Les horizons de la socialisation à l’âge de la scolarité obligatoire : paroles et représentations d’adolescents issus d’établissements contrastés.

Abstract

Objective: This study analyses the different pathways of socialisation among pupils in secondary education in Brussels: the school, the parents and the peers. In particular, this study examines differences between three schools: an elite school (S1), a school with a majority of pupils with a social deprived background (S2) and a mixed (middle-class) school (S3).

Methods: The methods are not specified in this paper

Results:
– The results indicate that there exists different contexts of socialisation between the pupils of the 3 different schools:
o In elite schools, the socialisation through school, peers and parents is well balanced and matched.
These 3 pathways share the same goal: getting a highqualified job through university study (‘l’autoroute de l’université).
o In socially deprived schools, pupils are confronted with a combat between different identities through different, conflicting socialisation contexts: the school, the neighbourhood and the peers.
o In mixed schools, the relationship between the different contexts of socialisation is also well balanced and positive.
– The results indicate differences in leisure. In fact, the results align with Bourdieu (1979) and show that in particular students in elite schools tend to differentiate them with other pupils through elite cultural consummation.
However, these pupils also participate in more common cultural practices. As a result, pupils in elite schools are cultural omnivores. In contrast, pupils from mixed schools and from deprived schools are less cultural diversified and more aimed at consumption through mainstream activities.

Conclusions: this study shows that students from different social background are confronted with different contexts of socialisation. These different contexts of socialisation have a different impact on the construction of adult identities. Whereas students in elite schools have the privilege of a long period of time to construct their identities, students from schools with a lot of social deprived pupils are obliged to enter adulthood rather quickly.