1. Objectifs

Intentions :
Cet article a pour objectif d’identifier les principales raisons qui guident les jeunes adultes de 25 ans et plus à retourner à l’école dans des formations d’éducation pour adultes et des formations professionnelles.

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The data analyzed stemmed from a research project aimed at enumerating and presenting the types of paths of young people enrolled in VET [vocational and education training] in secondary school in Quebec and in Ontario (Canada) […]. The sample includes 80 students enrolled in a vocational studies program in one of four training centers that participated in the study. More specifically for this article, we selected 30 participants age 25 and over. There were 18 women and 12 men enrolled in a wide variety of programs [in Quebec].» (p. 230-231)

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-directif

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

The results show «five decision-making rationales that guided [the students’ decisions]: Get out of a socioprofessional and economic slump; [k]now yourself better, personally and socially; [v]alue the concrete and the practical; [t]ake advantage of supporting conditions; and [r]econcile proximity and the known. Both initial educational experiences (childhood, adolescence) and employment experiences are marked by problems and pitfalls, dissatisfactions and often humiliations. These findings are consistent with [precedent studies] concerning the experience of difficulties—academic, social, professional, familial, psychological and others—that are more common among this population.» (p. 238) Moreover, «in comparison with previous studies on the role of social relationships on the academic paths of young adult populations […], three things play an important role: spouses, the state and guidance counselors. Spouses are more than mere emotional partners, they are also parental and financial partners. They come to replace the predominant role of parents, particularly mothers, as factors of exchange and influence.» (p. 239) Indeed, an «adult who attends vocational education and training is more than just a student. He is also a parent, a spouse, and a person with financial and familial responsibilities; in short, he is a person who wants to be accompanied in his studies and wants to find a job that will give him stability and security for himself and his family.» (p. 240)