Raou i-K is , Samuel
Expe iences o s igma among adul lea ne s in second-chance educa ion. A
li e-his o y app oach
Eu opean jou nal o Resea ch on he Educa ion and Lea ning o Adul s 16 (2025) 3, S. 321-338
Quellenangabe/ Re e ence:
Raou i-K is , Samuel: Expe iences o s igma among adul lea ne s in second-chance educa ion. A
li e-his o y app oach - In: Eu opean jou nal o Resea ch on he Educa ion and Lea ning o Adul s 16
(2025) 3, S. 321-338 - URN: u n:nbn:de:0111-pedocs-344435 - DOI: 10.25656/01:34443;
10.3384/ ela.2000-7426.5973
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Expe iences o s igma among adul lea ne s in second-chance
educa ion: A li e-his o y app oach
Samuel Raou i-K is
Linköping Uni e si y, Sweden ([email p o ec ed])
Abs ac
This a icle examines ou li e-his o ies om s uden s who ecen ly comple ed second-
chance educa ion a a Swedish olk high school, ha ing p e iously le uppe seconda y
school wi hou ull quali ica ions – an expe ience o en associa ed wi h academic ailu e.
Th ough hei s udies, hey ha e now gained eligibili y o u he educa ion. Thei
na a i es – shaped by di e en explana ions o hei ea lie di icul ies – a e analysed
using E ing Go man’s concep o s igma. The s udy highligh s he a ied ways
indi iduals na iga e school ailu e and depa u e om dominan educa ional no ms. A
he same ime, hei s o ies e lec p ide in ha ing o ged al e na i e pa hs, pa icula ly
h ough labou ma ke expe iences. Using an educa ional li e-his o y app oach, he
a icle explo es how pa icipan s ela e o hei pas school ailu e – e ospec i ely, in
he p esen , and wi h ega d o hei u u es. Pa icula a en ion is paid o how s igma
ied o compulso y school ailu e in luence hei educa ional ajec o ies and how hey
posi ion hemsel es as s uden s.
Keywo ds:
adul educa ion, academic ailu e, second-chance educa ion, s igma, li e-
his o y
In oduc ion
Academic ailu e
Academic ailu e can ha e signi ican consequences; educa ion can open doo s o ca ee
oppo uni ies. Pa icula ly highe educa ion o en p o ides indi iduals wi h he means o
enjoy socioeconomic ad an ages in wes e n capi alis socie ies (O eopoulos & Sal anes,
2011). The social exclusion ha can esul om school ailu e may c ea e las ing ipple
[322] Raou i-K is
e ec s – a isk ac o o social exclusion la e in li e is p ecisely ha ing expe ienced
social exclusion a a younge age (Nilsen e al., 2022). Simila ly, a lack o educa ional
a ainmen can c ea e condi ions o po e y, which in u n pe pe ua es he same
condi ions o subsequen gene a ions, e en in a wel a e s a e whe e equalising measu es
ha e been implemen ed (B ea-Ma inez e al., 2023). O e all, esea che s ha e ound ha
a low le el o educa ion can be linked o a wide ange o ou comes, om an inc eased
likelihood o dying in acciden s such as alls in old age (Ahmad Kiadali i e al., 2018) o
a eluc ance o pa icipa e in cance sc eenings (Al o á e al., 2024).
Reasons o no comple ing high school can be asc ibed o he indi idual, pa en s,
schools, o educa ional policies (Gus a sson e al., 2016). I has been a gued ha
con empo a y wes e n socie ies inc easingly shi he esponsibili y o educa ional
success on o indi iduals a he han ins i u ions (Fejes & Dahls ed , 2013). Wi hin his
iew, ailu e is seen as a pe sonal sho coming a he han a s uc u al issue. Indi iduals
a e held accoun able o hei pe o mance, choices, and abili y o na iga e he sys em.
S udies om Sweden – he con ex o his a icle – sugges ha he bu den on indi iduals
o uphold high academic expec a ions and goals, as well as he p essu e o make
hemsel es success ul, con ibu e o inc eased school s ess (Högbe g, 2024). Those who
ail isk being pe cei ed as ca eless, i esponsible, o incapable. Some s uden s may, ea ly
on, disce n ha school may no o e genuine equal oppo uni ies. In esea ch some go as
a as o claim ha educa ion has been ans o med in o a ool o ins il accep ance o
ma ginalisa ion (Se nhede, 2011).
