Being a meaningful presence in the world: applying successful agentic practices among youth in distress

Abstract

This study was designed to elicit comprehensive information about drop-out youth’s schooling experiences in a successful alternative school. We combined a triangular measurement design from the perspectives of the students, their parents, their teachers, and the researchers. The study is based on 82 semi-structured interviews with students (n = 49), their parents (n = 7), school staff (n = 26) and two focus groups consisting of school graduates.We identified a three-level process that comprised of: (1) enhancing a sense of belonging; (2) transmitting messages of a meaningful presence to the students; and (3) developing a sense of agency. This study has implications for theorizing the effective processes for rehabilitative work with youths in distress and for constructing pedagogical policies for effective working with drop-out youth.