Gutters egne refleksjoner omkring hvorfor de avsluttet videregående opplæring, og hva som skal til for å fullføre utdanning : En kvalitativ studie basert på livshistorier til 5 gutter som har avbrutt videregående opplæring

Abstract

Throughout our working carrier we have met youth who had dropped out from upper secondary school with that consequence that they stand without work or education. We wish to approach the phenomenon dropouts from the perspective of the youth, here boys, to try to find out more about how they think of their own possibilities. This study is part of a research project at the University of Agder and represents a contribution to the research group “Ung i Sør”. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding around how boys explain the causes behind their choice to dropout and what they express can contribute to returning to upper secondary school. The research questions are: What kind of experiences a group of dropout boys from upper secondary school say contributed to their choice to dropout? What conditions they mean are significant to return to school? What cooping resources and choices they belive they have that can contribute to finishing school? The results show that the informants linked difficult life experiences to their choice to dropout. They focused on the lack of individualized organization that contributed to their choice and they emphasized individualized solutions to be able to continue school. It seems that the gap between what one can cope with and what the system can customize is still an obstacle to consider. Individual needs should be listened to, to increase understanding of the structural changes needed so that finishing upper secondary school can be a reality for everyone. Key words: Drop out, upper secondary school, boys, life experiences, coping resources, individualized organization.