Second Chance Schools’ Students: new engagement, recovering learning, reconnecting pathways

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Some investigations indicate the causes and consequences of early school leaving. These have been largely revised in the literature. This reality has prompted the appearance of second-chance devices that offer training opportunities to young people with previous experiences of school failure. This study analyzes the students’ profiles in second chance programs, the degree of engagement and expectations about their future. METHOD: A questionnaire was applied to a sample of 1119 young enrolled in Second Chance Schools (E2O) during 2021-2022. The questionnaire presents questions about the school experience before E2O, degree of satisfaction with E2O, and short-term future expectations, in addition to sociodemographic questions. RESULTS: Descriptive analyzes, multiple crossings, and logarithmic regression models confirm that the social and academic students’ profile in E2O is diverse; though situations of vulnerability predominate, we identified a significant representation of young people with a negative school experience, but a normalized family situation. Results allow saying that E2O pedagogical model helps to remake the training trajectories of this population. Reentry/continuity in training appears as the majority expectation among young people; however, the relationship between the objective of entering the labor market and reintegration into training shows a complex combination. DISCUSSION: The results are partially in line with previous studies. However, we found novel results that need more contrast. To deepen the analysis of the family structure of the youth served in E2O, to better understand the training model to assess its transfer to secondary schools, and to deepen the understanding of the typology of second-chance schools.