Orientations and Strategies of Less Privileged Students

In Germany, like in many other countries, the proportion of adolescents with university entrance exam increases and the absolute number of students is higher than ever before. Using data from a quantitative and qualitative longitudinal study on orientations, strategies and decisions of adolescents upon leaving school, we will shed light into the way less privileged adolescents make their choices and shape their self-project. We use the term “self-project” (in reference to Mead and Strauss) to indicate that the decision for a university program is (a) part of a more encompassing “self-project”, that allows identification and this means ascription to a unique self; (b) it is a decision-process (with evaluations, modifications, revisions), and it is (c) embedded in an interactive process with generalized and significant others. The sample of our study contains three subsamples: students of art, of teaching, and of engineering. We want to discuss the following points: a) The structuredness of choices: Choices are structured because requirements and expectations differ depending on the social position. For instance, the less privileged adolescents choose more often university programs offering good job chances (like teaching or engineering). b) The access to different fields of education: While the criteria for access to university are universal and transparent (school grades), access to an academy of arts is unpredictable. A committee of the academy identifies a specific “artistic”, incorporated capital. Mass participation to education at an academy does not exist. c) The relevance of significant others: The quantitative interviews show that students from lower classes more often feel parental misgivings concerning their personal ability. The qualitative interviews allow to deepen the analysis about the role of significant others.