Managing critical transitions : Career guidance and support for youth at risk of not being eligible for upper secondary school

This proposal addresses a study of the support to students at risk of leaving Swedish compulsory education without complete grades in their transition to upper secondary education (USE). Students that are not eligible for USE are referred to remedial programs. The study aims to provide increased knowledge about school actors’ work and strategies in order to facilitate this critical transition. The study is primarily based on interviews with 18 career counsellors and teachers in six municipalities, and departs from theoretical frameworks on agency of professionals in welfare organizations and on educational transitions. A first analysis indicates inter alia that the school actors’ micro choices have a major impact on the support the students are given and that the transition seems to be at risk of becoming overly fragile unless the support is characterized of collaboration between different school actors