Pe inen o he ques ion a hand migh also be he so called ‘ ele an adul s’ – he
people who su ound he young pe son bo h wi hin and ou side hei amily. Fo some
g adua ing om high school may no appea o be a su icien ly a ac i e op ion o be
wo h he e o . This can occu i , in hei en i onmen , hey obse e adul s who ha e
pu sued ex ensi e educa ion bu a e none heless unable o suppo hemsel es
(Gus a sson e al., 2016). Examples include s o ies o non- adi ional s uden s who ha e
achie ed highe educa ion ye con inue o ace challenges in becoming employable (B on
& Thunbo g, 2020). P esumably, he opposi e migh also hold ue – obse ing adul s
who a e success ul and sel -suppo ing despi e no ha ing pu sued long educa ion could
se e as e idence o he pe cei ed unimpo ance o a aining highe educa ion. I is
possible ha ea ly school lea ing i sel may no be he sole cause o he well-documen ed
g ea e isk o de eloping heal h, social, and inancial p oblems. In a Scandina ian
con ex , howe e , young people who emain unemployed o ou side o educa ion o wo
yea s ace a signi ican isk o becoming pe manen ly unemployed and ma ginalised
(Cede be g & Ha sma , 2013).
Ea ly school lea ing, o en explained h ough socio-economic ac o s (Newcomb e
al., 2002) also in ol es emo ional- ela ional dimensions. Au ho i a ian eaching and lack
o con lic esolu ion may con ibu e o aliena ion and d opou , alongside men al heal h
challenges (Downes, 2018). Pee ic imisa ion is ano he isk ac o linked o non-
comple ion o high school (F ick e al., 2024; Siebecke, 2024), whe eas suppo i e
eache s and lea ning en i onmen s ha e been shown o s eng hen academic well-being
(Siebecke, 2024). Educa ional aspi a ions – shaped by pa en s o he indi idual – a e
associa ed wi h achie emen and access o u u e oppo uni ies (Hamma s öm, 1996).
Pa en al in ol emen also educes he likelihood o d opou (Pa & Boni z, 2015). In he
con ex o adul educa ion, whe e school lea e s o en e u n, inclusi e social ne wo ks
ha e p o en impo an o pe sis ence; hei absence can signi ican ly unde mine
engagemen (Tacchi e al., 2023).
In Sweden he co ela ion be ween academic ailu e and alcohol- ela ed issues,
men al heal h p oblems, as well as wi h suicidal endencies, is becoming inc easingly
Expe iences o s igma among adul lea ne s in second-chance educa ion [323]
appa en (Högbe g e al., 2024). As o 2023, app oxima ely 20% o s uden s in Swedish
high school (uppe seconda y school) g adua e wi hou a aining a comple e deg ee
(Skol e ke , 2023). This s a is ic unde sco es a signi ican challenge wi hin he Swedish
educa ional sys em, highligh ing issues such as academic unde achie emen ,
disengagemen , and dispa i ies in educa ional ou comes. A school sys em ha
sys ema ically ails a i h o i s s uden s, isks pe pe ua ing cycles o exclusion, limi ing
oppo uni ies o social mobili y, and diminishing he socie al belie in educa ion as a
meaning ul and a ainable goal.
In a socie y whe e li elong lea ning is he no m, he abili y o lea n becomes a
de ining ai o he success ul and sensible indi idual (Ande sson & Be gs ed , 1996;
Wo ld Economic Fo um, 2018). Those who s uggle in school, pa icula ly hose who ail
o ob ain a comple e seconda y educa ion, may he e o e be seen as de icien – de ia ing
om he expec ed ajec o y. And de ia ion, in u n, ca ies s igma (Go man,
1963/1986). While he easons o no comple ing uppe seconda y educa ion a y, wha
uni es hose who lea e wi hou ull quali ica ions is, in some sense, he expe ience o
educa ional ailu e. Howe e , hei esponses o his ailu e di e . Some disengage om
o mal educa ion al oge he , en e ing o making a emp s o en e he labou ma ke whe e
lea ning akes place in o he ways. O he s, a some poin , e u n o educa ion h ough
wha is commonly e e ed o as ‘second-chance educa ion’, which is he con ex o his
s udy.
