A brief description of the research study “The Genesis of School Success (Failure) and
Social Placement of Less Successful Children” (Research program “Competitiveness of
Slovenia 2001 – 2006”)
Project title: The Genesis of School Success (Failure) and Social Placement of Less
Successful Children (Research program “Competitiveness of Slovenia 2001 – 2006”)
Principal researcher: Dr. Marjeta Mencin Čeplak
Research team: Dr. Mirjana Nastran Ule, Dr. Albert Mrgole, Jana Ilić Ratkai
Period: 2003 - 2005
Project goals: The goal of this research was to explore the genesis of schools failure, i.e.
provide as many answers as possible to the question of what causes school failure (the
elements of hidden curricula, the role of the symbolic meanings of education in social selfplacement of children with regard to school success, the analysis of early school leaving and
various forms of absentism, compensation strategies for mitigating the effects of school
failure).
Methodology: Qualitative research method was used – most data were gathered through
group interviews with secondary school students (focus groups), individual interviews with
the participants in the program entitled “Project-based learning for young people (early school
leavers),” and written reports by secondary school students. An exception was a
questionnaire-based survey among the teachers and 3rd and 4th class students of one general
secondary school. The goal was to gather personal stories and individual experience with a
view to identifying as many as possible factors involved in failure at school.
Results: The analysis of the data confirmed the starting hypothesis that young people assume
responsibility for their failure at school regardless of the educational program they attend and
that explanations such as “insufficient studying” and “insufficient effort” are a symptom of
deep discomfort caused by the experience of repeated failure; dissatisfaction with school
order, organization of lectures or teachers was assessed as a factor causing displeasure, rather
than a reason for failure. Generally, participants were of the opinion that continual, linear
education was the only acceptable choice, while a decision to leave school early or to switch
to another (technical) school was generally assessed as a difficult one, because early school
leaving is perceived as a defeat (particularly students of general secondary schools thought
so). Macro and micro social factors have their specific place in every story. Biographical data
gathered in this research enabled researchers to make an outline of the etiology of school
failure, which was the first attempt in Slovenia to give a systematic overview of the school
failure from the development perspective. One result of this research study is a ‘situational
catalogue’ outlining potential obstacles and critical or risk situations in the process of
schooling, from the primary level to an early school living during secondary school.
Project related publications: currently in the concluding stage