Trajectories of young people in high school education in the post-pandemic period COVID—19: events, experiences and interruptions

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Secondary education in Latin America: reforms and youth experiences in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic

Proposal

The presentation will showcase the preliminary results of the Scientific and Technological Research Project 2019-03906 "School Dropout: A study on the interweaving of events and experiences in the processes of school interruptions with high school students," approved and funded by the Fund for Scientific and Technological Research, and of the Project "Trajectories of young people in high school education in the post-pandemic period covid-19: events, experiences, and interruptions," funded by CONICET (PIP11220210100100548CO). These investigations continue a line of work that has been developed in the Youth Research Program of FLACSO since 1998, focused on longitudinal studies on youth trajectories. The research will be carried out from 2021 to 2026.
The methodological strategy adopted in this stage of the investigative process, which is framed within the follow-up technique, employs a cross-sectional design and a quantitative approach through the application of a self-administered questionnaire in 2022 and 2023 to high school students from different jurisdictions in Argentina, encompassing geographical, gender, and educational diversity, including differences in orientation and type of educational management. Specifically, the survey was conducted with young people between the ages of 15 and 17 who attend secondary schools located in Greater Buenos Aires, Río Cuarto (Córdoba), the city of Salta, and Resistencia (Chaco).
The research delves into the educational characteristics pre-pandemic, during the pandemic, and post-pandemic, as well as the family and work aspects of the surveyed youth. The collected data aims to contribute to understanding the linkages, distancing, and disengagement of youth in high school, with an emphasis on recent years' experiences. Particularly, the study investigates the processes of school interruption/re-entry, experiences, and events occurring during the period under study. Specifically, it aims to address the issue of school dropout and continuity through a longitudinal follow-up study of young people who attended/are attending high school in the post-covid-19 pandemic period, building upon the existing research line developed by the investigative team.
The collected data reveals that the life trajectories of the surveyed youth are diverse, events and experiences hold significance and shape paths that interrupt and/or reconnect educational continuity. Furthermore, it identifies how the context of the covid-19 pandemic influenced their life experiences. Hence, the study's outcomes hold great importance as a contribution to the theoretical debate on school dropout, secondary education, and youth circumstances, as well as a contribution to the development of longitudinal methodological strategies and the formulation of valid knowledge for the design of state programs and policies aimed at the right to access and completion of secondary education.

Authors

• Ana Miranda, FLACSO Argentina

• Augustina Corica