TO EARN OR TO LEARN ?IDENTITY IMPLICATION OF

MICROTRANSITIONS FROM FAILURE TO SUCCESS IN WORKING CLASS

ADOLESCENTS IMPLIED IN INNOVATIVE VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Laura Bonica & Viviana Sappa

Department of PsychologyUniversity of Turin

Italy

International ConferenceTurin, September 17th and 18th, 2009

INTRODUCTION (1)INTRODUCTION (1)INTRODUCTION (1)INTRODUCTION (1)

NATIONAL EDUCATION NATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEMSYSTEM

REGIONAL TRAINING REGIONAL TRAINING SYSTEMSYSTEM

ITALIAN VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL PATHSITALIAN VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL PATHSLow social class and poorest grades at school students (Pombeni,

1993; Bonica, 2007)

Qualification + Diploma

3-5 years 1-3 years

Qualification

20-35% failed

13% shift to vocational

training

INTRODUCTION (2)INTRODUCTION (2)INTRODUCTION (2)INTRODUCTION (2)

In most developmental researches, the choice of vocational paths is considered a psychosocial risk for identity development, as it is interpreted as an avoidance of learning tasks and a desire for immediate autonomy at the cost of inhibiting exploration and greater ambitions (Tilton-Weaver, Vitunski, & Galambos, 2001; Bonino, Cattelino, 2002; Largie,et al., 2001)

However, the pathways following dropping out of school the teaching - learning characteristics of vocational

learning contextsand the perceived quality of learning experience,

have rarely been questioned in relation to these students’ motivational orientation, despite the recognised “excessively

theoretical” nature of Italian schools, which especially has negative implications upon the vocational paths (Bottani, 2002).

an ambiguity arises:

both the institutional and the theoretical level seem to be implicated in this process, but the failure is often attributed only to the students

themselves or to the characteristics of the social background from which they originate.

This seems to still confirm an interpretative model of the school failure inspired by the deficit model.

Given this ambiguity, it is difficult to ascertain if the working class adolescents choosing national vocational system and dropping out of these schools, must be considered at risk because they are mainly motivated to earn as soon as possible, at the cost of inhibiting exploration and greater ambitions, or rather they would like to better learn a job, but the cultural model adopted by the school left, did not fit with this aim (Bonica & Sappa, 2006, 2008).

In our hypotheses this ambiguity is founded on a poor consideration both of the plurality of intelligence and cultures (Gardner,1991) that converges in today's school, and of the increasing importance assumed by learning in the world of labour (Heinz, 2002, Engestrom, 2001).

with the consequence to:

1. Perpetuate the traditional dichotomic conception of the relationship among “learning” and “working”, “head” and “hands”, “thinking” and “doing”.

2. Interpreter the learning motivation of the young people choosing vocational schools in term of “weakness”

INTRODUCTION (3)INTRODUCTION (3)INTRODUCTION (3)INTRODUCTION (3)

Starting from this background, we believe that vocational identity development (Erikson, 1968; Heinz, 2002) must be addressed within:

• a non-dichotomic conception of learning both in and outside of school (Lave, Wenger, 1991; Sennet, 2008; Resnick, 1987; Engestrom, 2001; Gardner, 1991; Pontecorvo et al., 1995)

• and adopting cultural - ecological research approaches, alternative to the deficit model (Cresas, 1978; Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Bateson, 1972; Valsiner, 2002) that give greater visibility to the dynamics of interaction between subject and context (Bonica, 2008).

The aim of this presentationis to contribute to overcome the ambiguities,

proposing a new approach to study vocational identity, which starts from a pilot study designed on the basis of these

theoretical and methodological premises.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND AIMTHEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND AIMTHEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND AIMTHEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND AIM

RESEARCH DESIGN AND RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGICAL OPTIONSMETHODOLOGICAL OPTIONS

RESEARCH DESIGN AND RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGICAL OPTIONSMETHODOLOGICAL OPTIONS

Our pilot longitudinal study, starting in 2000, involved 503 adolescents and young adults (15-21 years old, 89% male) belonging to working class families of Turin, while they were living a microtransition from school failure to success in two excellent vocational training centres in the metal mechanic field.

Two specific methodological options were valorised:

the opportunity of comparison among different contexts/models of teaching-learning, interpreted as a transformation experiment (Bronfenbrenner, 1979).

the adoption of a multi level reflexive approach based on self comparison between contexts over time (Bonica, 2008).

