La(dé)mobilisation scolaire : les enjeux de la socialisation par les pairs

Abstract

The process of dropping out of school is a complex and multidimensional process, which is part of a temporality of academic experience and can eventually lead to dropping out. While many studies have focused on the diversity of manifestations of dropout and types of dropouts, the objective of our study is to analyze how socialization among peers can generate and / or accelerate dropout among adolescents. Indeed, it seems important to include the role of peers about school life because that they have a decisive influence on adolescent’s socialization and on his identity construction. Questionnaires were administered to 676 adolescents, aged 14 to 16 years. Academic engagement and social position (quality of peer’s relationships) were evaluated. Results reveal that students who are able to adjust their mode of relation to peers (“popular”) are more engaged academically. Similarly, adolescents “withdrawn”, independent, autonomous and solitary are also engaged in their schooling. Finally, students too dependent of group and with a representation of friendship based on power relations, conflict or conformity (“neglected” and “scapegoat”) are disengaged. They prefer relational learning to intellectual learning.

Keywords

• learning difficulties and students in difficulty
• relationship to knowledge and culture
• student-teacher relations and interactions
• autonomy and socialization