L’expérience sociale des institutions scolaires : construire son identité linguistique au fil de la transition à l’enseignement supérieur

Abstract


 
 
 
 Rather than using the classical view generally embraced by the field of sociology of education – that is equity in educational chances and mechanisms of social reproduction, this article analyses the construction of linguistic identity among young adults during their school and mobility pathways. The results obtained from this qualitative research (N=33) demonstrate that the transition to higher education influences the construction of linguistic identity of young adults who previously attended a minority linguistic school in Canada – and this is mainly due to the new relationships to otherness that the transition to higher education involves. Using a micro sociological and constructivist approach, the article draws a parallel between the objective pathways (school and mobility transitions) and the subjective pathways (construction of linguistic identity) of young adults by analysing their life story with a diachronic approach. Although some researchers have evoked the decline of the school institution (Dubet, 2002), this article reveals that the social experience of school leaves a mark on life pathways.