Tackling social inequality and exclusion in education: from human capital to capabilities

ABSTRACT

Both in the international context and in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium), research shows that many young people experience social exclusion in relation to education. However, research evidence concerning structural social inequality in education is predominantly underpinned by an outcome-based approach, since educational policies and practices are largely informed by a human capital model. Inspired by the theoretical insights of the Capability Approach, we aim to contribute to process-oriented knowledge about the ways in which educational and social welfare actors can support socially vulnerable young people in realising their capability for education rather than focusing on human capital. We draw upon a rich empirical basis of participatory biographical research with young people in the system of part-time vocational education and workplace learning, perceived as the residue of the educational cascade mechanism in Flanders and pertinently revealing problems of social exclusion and exit of young people.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusive education
• poverty and education
• politics of education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Caroline Vandekinderen is a postdoctoral researcher currently based at the department of Social Welfare Studies, Ghent University. In her PhD research, she theoretically engaged with the work of poststructuralist (and) feminist philosophers to explore ‘mental health problems’ as situated in the complex psycho-socio-political terrain, through narrative and ethnographic research. Her research interests concern social work and social pedagogical practices, qualitative and interpretative research approaches, and poststructuralist (and) feminist theories.

Griet Roets has a PhD in Educational Sciences and is currently professor in Social Work at the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Ghent University. Her research interests include social work in relation to issues and intersections of poverty, gender, disability and age, theoretical conceptualisations of citizenship and welfare rights, and qualitative and biographical research methodologies.

Hilde Van Keer works at the Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University since 1997. She accomplished her PhD (Reading strategies instruction and peer tutoring in primary schools. A quasi-experimental study of the effects on students' reading comprehension and metacognition) in 2002 and became a professor in the department in 2007. At present, she focuses on three broad research lines, namely peer learning (i.e., in both compulsory and higher education), measuring and fostering self-regulated learning, and reading and writing learning and instruction.

Rudi Roose obtained a PhD in Educational Sciences and is currently professor in Social Work at the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Ghent University. His research interests include youth care and general welfare work, and especially the relation between responsive social work and managerial developments.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7 [grant agreement n°320136].