The s uc u e o such ins i u ions a ies ac oss na ional con ex s. In Sweden, wo
p ima y pa hways o second-chance educa ion s and ou : a) municipal adul educa ion
(MAE) and b) olk high schools. This a icle ocuses on young adul s who e u n o
educa ion h ough olk high schools in pu sui o quali ica ions o highe educa ion.
Using an educa ional li e-his o y app oach i examines how hey ela e o hei pas
educa ional ailu e and how hey pe cei e hemsel es as s uden s – e ospec i ely, in he
p esen , and looking ahead. In pa icula , i explo es he s igma hey may expe ience as a
esul o ha ing ailed wi hin he compulso y school sys em.
The olk high school
Ac oss he No dic coun ies, olk high schools p o ide olun a y, g ade- and ui ion- ee
educa ion o any adul lea ne . In Sweden alone, he e a e mo e han 150 publicly unded
olk high schools, which o e bo h ‘second-chance’ educa ion, compa able o uppe -
seconda y quali ica ion, and specialised cou ses anging om in oduc o y le els o
p es igious, ad anced p og ammes (Hallq is e al., 2020).
In Sweden, olk high schools o en se e as a second chance o hose who ha e
s uggled wi h o ejec ed adi ional educa ion. Pa icipan s may include indi iduals who
iew educa ion as en o cemen a he han oppo uni y (Nylande e al., 2020). The olk
high school is o en imes desc ibed as an adap able ins i u ion, in ha i is and has been
eady o ca e o socie al demands (Ande sén, 2011). The olk high school has been
desc ibed as he ‘supe nanny’ o he Swedish educa ional sys em, in ha i has a
compensa o y ole (Nylande e al., 2020). Ye being oo ed in Bildung-ideals i is no
always e iden ha he olk high school should wo k solely as a second-chance school o
as a back-up plan o he people ha s uggle in o dina y school. I has been a gued ha
ensions exis be ween iewing he olk high school as a s epping s one o u he s udies
and as a place o e ing educa ion o li e in i s own igh (Be nd sson, 2000).
The olk high school can also be seen in he ligh o li elong lea ning in ha i is no
jus aiming o co ec o supplemen deg ees – i is also a sp ingboa d o u he educa ion
and o a aining a sus ainable ela ionship o educa ion and lea ning. I can be said o
[324] Raou i-K is
ha e mo i a ional pu poses, and i has been no ed ha he e has been a shi om
empowe ing objec i es owa ds a ocus on hose no succeeding in comp ehensi e
educa ion (Be nha d & Ande sson, 2017).
In addi ion, he olk high school has inc easingly been ca e ing o people wi h
disabili ies in ecen yea s, wi h a ound 30-35% o i s second-chance p og am now
consis ing o indi iduals wi h disabili ies (Nylande e al., 2020). Folk high schools ha e
been shown o suppo pa icipan s wi h neu opsychia ic disabili ies and men al heal h
issues (Hugo e al., 2019; Hugo & Hedegaa d, 2022). They may also unc ion in an
ins i u ionalising way, o e ing an en i onmen and accommoda ions ha make i di icul
o some s uden s o ansi ion elsewhe e (Hugo e al., 2019), and ha e been po ayed as
bo h adap able and compensa o y (Ande sén, 2011). Consequen ly, he olk high school
houses a mul i ude o men ali ies owa ds lea ning, wi hin hei g oup o s uden s, ye ;
he easons o s udying on he second chance p og am a a olk high school a e p ima ily
o ge one’s quali ica ions in o de .
