Reconstruction of non-traditional educational and vocational biographies of former students without Abitur (high school diploma)

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Olaf Zawacki-Richter
• Subject Area: Educational Research on Socialization, Welfare and Professionalism
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 449604684

In recent years, the educational trajectories of non-traditional students have become the focus of educational policy discussions and educational and higher education research. Due to increased permeability between vocational and higher education, the trend towards lifelong learning and increased biographical choices, the proportion of people who have gained access to higher education through vocational qualifications is increasing and the composition of the student body is becoming increasingly heterogeneous. One possibility of university access is to take an examination for the acquisition of a subject-related higher education entrance qualification based on previous vocational training (referred to as ‘Z-Prüfung’). These developments lead to more biographical choices: people can decide to study after completing their vocational training or activity at a supposedly late point in life. The Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg has a long tradition with this entrance examination and offers a broad range of opportunities for heterogeneous target groups, regardless of the type of higher education entrance qualification or previous education and work experience. At particular moments in time, more than 10% of the students were so-called 'Z-Prüflinge'. So far, only a few studies exist that empirically examine non-traditional educational and career paths from a holistic biographical perspective, although knowledge about this group is of crucial importance for university practice and policy. It has not yet been researched what long-term consequences the supposedly late decision to study had on further career paths, what biographical developments occurred after graduation and how these can be justified biographically. The proposed study concentrates on the following aspects: (1) gaining a broader understanding of the target group and their motivation for studying (taking the 'Z-Prüfung'), (2) to generate knowledge about the influence of academic socialization during the course of studies and the degree achieved on the subsequent professional course of study, (3) analysis of the biographical leeway taken by the respondents after their studies and the structural characteristics on which they are dependent. Based on the results of a quantitative pre-study (N = 6205), types of 'Z-Prüflinge' will be investigated which were explored with the help of a latent class analysis. The aim is to reconstruct the educational and professional biographies of this case group, which an objective-hermeneutic interpretation of autobiographical narratives will allow. In this way, biographical processes can be depicted in their temporal boundary as well as in their formation of meaning and context.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Detlef Garz