Unpacking the black box: the problem of agency in the sociology of youth

Coffey, Julia; Farrugia, David

doi:10.1080/13676261.2013.830707

Cited by 121 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The explicit supply-side orientation puts further pressure on NEET young people to develop their agency and 'take control of their lives' (Evans, 2002). What is neglected in such schemes is the inter-relationships between agency and structure as espoused by Coffey and Farrugia (2014) and which have lead to young adults' lives being described as precarious (MacDonald 2011) and NEET young people as part of the precariat (Furlong et al 2012). Coffey and Farrugia (2014, 470) Parents are important identity formation partners for adolescents (Harrell-Levy and Kerpelman 2010) and can provide encouragement, information and active involvement when it comes to NEET young people finding their way in(to) education, training or employment (Simmons et al 2014, Russell et al 2011).…”

Section: Young People's Agencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The interaction between providers and youths exemplify the generative process that is agency when comprised in intra-action with relations of force (Coffey and Farrugia 2014). Learning providers use and offer a range of emotional strategies to support developments with 'mothering', 'keeping it real' and homology outlined as important approaches.…”

Section: When It Comes To It I Tell Them "I Don't Care What You've Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, statements by learning providers suggested that personal agency development underpins subsequent learning and engagement on the practical level. Yet as Coffey and Farrugia (2014) emphasise, analysis needs to extend beyond a simple reference to agency to explain young people's biographies, identities and decisions.…”

Section: When It Comes To It I Tell Them "I Don't Care What You've Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evans ' (2002, 2007) concept of bounded agency has been critiqued, ontologically, for not clarifying what agency is, and conceptually, for utilising it to elucidate different facets of youths' lives (Coffey and Farrugia 2014). Coffey and Farrugia themselves start out with a very broad definition of agency in which they refer to active subjectivity, intentional action, decision-making and self-expression (2014,462).…”

Section: Young People's Agencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Coffey and Farrugia (2014) highlight, within these discourses young people's agency is frequently explored, though the concept remains ambiguous. This paper considers how the work of learning providers engaged with NEET young people contributes to or hinders the development of agency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Learning providers’ work with NEET young people

Beck

2015

Journal of Vocational Education & Training

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article investigates the impact of the relationship between learning providers and young people who have experienced Not being in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) on the latters' agency development. Agency is defined as not only bounded but generated by intra-action with relations of force (Coffey and Farrugia 2014), including learning providers themselves. Providers facilitate the development of individual agency in the form of self-esteem and motivation. However, they also support activation into the labour market and, in

show abstract

Section: Young People's Agencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: When It Comes To It I Tell Them "I Don't Care What You've Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: When It Comes To It I Tell Them "I Don't Care What You've Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Young People's Agencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Learning providers’ work with NEET young people

Beck

2015

Journal of Vocational Education & Training

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Information triangulation: A complex and agentic everyday information practice

Greyson

2018

Asso for Info Science & Tech

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In contemporary urban settings, information seekers may face challenges assessing and making use of the large quantity of information to which they have access. Such challenges may be particularly acute when laypeople are considering specialized or technical information pertaining to topics over which knowledge is contested. Within a constructivist grounded theory study of the health information practices of 39 young parents in urban Canada, a complex practice of information triangulation was observed. Triangulation comprised an iterative process of seeking, assessment, and sense-making, and typically resulted in a decision or action. This paper examines the emergent concept of information triangulation in everyday life, using data from the young parent study. Triangulation processes in this study could be classified as one of four types, and functioned as an exercise of agency in the face of structures of expertise and exclusion. Although triangulation has long been described and discussed as a practice among scientific researchers wishing to validate and enrich their data, it has rarely been identified as an everyday practice in information behavior research. Future investigations should consider the use of information triangulation for other types of information, including by other populations and in other areas of contested knowledge.

show abstract

Negotiating uncertain economic times: Youth employment strategies in England

Hoskins

Leonard

Wilde³

2017

British Educational Res J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Higher education is commonly understood as the gateway to better, higher‐paying jobs. This paper draws on longitudinal survey and interview data to explore how different groups of young people, those who left school at 18 and those graduating from higher education, negotiated pathways into employment or otherwise during the recent economic recessionary climate in England. While a mix of employment and unemployment featured in both groups, with temporary and unstable contracts more common than skilled and secure jobs, our evidence reveals that those with degrees were less likely to be in work at the ages of 22 to 23 than those who left school to enter employment at 18. In some contradistinction to popular discourses on the employability benefits of higher education therefore, entering paid work at 18 was a more effective strategy for being in employment five years later than proceeding into higher education.

show abstract

Unpacking the black box: the problem of agency in the sociology of youth

Cited by 121 publications

References 28 publications

Learning providers’ work with NEET young people

Learning providers’ work with NEET young people

Information triangulation: A complex and agentic everyday information practice

Negotiating uncertain economic times: Youth employment strategies in England

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About