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The Hysteresis Effect of Habitus Transformation and Identity Formation: Contextualizing VET Route University Students’ Transition Experiences in Higher Education

Fri, April 25, 8:00 to 9:30am MDT (8:00 to 9:30am MDT), The Colorado Convention Center, Floor: Meeting Room Level, Room 610

Abstract

Informed by Bourdieu’s concepts of field–habitus, this study aims to develop a hybrid transition pattern by investigating VET students’ transition experiences in HE, including the process of habitus transformation and the result of identity formation. The analysis of interviews with 30 participants suggests that prior educational experiences will impact their transition into HE, and all of them encountered an inevitable hysteresis effect of habitus transformation, as evidenced by academic maladaptation and social disintegration. The results also reveal the heterogeneity of VET students’ transition outcomes in that they developed three types of identities with various degrees of support and agency: adapter, waverer, and loner. Finally, this study constructs a holistic pattern to contextualise the VET pathway university students’ transition journey.

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