Concep ual amewo k: Go man – s igma
To unde s and how people ca ying academic ailu es p esen hemsel es, his a icle
d aws on Go man’s (1963/1986) concep o s igma – seen as a p ocess whe e ai s
deemed undesi able, such as skin colou , impai men s, o quee iden i ies, lead o
exclusion (Shulman, 2017; Dillon, 2020). The ocus he ein is on young adul s who ha e
comple ed second-chance educa ion a a Swedish olk high school, and how hey ela e
o lea ning, s uden hood, and educa ion. As no ed by Field e al. (2012):
[ ]he expe ience o s uden hood can pose basic ques ions o who a pe son is, who hey ha e
been, and who hey wish o become. This in u n may p o oke in ense anxie y abou one’s
abili y o cope wi h change, o abou whe he a pe son is good enough in he eyes o
signi ican people, whe he ellow s uden s o lec u es; o con e sely, i may p o oke
excessi e (and o en ill- ounded) con idence abou hese hings. (Field e al., 2012, p. 82)
In he case o s uden s on he second-chance cou se o he olk high school many o hem
ha e s uggled in compulso y school and high school. Thei s o ies inco po a e a om-
he-ou side pe spec i e, desc ibing hemsel es as has ha ing ailed o being ‘ uckups’,
ha bou ing ideas abou wha o he s as well as socie y hink o hem. Thei s o ies e lec
an awa eness o how hey a e pe cei ed by o he s. As Ande sén (2011) poin s ou , olk
high school s uden s may be iewed as ‘second-class s uden s,’ ma ked by ea lie ailu e.
Acco ding o Go man (1963/1986), biog aphy akes shape in in e ac ion wi h
o he s. Ou pas ac ions in luence wha is expec ed o us, and he p esen is o en il e ed
h ough he pas – making ce ain labels ha d o shake:
[p]e sonal iden i y, hen, has o do wi h he assump ion ha he indi idual can be
di e en ia ed om all o he s and ha a ound his means o di e en ia ion a single
con inuous eco d o social ac s can be a ached, en angled, like candy loss, becoming
hen he s icky subs ance o which s ill o he biog aphical ac s can be a ached. (Go man,
1963/1986, p. 57)
The implica ions o someone ha ing ‘ ailed in school’ may, in his explana o y model,
be ha s igma is a ached o he pe son ha ing ailed school – an in e nalisa ion p ocess
may ha e hem doub hei capabili ies o s udying. As Go man (1963/1986) s a es:
‘biog aphy a ached o documen ed iden i y can place clea limi a ions on he way in
which an indi idual can elec o p esen himsel […]’ (p. 61).

Expe iences o s igma among adul lea ne s in second-chance educa ion [325]
Go man a gues ha biog aphy is o en hough o as cohe en – ha indi iduals ca y
wi h hem one single biog aphy (Go man, 1963/1986). To ein en onesel , o o ge new
pa hs, can he e o e be seen as dis up i e o e en p o oca i e ac s. To come ac oss as
agmen ed is seen as suspicious. Connec ed o his mode o being is a ce ain hesi a ion
and doub – in sho , an ambi alen s ance owa d exis ence and he choices one mus
make wi hin i . Zygmun Bauman, in a discussion e ol ing a ound s igma, w i es ha
‘[a] bes , unce ain y is con using and el as discom o ing. A wo s , i ca ies a sense
o dange ’ (Bauman, 1991, p. 56). Ambi alence, hen, can be unde s ood as some hing
ha unse les – in hesi a ion, he e is a la en po en ial o de ia e, o mo e ou side expec ed
ames o ac ion.
The one who hesi a es may be pe cei ed as unp edic able – someone who does no
immedia ely con o m o es ablished hy hms and expec a ions. In an economic sense,
hesi a ion en ails a empo al dis up ion, as i in oduces delays in decision-making and
ac ion, which, in sys ems s uc u ed a ound e iciency and p oduc i i y, may be pe cei ed
as cos ly. E go: he ailed s uden s’ s igma may sp ing om pe cep ions o being a socie al
bu den – a cos .
In he li e s o ies p esen ed he e, s igma helps illumina e li e choices. As Go man
desc ibes, s igma can ha m indi iduals, bu i also unc ions as a social o ce ha
mo i a es ac ion. I egula es beha iou by making he s igma ised posi ion
uncom o able, p omp ing a emp s o escape i . Ye s igma also cons ains ac ion,
especially among hose lacking esou ces o ecogni ion, and may ins ead lead o
us a ion, which can u n in o iolence – agains socie y, onesel , o bo h (Se nhede,
2011).
