Spoilt for choice, spoilt by choice

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the choices learners have in steering their way through the educational system in the UK.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on data from two studies, one conducted in a state secondary school and the other in a Further Education College, both based in the north‐west of England. Both used interviews (either individual or focus‐group) to collect data, which were then analysed using a grounded approach.FindingsIn linking the two studies the authors highlight how the impact of symbolic violence and the relations between groups and classes at school continue into the “choices” the learners make during adulthood and also into the learner's working life, and that these “choices” are often a large‐scale consequence of many “micro‐choices” arising from day‐to‐day situations. The acts of symbolic violence described in the college group are not of themselves very different from those described by the school group, though the consequences for the school group cannot yet be known.Research limitations/implicationsThe participants in the two groups are unconnected in that they attend different institutions and are at very different stages of their education. However the authors contend that there is a connection in terms of the participants’ experience of symbolic violence.Originality/valueThe paper draws attention to the existence of symbolic violence in everyday school life, and highlights how these instances can have significant impact.