Experiences of stigma among adult learners in second-chance education. A life-history approach

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 h ps://nbn- esol ing.o g/u n:nbn:de:0111-pedocs-344435 h ps://doi.o g/10.25656/01:34443 in Koope a ion mi / in coope a ion wi h: h p://www.ep.liu.se Nu zungsbedingungen Te ms o use Dieses Dokumen s eh un e olgende C ea i e Commons-Lizenz: h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/deed.de - Sie dü en das We k bzw. den Inhal e iel äl igen, e b ei en und ö en lich zugänglich machen sowie Abwandlungen und Bea bei ungen des We kes bzw. 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Kon ak / Con ac : peDOCS DIPF | Leibniz-Ins i u ü Bildungs o schung und Bildungsin o ma ion In o ma ionszen um (IZ) Bildung E-Mail: [email p o ec ed] In e ne : www.pedocs.de Eu opean Jou nal o Resea ch on he Educa ion and Lea ning o Adul s, Vol. 16, No. 3, 2025, pp. 321-338 ISSN 2000-7426 © 2025 The au ho h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/ h p://doi.o g/10.3384/ ela.2000-7426.5973 www. ela.ep.liu.se 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 Re e ences Ahmad Kiadali i, A., Tu kiewicz, A., & Englund, M. (2018). Educa ional inequali ies in alls mo ali y among olde adul s: Popula ion-based mul iple cause o dea h da a om Sweden. Jou nal o Epidemiology and Communi y Heal h, 72, 68-70. DOI: 10.1136/jech-2017-209616 Al o á, A., Kulháno á, I., Reisse , K, Ne do á, P., B ož, J., Eikemo, T. A., Balaj, M., & Lus igo á, M. (2024). 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