While in e nalising s e eo ypes can se e as a coping s a egy, s igma may also
become a sou ce o p ide, p omp ing indi iduals o ejec nega i e ea men (Shulman,
2017). S igma isa ion se es as a mechanism o social con ol: i ma ginalises hose who
de ia e om no ms, while also o e ing condi ional ein eg a ion o hose who con o m.
Bo h exclusion and he possibili y o edemp ion wo k o ein o ce dominan expec a ions
(Shulman, 2017).
S igma has been used in academic con ex s o illus a e he consequences o
indi iduals posi ioned ou side no ma i e amewo ks (Cos a e al., 2020; McWilliams,
2017). I ope a es on bo h mac o and mic o le els – h ough ins i u ional s uc u es,
socie al discou ses, pee p essu e, pa en al expec a ions, and pe sonal in e nalisa ion. The
concep has been applied in s udies on mino i y s uden s na iga ing dominan educa ional
no ms (Tu gu & Çelik, 2022), and on pee egula ion in digi al spaces (Vanhe le e al.,
2023). Rela ed dynamics a e also seen in esea ch on s uden s in s a e ca e, whe e
in e nalised school ailu e con ibu es o eelings o educa ional un i ness (Hugo, 2013).
Wi hin olk high schools, s igma has been examined in ela ion o suppo i e pedagogical
en i onmen s ha may os e eco e y and sel -wo h (Hedegaa d & Hugo, 2022).
Schola s ha e also a gued o add essing s igma explici ly wi hin educa ional pedagogy
o con on disc imina ion (Se nhede, 2011)
Fu he mo e, s igma can be ied o a p e ailing pa adigm cen e ed on sel - ul illmen
– hose who ail o ealise hei po en ial a e pa hologised. Wi hin he discou se on he
widesp ead men al heal h c isis among young people, schola s ha e linked his
phenomenon o he shi ing bu den o esponsibili y om socie y o he indi idual (Fejes
& Dahls ed , 2013).
In ela ion o his s udy, pa hologisa ion can be seen as ei he a p ecu so o o closely
in e wined wi h s igma isa ion. In he pas , when access o highe educa ion was ese ed
o hose deemed sui able, he esponsibili y la gely es ed wi h ins i u ions ha made
hese de e mina ions. Unde oday’s neolibe al pa adigm, howe e , he esponsibili y
[326] Raou i-K is
inc easingly alls on he indi idual. I ailu e occu s, i is amed as a esul o pe sonal
miss eps – w ong choices, poo conduc , o a ailu e o handle he esponsibili y ha
socie y has en us ed o hem (Fejes & Dahls ed , 2013; Han, 2017). Consequen ly: he
indi idual mus bea he consequences, ega dless o whe he hei s uggles could ha e
been a oided o we e shaped by ac o s such as eading and w i ing di icul ies, dyslexia,
a en ion diso de s, socioeconomic ha dships, o ela ional challenges, e c.
Me hod
This s udy employs a biog aphical app oach d awing on esea ch conduc ed wi hin he
ield o educa ion and in pa icula adul educa ion. Biog aphical me hods in educa ional
esea ch o e an app oach o unde s anding indi iduals’ educa ional expe iences wi hin
b oade social con ex s (Robe s, 2002; Bainb idge e al., 2021; Fo men i & Wes , 2021).
This adi ion s esses he impo ance o cap u ing he complexi ies o indi iduals’ li e
ajec o ies, including hei pe sonal na a i es, cul u al backg ounds, and socio-
economic ci cums ances, o illumina e he complex na u e o lea ning and de elopmen
(Me ill & Wes , 2009). Li e na a i es a e shaped by b oade cul u al and his o ical
con ex s, biog aphies e lec he alues o he ime in which hey a e old (Robe s, 2002;
Wes e al., 2007). Educa ional engagemen can be unde s ood as a dialec ical p ocess
shaped by he ension be ween con o mi y and de ia ion. Depa ing om no ma i e pa hs
may esul in s igma (Go man, 1963/1986).
