Stenseth, Anna-Maria (2018): “Student’s engagement in education in a rural community”. Paper presented at the Nordic Conference for Rural Research, Billund, Denmark, May 2018.
Abstract:
Through this study I try to understand how young people view school and opportunities, and make decisions in a rural context, and further, how they engage in their own education.
The students in this study are in the process of applying for upper secondary school, which in turn “forces” them to consider where to live during the next years. Most of these young boys and girls express ambitions to return to their home place after finishing education. However, many struggle to picture job opportunities there, and pre-analysis indicates that these students follow traditional paths. Girls have ambitions to do a university degree, whereas most boys attempt to do vocational courses.
Many students indicate that school will not enable them for life, as they feel most of the subjects are irrelevant; however, one subject (Educational choices) has been helpful when applying for upper secondary education.