Marianne Dæhlen

Low‐skilled adults in formal continuing education: does their motivation differ from other learners?

This study aims to analyse low‐skilled adults’ motivation for formal adult education. The study examines how adults’ motivation for formal education is affected by educational level, age, gender, employment status and citizenship. Survey data were collected from adults enrolled in formal educational programmes at different educational levels. Of 753 respondents, 88 were attending primary or lower secondary programmes. The remaining participants were in upper secondary schools, post‐secondary/tertiary vocational education, or in Bachelor’s or Master’s degree courses. Differences according to education levels can be explained in part by typical characteristics of the people involved at various levels of the education system. However, even when controlling for factors that may cause differences in motivation, adult learners at the lowest educational levels differ from others. The main difference is that low‐skilled adults more frequently state that they have been obligated to undertake training. These results indicate that when recruiting low‐skilled adults for learning activities, there is a need to develop targeted policy instruments instead of alluding to moral and social obligations.

Change in job values during education

Job values are a central topic in research on occupational attainment. However, studies show conflicting results as to when values emerge. It has been argued that values are deep‐rooted in a person and acquired in early youth. Other findings indicate that values change during education. Finally, the importance of adult experiences in and out of the labour market has been emphasised in explaining preferences for work. This paper examines the influence of higher education on change in job values. The results show that job values do change during education, but these changes are small and seem to be unrelated to sex and type of education. Differences in job values between men and women, and mainly between students on different programmes, are maintained during education, indicating that choice of education is the first step in realising one’s preferences for work.

Job values, gender and profession: a comparative study of the transition from school to work

Professional practice is important in the lives of many people and it is often assumed that professionals are motivated with a desire to serve the public interest. However, studies have increasingly addressed the professional dilemma of combining demands for efficiency with the obligation to help others. This study examines what professionals want from work as well as any changes in their job values during the transition from school to work. Based on data obtained from a Norwegian study, the results do not support the assumption that professionals find it difficult to serve the public interests. However, job values, like job security and high income, seem to become more important as the professionals move from school to work. In addition, the change in emphasis on part‐time work when caring for small children is different for men and women with the same education and occupational prestige.

School performance and completion of upper secondary school in the child welfare population in Norway

A vast amount of research has shown a persistent educational disadvantage in the child welfare population. Studies have argued that the less successful educational progression of child welfare clients is due to poor school performance. However, few studies have examined this empirically. In this article, I examine the relationship between school performance in compulsory school and completion of upper secondary school through analyses of population data for child welfare clients in Norway. The present study concerns all child welfare clients, i.e. both child welfare clients who have received assistance measures in the home and child welfare clients who have received out-of-home care. These results are compared with those of a sample from the general population. We know from previous research that school performance is influential in the transition from lower secondary to upper secondary school, and that academically weak students from less advantaged backgrounds usually attempt the vocational track. In order to reach the Norwegian goal of educational equity, school performance should be of less importance on the vocational track. Consequently, I assumed that low-achievers have higher probability of completing the vocational than the academic track. The results show that low-achievers complete more often the vocational track than the academic track. However, the vocational track’s potential for including low-achievers seems less applicable to child welfare clients.

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

This article addresses the concern that the educational attainment of child welfare clients (CWCs) is generally poor. Drawing upon previous research showing that former CWCs lack higher education, this study argues that it is necessary to examine the first educational transition that directs students away from higher education. In Norway, this first transition point occurs in the transition from lower secondary school to the vocational track in upper secondary school. This educational transition is studied by means of analysis of longitudinal survey data on youths in Oslo. The sample consists of 1500 teenagers in Grade 10 in lower secondary school and in the second year of upper secondary school, of whom about 5% had had contact with child welfare services. The results show that CWCs’ high enrolment on the vocational track – and consequently away from higher education – cannot be understood only from the characteristics that previous research has reported as general explanations for the differences in educational transitions. Even though the results show that school performances, educational aspirations and background factors like parental education and sex had an impact on the probability of vocational secondary education, the probability of CWCs choosing the vocational track was still higher than with their peers. Consequently, to increase the transitions of CWCs to the academic track in upper secondary school, and thereby hopefully to higher education, specific measures for the CWCs are required. This article also discusses whether professionals should advise CWCs against the vocational track.

Transition from school-based training in VET

Purpose This paper assesses the drop-out rate among disadvantaged students within vocational education and training. The purpose of this paper is to examine the probability of dropping out after school-based training for child welfare clients – a particularly disadvantaged group of youth. Child welfare clients’ drop-out rate is compared with students from a representative sample of their peers. Design/methodology/approach Average marginal effects were calculated from multinomial logistic regression models. Data were from public registries (n=10,535). Findings The results show that differences in observed characteristics cannot explain differences in drop-out rates between child welfare clients and the majority peers. It is argued that this drop-out rate is likely a result of employers favoring apprenticeship applicants who are similar to them or that child welfare clients lack networks, which previous research has identified as crucial in finding an apprenticeship. Practical implications The results suggest a need for action targeting disadvantaged youths in the transition that follows school-based training. Originality/value The paper adds to the very scarce literature on transition from school-based learning to apprenticeships.

Early school leaving in the care population-Differences by country of origin

This study was funded by the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (916106).