Narrative Perspective of the School Trajectory of At-Risk Students

Abstract

Students’ engagement in the educational task has been a matter of growing interest over the past few years as a factor in tackling one of the leading academic problems, namely school dropout. This brief research report offers an overview of how engagement in the educational trajectories of young people at risk is manifested. It was studied by applying the life course theory as the backbone of the research. A qualitative methodology has been applied, using a biographical-narrative approach through semi-structured in-depth interviews. The total number of subjects interviewed was 10. The main results indicate that: a) there are stages in which events that facilitate positive or negative engagement predominate more strongly; b) in general, there is a higher presence of negative critical events that lead to a decline in the quality of the students' engagement; and c) there are a series of factors that stand out in each of the stages of the students' trajectories. One of the main conclusions that can be drawn is that the traineeships are dynamic and flexible. Students may have the possibility of returning to their studies.