TRADITIONALHIGH SCHOOL

Frontal lessonsFrontal lessonsFocus on theory Focus on theory

Abstract, individual and Abstract, individual and decontextualised decontextualised

knowledgeknowledge

(IARD, 2009, Resnick,1987; Bottani, 2000)

SCHOOL FAILURESCHOOL FAILURE SCHOOL SUCCESSSCHOOL SUCCESS

Comparison on the perceived quality of the learning settings

Comparison on the dominant motivation

(to earn vs to learn a job)

CFPR

no sure jobCFPA

“work”: sure job

Similar dailySimilar daily

COMMITMENTCOMMITMENT

Continuity

discontinuity

““Trasformation experiment” : significant variablesTrasformation experiment” : significant variables““Trasformation experiment” : significant variablesTrasformation experiment” : significant variables

FORMAL CONTEXTS

OF VOCATIONAL LEARNING

In metal-working filed

INNOVATIVE TRAINING

Learning by doingLearning by doingApprenticeship, Apprenticeship,

Evaluation of pratical skills, Evaluation of pratical skills, cooperative learning cooperative learning

(Pontecorvo et al., 1995;Resnick, 1987; Ajello et al. 2000; Slavin, 1990; Bonica e al., 2007)

2400 hours, 8 hours per day. (1600 workshop-800 work experience)

SCHOOL FAILURESCHOOL FAILURE SCHOOL SUCCESSSCHOOL SUCCESS

Self comparison between contexts over time as a minimum unit of analysis

“diaries of surprise” in which subjects were asked to write freely about whatever surprised them in the new experience;

in-depth biographical interviews on their learning experiences.

items regarding the perceived quality of the learning experience (Bonica, 2001): the students were asked to compare their personal scholastic experiences on the basis of how many times in both the training and the previous school contexts they had certain experiences

Contrasting situations evoke emotional-cognitive mechanisms (for example, surprise) that stimulate the opportunity to make comparisons (Sclavi, 1989; Bonica, 2005, 2008). The comparison of one’s own experiences between contexts and over time encourages subjective reflection (Bruner,

1990) and causal exploration (Weiner, 1985), from which personal meaning and new constructs may emerge (Bonica, Sappa, 2008).

Multi level reflexive approachMulti level reflexive approachMulti level reflexive approachMulti level reflexive approach

Path following Vocational Training

Workshop Test

Interview

Sub-sample (30 sobjects)

Questionnaire

1st year

2nd years

Context 1 – Vocational Training Centre (CFPA)Grant – entrance selection – connection with a metal mechanic company - certain job placement -technologically advanced simulated workshop – work experience at the first and second years

Context 1 – Vocational Training Centre (CFPA)Grant – entrance selection – connection with a metal mechanic company - certain job placement -technologically advanced simulated workshop – work experience at the first and second years

Context 2 – Vocational Training Centre (CFPA)Open to at-risk adolescents - religious educational institution - links with small local firms - work experience only in the second year – specific interest in personal education and rehabilitation

Context 2 – Vocational Training Centre (CFPA)Open to at-risk adolescents - religious educational institution - links with small local firms - work experience only in the second year – specific interest in personal education and rehabilitation

Welcome

Sept. 2000 2005

VOCATIONAL

HIGH SCHOOL

Education

VOCATIONAL

HIGH SCHOOL

Education

Follow upQuestionnaire(125 subjects CFPA)

Sub-sample (10 subjects

CFPA)

12 and 18 months after qualification

Vocational Training Experience Total sample

Diaries “surprise”Observations

Work stage

Work stage

Research designResearch designResearch designResearch design

RESULTSRESULTSRESULTSRESULTS

For this presentation, we selected those findings we considered more salient in order to overcome the institutional and theoretical ambiguity concerning vocational identity construction processes.

Starting from the reflexive perspective of the students, we selected data coming out from the analysis of both the questionnaire (extensive data on all the sample) (Bonica, 2001) and the narrative material (intensive data on part of the sample).

Analyzing the narrative material, particular attention was put to the “contrastive structure of the discourse” (here…there; now… before; I…they) interpreted as discursive expression of the process of self comparison between contexts and over time of our interest.

We have organized our findings in these 2 macro-categories:

1. Comparison of Self between contexts and over time. This set of findings reflects on personal change in terms of new identity positioning and questions the deficit presupposes of weakness attributed to these population.

2. Comparison between contexts over time in which our focus shifts from the individual to the contexts. This set of findings reflects on the optimal conditions to overcoming the dichotomy between “school” and “work”, and questions the institutional fragmentation and rigidity.

Comparison of Comparison of Self Self between contexts and over timebetween contexts and over timeComparison of Comparison of Self Self between contexts and over timebetween contexts and over time

73% of the whole sample dropped out of a high school at least once

37%

27%

72%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

I didn't like to study I was immature I didn't have good theachers

I don’t have the brains to study …only my arms

to work

FROM AVOIDING LEARNING TASKFROM AVOIDING LEARNING TASK……

Why did you choose this course?

