Processus de construction identitaire de jeunes adultes en situation de pauvreté dans un contexte de raccrochage scolaire : voies d'émancipation?

The object of this research is the process by which young adults build their identity in a living in poverty in the context of adult education. Among factors influencing school dropout rates at micro, meso and macro-social levels the socio-economic origin is decisive. People who do not obtain a high school diploma in Quebec have a more chance of being working poor. Some young adults who drop out succeed in obtaining funding from a workforce training return program administered by the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Solidarity. Young adults who are enrolled in this program import a past embedded (Lahire, 2012) with social hardships (Martucelli, 2006) and are living in a situation of poverty when they return to school. 50% of people aged 16 to 19 who re-enroll do not persevere until graduation (Langevin et al., 2006). The purpose of this research is to support action in the field of school re-entry by providing a thorough understanding of the process of identity construction of young adults living in poverty in an Adult Education Center. By adopting a clinical posture in the social sciences, this research constitutes a comprehensive and global view of all social relations involved in the identity construction of ten people in the process of school re-entry, aged between 18 and 25 years old. The biographical approach has revealed the challenges related to the social position occupied by young adults during the creation of their life stories. The ethnographic approach conducted through participatory observation and go-along methods facilitated the creation of a relationship of trust with the participants. These two combined approaches have had clinical repercussions for the people who participated in this research. The interpretation of all the collected data makes it possible to develop a model of the process of identity construction of young adults in a situation of poverty in a context of school re-entry. The participants were raised in families that denied them the opportunity to develop a basic trust, a sentiment which is a prerequisite to mental vitality. In high school, most incorporated an anti-school culture to protect themselves from humiliation. For some, their experiences at school are intimately linked to the social gender relations that shaped them. Towards the end of adolescence, these young people experienced a psychosocial moratorium determined by their social position. Many have adopted a negative identity as revenge for violence experienced in their family and among peers. Violence and shame characterize the self-image of many of them. School re-entry, given their current and actual situations, appears as a fight for emancipation. The financing and support they receive helps them to stabilize their framework of action without, however, removing them from their situation of poverty. This research identifies several psychosocial needs and reflects upon changes that could be made in the conditions that are offered to young adults re-enrolling in school.

Keyphrases: School re-entry, Identity construction, Poverty, Biographical approach, Young adults