Expectations on the Transition From Primary to Secondary Education for Students From Contexts of Social Vulnerability

Summary

This article examines the perspectives of young people, family members, teachers, and principals that support the process of transition from primary to secondary education for eighth-grade students in schools with high levels of social vulnerability. It analyzes the role and expectations of actors that support this transition, as well as the expectations of the young people themselves and those of their families. A total of 32 students and 12 of their mothers were interviewed, in addition to teachers and school principals. The analysis of these interviews reveals that, regardless of their levels of achievement, all of the students expect to complete secondary education and successfully join the labor market. The adult references for these students are almost exclusively their families, and their accounts make no mention of actors from the school. Meanwhile, principals and teachers have low expectations regarding the educational future of the eighth-grade students and believe it to be a level of education on which they have little potential impact. In this context, students experience the transition to secondary education with little support from the schools, which, in addition to the low expectations, jeopardizes the success of this transition.