questioning their capabilities in orienting themselves. The goal, finally, is showing the complementarity of quantitative and qualitative approaches in using a conceptual capability framework, while illustrating the challenges and issues involved in the international comparison method.