82%

68%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

At the beginning of the course (T0)

To learn a job To work as soon as possible

TO PERCEVERANCE, COMMITMENT, AND LEARNING TO PERCEVERANCE, COMMITMENT, AND LEARNING MOTIVATIONMOTIVATION……

85% promoted, 77/100 average marks of qualification

4,12

3,20

0,000,501,001,502,002,503,003,504,004,50

Investment in learning a job Investment in earning money early

Motivational orientation

Paired sample t-test, t=14,309 Sig<.005

How do you define yourself?

18% 15%

47%

33%32%

43%

3%9%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

After 3 months from beginningcourse (T1)

At the end of the course (T3)

Only worker Only student Mixed Other

75% claimed they wanted to resume their studies

Transitional behaviours

open to emancipatory

trajectories

Ex. 1 “I plan to stay here….then I’ll look for something better...and in the meantime I’ll get my diploma. It’ll be hard but I have to do it…it’s hard, but what I didn’t do before I’ll do now”

New identity positioning

connected to the experience

of an overcoming of the dichotomy “learning” and

“work”

COMPETENT

SELF

Ex.2 “Here, they explain to you first what you have to do and then you have to put it into practice. It never happened that I didn’t understand”.

Ex.3 “In our previous school, when I made a mistake I gave up immediately...since attending this school I realized that I have to use my head more instead of setting my hands to the task straight away. Now they [the teachers] have taught me how to think”.

a year and a half after the qualification:

Ex.4 “(in the vocational training) I also learned to think that anyhow if I see something that is hard at first, then when you learn it keeps getting easier, and this changed me because I had always been afraid of getting started and also afterwards because “what if I can’t manage”…whereas now I understand that if the first time is difficult then if you keep going it gets easy”.

TO NEW IDENTITY POSITIONINGS AS COMPETENT SELFTO NEW IDENTITY POSITIONINGS AS COMPETENT SELF……

Comparison between Comparison between contextscontexts and over time and over timeComparison between Comparison between contextscontexts and over time and over time

The comparison between perceived learning settings highlights the relevance of founding a vocational identity construction on a

significant learning experience embedded in a framework of “shared challenge”.

The optimal conditions in order to overcome the presupposed weakness of these students and the supposed dichotomy between learning and working seem, in fact, to derive from the perceived

challenge shared with teachers and tutor who daily demonstrated their commitment in teaching, connecting “doing” and

“knowing” and promoting students’ learning in a relational context of reciprocity.

Comparison of the perceived learning setting

How often do you:

(never=1, sometimes=2, often=3, alweys=4)

Mean(s.d.)

Exp.1 Exp.2 t p <

1. Put what you have learned into practice?

2,32 (0,87) 3,19 (0,85) 9,285 .001

2. Feel stressed but satisfied? 2,28 (0,9) 2,65 (0,86) 4,401 .001

3. Fell worried and take care not to miss information?

1,92 (0,8) 2,49 (0,85) 6,934 .001

4. Fell afraid to ask for explanations?

1,85 (0,8) 1,5 (0,68) 5,739 .001

5. Not succeed in understanding the explanation given?

2,47 (0,82) 1,98 (0,76) 6,997 .001

6. Ask yourself if it really makes sense to be there?

2,64 (1) 1,79 (0,96) 8,548 .001

7. Feel welcome? 2,50 (0,99) 2,91 (0,89) 4,531 .001

8. Feel oppressed by the thought to having to go to school?

2,66 (0,9) 2,01 (0,93) 7,193 .001

Opportunity of personal

experimentation

Emotional-cognitive and

relational quality of the

involvement in the learning activities

Recognition of a sense of belonging /

alienation in the learning

community

.817

.583 .664

Wellcome and support

Wellcome and support

Perception of meaning

Perception of meaning

Put into practicePut into practice

.849

Cognitive engagement

Cognitive engagement

.730

.819 .857

.884

Stressed but

satisfied

Worried and take care not to

miss information

Feel wellcome

Not succeed in understanding the explanation given

[r]Fell afraid to

ask for explanations

[r]

Feel oppressed [r]

Ask yourself if it really makes

sense to be there [r]

Put into practice

EXP 1: PREVIOUS EXP 1: PREVIOUS SCHOOLSCHOOL

Motivation to learning a job

Motivation to learning a job

EXP 2: TRAINING EXP 2: TRAINING INNOVATIVE INNOVATIVE

CENTRESCENTRES

Mastery experimentation

Mastery experimentation

Shared objectiveShared objective

.382**.320**

Stressed but

satisfied Worried and take care not to

miss information

Put into practice

Feel oppressed [r]

Feel wellcome

Ask yourself if it really makes

sense to be there [r]

Not succeed in understanding the explanation given

[r]

Fell afraid to ask for

explanations[r]

NS NS

NS

NS

.777

.512 .580

.666

.651 .503.744

.593

Bonica & Sappa, 2005

THE SHARED CHALLENGE FIND CORRESPONDENCE ON THE LEVEL OF THE SHARED CHALLENGE FIND CORRESPONDENCE ON THE LEVEL OF ….….

