‘There was never really any question of anything else': young people's agency, institutional habitus and the transition to higher education

Abstract

International research into educational decision-making has been extensive, focusing on the way in which young people and their families assess the different options open to them. However, to what extent can we assume that different groups of young people have equal access to the information needed to make such an assessment? And what role, if any, do schools play in this process? Using in-depth qualitative interviews from two schools with very different student intakes, this paper examines the key influences that shape young people's choices. Decisions about whether to go on to higher education are found to reflect three sets of processes: individual habitus; the institutional habitus of the school, as reflected in the amount and type of guidance provided; and young people's own agency – namely, the conscious process whereby students seek out information on different options and evaluate these alternatives.

Keywords:

• social class
• institutional habitus
• educational decision-making
• secondary schools

Acknowledgements

The paper draws on the larger Post-Primary Longitudinal Study funded by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the Department of Education and Skills. The authors are grateful to Anne Looney and John Hammond of the NCCA for their support and encouragement. Thanks are due to Emma Calvert for her contribution to the broader study.