Child welfare clients first step away from higher education. The influence of school performances, educational aspirations and background factors on choosing the vocational track after compulsory school

摘要

This article addressesthe concern that the educational attainment of child welfare clients(CWCs) is generally poor.Drawing upon previous research showing that formerCWCslackhigher education, this study argues that it is necessary to examine the first educationaltransition that directs students away from higher education. In Norway, this first transitionpoint occurs in the transition from lower secondary school to the vocational track in uppersecondary school. This educational transition is studied by means of analysis of longitudinalsurvey data on youths in Oslo. The sample consists of 1500 teenagers in Grade 10 inlowersecondary school and in the second year of upper secondary school, of whom about five percent had had contact with child welfare services. The results show thatCWCs’ highenrolment on the vocational track–and consequently away from higher education–cannotbeunderstoodonlyfrom the characteristics that previous research has reported as generalexplanations for the differences in educational transitions.Even though the results show thatschool performances, educational aspirations and background factors like parental educationand sex had an impact on the probability of vocational secondary education, the probability ofCWCs choosing the vocational track was still higher than with their peers.Consequently, toincrease the transitions ofCWCsto the academic track in upper secondary school, andthereby hopefully to higher education, specific measures for theCWCsare required.Ifprofessionals should advice CWCs against the vocational track, is also discussed.