Relationship with teachers

The correspondence of a motivation to

learn a job

Ex. 5 “I was really surprised by the warm welcome we received on the first day. It seemed as if they really wanted to get to know us and to help us get ahead in the job we had chosen” .;

Ex. 6: “I imagined a normal school…but here they’ve actually invested in us students. You can really see that they want everybody to understand, not just the grade.”

At the work

stage recognition of

tutors as competent both on cultural and technical skills

Ex.7 “With the tutors it was one big family…they were very competent and sociable. They had told us (the teachers) that we would be supported by people who were competent in their field and who didn’t only know what to do, but also how to talk”

New model of emancipatory identification

In family

synergy of meanings

in the family context, whose positive effects

are shown in new form of dialogue

on learning, inspired by

greater trust and reciprocity

between children and parents

Ex.8 Before (my parents) went to meeting with the teachers at the school and always came back angry, now they live peacefully, they don’t even try to tell me to study anymore, by now they know I like it and they’re relaxed

Ex. 9 My father always saw the schools I went to before as normal schools...but now he constantly asks me...”what did you learn?” and he asks me questions and I explain.

Ex. 10 Before my parents said. “Did you study?” And now they ask me: “What did you do today?”

Ex. 11 “In the family we were sitting at the table and discussing PLC [Programmable Logic Controller, a microprocessor-based industrial control system] and I started to explain to my mother, father and brother...the lecture took half an hour … I felt a little prouder and happier to attend this school because it gave me another chance at home too”.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS (1)DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS (1)DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS (1)DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS (1)

By our outcomes and narratives, we have tried to demonstrate that the image of “weakness” attributed to these youths , and the supposed dichotomy between “learning” and “working”, could be challenged.

Regarding the role of institution the self comparison between contexts over time, highlights the relevance of founding a vocational identity construction on a “shared challenge” (Bonica, Sappa, 2006), also in term of greater institutional flexibility between, at least, the different vocational pathways (Bonica,2007)

It is important to consider that AFTER THE QUALIFICATION THE NEW COMMITMENT AND HIGHER EDUCATIONAL ASPIRATIONS OF THESE STUDENTS, CHALLENGED A RIGID SCHOOL- WORK SYSTEM, which reintroduced the dichotomy between school and

work, discouraging the young people from continuing their studies (Sappa, 2005).

The skills acquired guaranteed good

continuity between training and employment

But, their need to learning was often ignored or dismissed in the

work context

When I started working in this factory...I really knew a lot...the director and the

foreman were surprised too. (They said) “You attended a really good school”...

The employer arrived and asked me to work immediately … a colleague whom I asked for help told me: “If they hired you, it’s because

you can do the job and you know how to work … so you should just go there and do your

work” (without any help)

I said to myself, “It’s up to me... if I want to improve myself “I can” .. and I enrolled in the evening school… but my employer told me, “I need someone who works 8 hours, so you can

go to school or come here”.

Institutional obstacles

• not recognition of the qualification by the educational system

• difficulty in obtaining permission by the work context to attend evening classes, or time to learn on the work place (Sappa, 2005)

• The effective continuation of studies after the qualification concerned mainly the youths who had the opportunity to continue within the same context (CFPR)

80% attended the 3° year of training

• Further educational aspirations were harder to realize for the CFPA students, whose only option was to return to the national educational system, but without recognition for the two-year training course completed.

Only 8.2% of these actually resumed studying

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONSDISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONSDISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONSDISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, we believe that the aspects highlighted constitute, particularly with reference to the specific cultural features of this population, useful elements in order to study and to support the process of constructing vocational identity, trying to overcome the ambiguities described above. The theoretical and methodological choices appear to have been a good starting point.

Finally, our study of scholastic and school to work transitions is being extended to working class families, parents and their sons interviewed separately at home (Bonica & Sappa, 2009), and to populations involved in other trajectories, including other professional profiles and a female population (Bonica et al., 2007; Bonica & Sappa, 2009; Sappa, in preparation).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS (2)DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS (2)DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS (2)DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS (2)

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