Supporting vulnerable students facing adverse life conditions in vocational education – challenges and possibilities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21696289 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thomas Mackrill (0000-0003-0838-6596, The Danish National Center for Grief, corresponding author), Ditte Priebe Jønsson (The Danish National Center for Grief) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 78 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 607-621 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Vocational Education and Training (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1363-6820 • E-ISSN: 1747-5090 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13636820.2025.2595620 |
| OpenAlex | W4416692984 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
Students and staff at three Danish vocational education colleges were interviewed about: students’ adverse life conditions and their impact on students’ participation in their education; students’ challenges accessing psychosocial support; the organisational framework for identifying and supporting vulnerable students. The study found a series of issues. First, transitioning from a troubled childhood to a satisfactory adult life and dealing with serious current problems while managing being in education was highly challenging. Second, the students’ personal problems were not considered part of the college’s remit, though these problems played a key role in students’ participation in their education. Third, students had a range of reasons for not accessing support. Many of these reasons related to organisational factors such, not knowing the people offering support, a lack of long-term continuity in the support, a lack of training among the staff, and the fact that students had to navigate an education that took place at both college and at work placements. Fourth, the rigorous focus on non-attendance undermined students who were motivated for their education but seriously affected by adverse life conditions. This study points to the importance of finding a new way of offering support to students facing adverse life conditions
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |