This research programme brings together a Franco-Quebec interdisciplinary team comprising researchers specialising in the sociology and economics of education and labour, the sociology of youth, public policy analysis, educational geography and the analysis of work-study balance. Its aim is to shed light on a social phenomenon that is still poorly understood in France – paid work amongst secondary school pupils – to gauge its scale and to analyse the consequences of the balancing work and study (CTE) on inequalities in the educational and life trajectories of sixth-formers.
The aim of this research programme is to explore the issue of secondary school pupils working in France by quantifying this phenomenon, analysing how it has developed and evolved, and studying its impact on the educational and personal trajectories of «hard-working secondary school pupils». Balancing paid work and studies is primarily situated at theintersection between the worlds of work and education; whilst it is rooted in this context, it also requires an analysis of its effects on pupils’ life trajectories, which in turn must be situated within the broader perspective of how it is embedded within other spheres of life.
The target population for this research consists of upper secondary school pupils (lycées) attending general, technological and vocational schools. The classes surveyed will cover all three years of upper secondary school (seconde, première and terminale) and will also include pupils who have dropped out of school.
This research includes a comparative analysis of the situation in Quebec. The wealth of scientific research and the methodologies underpinning it, as well as the public policy measures implemented across Quebec – based on a tradition of CTE that is far older and more extensive than in France – call for a comparative perspective to be incorporated into this research. A partnership with the Chair and Research Network on Youth in Quebec supports this component, which aims, through joint research seminars and a complementary field study in a region of Quebec, to shed light on the French case, which remains the focal point of this project. There is currently no comparative research on the CTE of upper secondary school pupils between France and Quebec; this is also one of the unique features of the TDL project.
The project’s focus is on 2 main questions, from which two working hypotheses arise:
Question 1: Under what circumstances does the CTE help to encourage pupils to stay in education or, conversely, make their educational journeys more difficult, depending on their background and socio-economic circumstances?
Hypothesis 1: Pupils from the most disadvantaged families are likely to be those who work the hardest and are therefore exposed to employment conditions in which CTE exacerbates academic and social vulnerability and, in particular, leads to a higher risk of dropping out of school.
Question 2: Does the practice of CTE help to develop pupils’ independence and skills?
Hypothesis 2: Under certain conditions, the CTE programme enhances the individual capabilities of working secondary school pupils and supports their empowerment and transition to adulthood.
The project is structured around four areas of research
Theme 1 : Assessing the CTE phenomenon (France)
The aim is to assess the extent to which paid work features in the daily schedules of working sixth-formers; to identify the categories of pupils most affected; to examine how this phenomenon varies across different regions and educational streams; and to highlight the educational pathways of working pupils.
Axis 2 : High school pupils’ attitudes to working life (France–Quebec)
The section on working life will cover pupils’ relationships with work, employment and the world of work, analysed from the perspectives of pupils, employers and employment agencies.
Priority 3 : Work amongst secondary school pupils and socio-educational pathways (France–Quebec)
This research area will examine the issue of CTE in the school environment and take a nuanced approach to the effects of pupils’ workload on their educational and social trajectories, by exploring the link between the intensity of the work undertaken, family and personal vulnerabilities, and the risk of dropping out of school.
Priority Area 4 : High school students’ work during times of crisis and recovery (France–Quebec)
The extent of school closures during the pandemic, coupled with the slowdown in formal economic activity and/or the rise in informal economic activity since the onset of the crisis, leads us to examine their concrete effects on upper secondary school pupils’ employability. In this regard, it will be important to accurately measure the impact of these successive crises on the pool of unskilled jobs available to pupils.
👉 View the’article : The unseen work of secondary school pupils
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👉 Watch the video «The Bref Debrief»