Al hough pa icipan s we e asked o ecoun hei educa ional jou neys om
p eschool o adul educa ion, hey we e ee o mo e back and o h in memo y and
choose which pa s o emphasise. I was s essed ha hei s o ies – howe e old – we e
aluable. As A kinson (2007) pu s i :
The poin o he li e s o y in e iew is o gi e he pe son he oppo uni y o ell his o he
s o y, he way he o she chooses o ell i , so we can lea n om hei oice, hei wo ds, and
hei subjec i e meaning o hei expe ience o li e. (A kinson, 2007, p. 233)
Since he in e iew p omp s e lec ion, biog aphical na a i es a e o en, as E ans (2013)
no es, a emp s a cohe ence and e ol ing accoun s o mo i a ion.
I is impo an o be awa e o he unusual si ua ion a li e his o y in e iew may pose
and how in e iewees migh adjus hei s o y o esona e wi h he in e iewe (Riessman,
1993; Robe s, 2002). As he in e iews we e p ocessed and w i en ou by he esea che
i is co espondingly impo an o asse ha he assembling o a s o y is pa o he s o y.
In his s udy ou educa ional li e his o y in e iews we e pe o med wi h ou o me
s uden s a he olk high school o which all ou had a ained quali ica ion o highe
educa ion h ough hei s udies a he olk high school. The in e iews wi h addi ional
ollow-ups ook place be ween au umn 2023 and sp ing 2024. The ollow-up p ocess
in ol ed pa icipan s mee ing in pe son wi h me o e iew he d a s o hei s o ies.
Du ing hese sessions, hey had he oppo uni y o make adjus men s, emo e
misunde s ood pa s, add o co ec de ails. Addi ionally, I con ac ed pa icipan s by
phone o email i u he in o ma ion was needed a e he in-pe son mee ings.
The da a was p o ided by wo men and wo women be ween he ages o 20 and 25,
in e iews spanning 56-138 minu es. Al hough he ini ial in e iews we e conduc ed in
an open-ended manne , he e was also an e o o es ablish a na a i e s uc u e – a
sequence o e en s ha could se e as a ounda ion o he ollow-up dialogue. As he
p ocess un olded, i became e iden ha some pa icipan s spoke eely and expansi ely,
while o he s exp essed hemsel es mo e succinc ly.
Expe iences o s igma among adul lea ne s in second-chance educa ion [327]
This aised a me hodological ques ion: a e only highly alka i e indi iduals sui able o
biog aphical esea ch? I decided agains such an exclusion c i e ion, as i isks ende ing
s o ies in isible. Mo eo e , i could exclude hose who may no eel en i led o speak – a
g oup ha , heo e ically, migh include indi iduals who a e mo e cau ious in hei
wo ding, ace ce ain language challenges, o simply lack he inclina ion o elabo a e on
ce ain aspec s o hei li es. Acco dingly, each in e iewee had o be me on hei own
e ms, and each in e iew hus gene a ed di e en ypes o ollow-up wo k. The
in e iews we e designed o explo e pa icipan s’ educa ional jou neys, examining hei
mo i a ions and challenges.
In e p e a ion o collec ed da a
Gi en ha ou li e s o ies we e o be analysed wi hin he scope o an a icle, i became
logical o ake a c oss-sec ional app oach, ocusing on wha he pa icipan s chose o
highligh – whe e hey placed emphasis and which pa s o hei li es hey deemed
impo an o na a e and explain. This conside a ion guided he p ocess o iden i ying he
ca ego ies used o s uc u e and analyse hei s o ies.
Thema ic analysis was used o examine he li e his o y in e iews, ocusing on
pa icipan s’ expe iences a he olk high school as well as hei b oade educa ional
ajec o ies. The p ocess in ol ed imme sion in he biog aphical ma e ial – elis ening,
e eading, and in ol ing o he esea che s – o iden i y cen al ideas (Me ill & Wes ,
2009). This app oach ‘in ol es a igo ous a en ion o gene a e pa e ns’ (Robe s, 2002),
and decisions abou wha o include we e guided by he esea ch aims (Me ill & Wes ,
2009). Recu ing hemes and signi ican momen s we e iden i ied ac oss pa icipan s’
na a i es, spanning hei ea lie schooling and la e engagemen in second-chance
educa ion.
In analysing he ma e ial, i became clea ha pa icipan s’ s o ies o en ca ied
elemen s o de ence – e o s o explain o jus i y hei pe cei ed de ia ion om a
con en ional pa h. Much o hei na a ion aimed o make sense o expe iences o he wise
seen as ailu e o misconduc . This pa e n poin ed o he ole o s igma, which became
he guiding lens o analysis, ocusing on con inui y and discon inui y in hei educa ional
ajec o ies and how pas expe iences shaped pe cep ions, mo i a ions, and challenges.
