Days After a Choice Is Made: Transitions to Professional and Vocational Upper Secondary Schools in Czechia

Abstract

Researchers in the Czech Republic, as well as internationally, have traditionally studied the factors that contribute to the choice of upper secondary tracks and programs. Much less is known about the day-to-day experiences of the students in different tracks, particularly in professional/vocational tracks, and the possible mechanisms that produce the positive or negative outcomes of their schooling. We present the results of a prospective qualitative study of 22 students we followed from their last year of lower secondary school and through their first and second years in different tracks and schools. Data obtained in three waves of interviews were subjected to thematic analysis. Two major themes cutting across domains of daily routines, social relations, curriculum/learning, and the respondents' perception of curriculum/learning are described: school choice and professional/vocational specialization. The key findings are several important differences between the post-transitional experience of students in technical/professional and vocational programs. The study provides important insights into adolescent adjustment in various tracks of secondary schools in the post-socialist context.