The na a i es we e o en on -loaded, wi h mo e de ailed accoun s o ecen e en s.
While ea ly and middle school expe iences we e less elabo a ed, hey emained p esen
as a la en backd op. Al hough no di ec ly asked why hey had no comple ed high
school, all pa icipan s add essed his, o en explaining how hei school yea s had gone
as ay.
Alongside jus i ica ion, hei s o ies exp essed p ide – o en ied o wo k gained by
s epping away om school. The olk high school eme ged as a space o enego ia ion,
whe e ixed iden i ies could be econside ed and u u es e lec ed upon. In he ligh o he
a o emen ioned, I de eloped h ee hemes om he collec ed in e iews: i) S igma isa ion
om ha ing ailed school, ii) Wo k expe ience as a ime o gaining pe spec i e, and iii)
The olk high school – an en i onmen o e aluing.
The analysis does no aim o claim au ho i y o e pa icipan s’ na a i es bu o e s
possible in e p e a ions. By explo ing pa e ns and connec ions, i seeks o sugges
insigh s ha align wi h, a he han o e ide, he meanings exp essed by he pa icipan s.
Ou akes om he li e s o ies se e as ep esen a i e examples. Al hough old pa ly non-
ch onologically, exce p s a e p esen ed in ch onological o de wi h he abo e-men ioned
o e a ching ca ego ies as ancho poin s, o cla i y.
[328] Raou i-K is
Resul s
S igma isa ion om ha ing ailed school
To ha e ailed in comple ing high school was o he esponden s a cause o sel -
ep oach. Al hough all o hem had hei own unique s o y and explana ion o wha
p e en ed hem om comple ing high school hey had all o a ious deg ees in e nalised
a sense o down all. Thomas (all names a e pseudonyms) exp essed ha ing el abno mal
om an ea ly age: ‘I’ e el all my li e ha he e’s some hing w ong wi h me. I can’ do
i . I can' handle his. Si ing s ill o as long as e e yone else, how he hell can you do
ha ? I ’s unbelie ably dull.’
Thomas’ us a ion echoes indings ha sugges disengagemen is no me ely abou
indi idual sho comings bu also abou he igid s uc u es o schooling ha ail o
accommoda e di e se needs and ways o lea ning. Thomas said ha he el ‘like
some hing c ooked in some hing s aigh ’ and al hough he suspec ed ha he was ‘w ong’
he has come o unde s and his a emp s o adjus as u ile, e en exp essing eg e o e
ha ing ied o i in:
So I don' unde s and why I ca ed abou i so damn much, eally. The e’s no poin in
s uggling a ha age, s uggle when you become an adul ins ead. This is jus c ap, i should
be un he e, ha 's wha I’d say. And ha 's wha I’ll each my child en, I mean i ’s be e i
you ha e un in high school because ha ’s when you can ha e un, because i su e as hell
won’ be un la e .
The e is a duali y in Thomas’s s o y – on one hand, he ini ially made e o s o i in and
con o m o expec a ions, bu upon ealising he pe sonal s akes, he began o sc u inise he
game ins ead o he playe . Posi ioning himsel as someone who s uggled and ailed he
add esses no he ailu e bu he s uggle, u ning he expe ience on i s head. Using
Go man (1963/1986), i can be in e p e ed as a o m o s igma-managemen . Go man
exempli ies wi h a gi l wi h only one leg who, when con on ed wi h sympa he ic
commen s abou ha ing los he leg, uses simila in e ing echniques as she esponds
wi h i ony: ’How ca eless o me!’ (Go man, 1963/1986, p. 136). Consequen ly, Thomas’
accoun can be ead as a a ia ion on Aesop’s ‘The Fox and he G apes’ – dismissing
wha he canno each – ye unlike he able’s ox, Thomas o e s a sha p c i ique o wha
he op ed ou o :
A 100 yea s ago, people sa a school desks and lis ened o lec u es. Back hen, hey ode
ho se-d awn ca iages o school; now, you can p ac ically ake a helicop e o school i you
ha e enough money, bu you’ e s ill si ing a he same school desk wi h he same
educa ional ma e ials, you know?
Al hough he acknowledged ha he did no i he mould o adi ional educa ional
se ings, calling himsel a ‘ uck-up’, he has shi ed his c i icism om himsel o school.
Ano he esponden employed simila modes o handling himsel . Emil was om an
ea ly age no pa icula ly in e es ed in acqui ing high g ades. When choosing high school,
he ound i di icul : ‘Should a i een-yea -old boy, who has no idea who he is, be
expec ed o decide who he wan s o be he nex day?’ Emil con inues his s o y, ac ing ou
he emo ional u moil he el back hen:
Expe iences o s igma among adul lea ne s in second-chance educa ion [335]
Wo k expe ience, a signi ican componen in he pa icipan s’ s o ies, ac ed as bo h an
enable and a limi a ion. Pa icipan s desc ibed eeling empowe ed by ea ning hei own
income and gaining independence, ye hei na a i es also highligh ed he limi a ions o
low-skilled jobs, which o en led o a enewed desi e o u he educa ion. This duali y
aligns wi h esea ch sugges ing ha pe cep ions o labou ma ke ou comes can bo h
mo i a e and cons ain educa ional decision-making (Gus a sson e al., 2016). These
pe cep ions in luence how indi iduals weigh he alue o u he educa ion agains
immedia e oppo uni ies in he labou ma ke .
One way o in e p e pa icipan s’ na a i es is as discou ses o agency. Thei s o ies
sugges an implici expec a ion ha indi iduals bea pe sonal esponsibili y o hei
ailu es, po en ially e aming academic ailu e as in en ional – some hing done
‘knowingly’. E en esis ance o delibe a e ejec ion can be o ms o agency, and gi en
he cul u al alue placed on no being passi e o ic imised (Fejes & Dahls ed , 2013),
agency migh pa ially edeem ailu e. You ha e ailed, yes, bu a leas you ha e agency.
Con e sely, he uly s igma ised posi ion eme ges om passi i y – being ‘a seed in
he wind’, lacking choice o decisi eness. Susanna’s na a i e exempli ies his clea ly, as
he g ea es dis ess s ems no om d opping ou i sel bu om he subsequen passi e
phase o inac i i y.
Ye agency can also appea as in en ional di e gence om no ma i e expec a ions.
Second-chance educa ion is ypically unde s ood as a pa hway o highe educa ion.
Pa icula ly Emil’s case complica es his iew: he ea ns quali ica ions only o e u n
delibe a ely o his p e ious ype o wo k, ‘was ing’ educa ion as a conscious and
un epen an choice a he han h ough passi i y. This kind o agency posi ions s uden s
as empowe ed, able o ac agains ins i u ional expec a ions. While Emil’s s ance migh
no be widely sha ed, i highligh s how educa ional sys ems, amed as ma ke places
o e ing commodi ies (Page, 1998; B ancaleone & O’B ien, 2011), inhe en ly allow
indi iduals he eedom o e use o epu pose hei ‘pu chases.’
In addi ion, keeping people – pa icula ly hose a isk o long- e m unemploymen
due o pas academic s uggles – in school longe is helped by s igma ising academic
ailu e. Educa ion in his ain o hough helps managing unemploymen . S uden s a e
augh o s ay busy, o s ay ac i e in so as idleness does no become a lea n way o li ing.
This may unnel indi iduals owa d mo e schooling when hey migh p e e o y o ind
a job (Ande sson & Be gs ed , 1996). Socie y pushes ideals o sel - ul ilmen and
independence bu pa adoxically s igma ises people, like Emil, who uly pu sue such
ideals.
Decla a ion o con lic ing in e es s
The au ho decla es no po en ial con lic s o in e es wi h espec o he esea ch,
au ho ship o publica ion o his a icle.
Acknowledgemen
I would like o exp ess my since e g a i ude o Cecilia Bju sell and Robe Aman o hei
guidance in my w i ing. I am also g a e ul o Baha an Raou i-K is and Ma in Hugo o
eading nume ous d a s, and o Ma ianne K is o he suppo wi h linguis ic
conside a ions.

[336] Raou i-K is
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