Alumni of Educational Residential Settings: Perceptions of Factors Related to their Integration into

Higher Education

Yifat Mor-Salwo, Hebrew UniversityProf. Anat Zeira, Hebrew University

The EUSARF13th Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, September

2014

The Transition to Adulthood

• The transition to adulthood of young people growing up out-of-home (care leavers) is short and full of risk

• They are amongst the most vulnerable in society

• They participate less in higher education than their peers in the general population

• There are only few studies on care leavers succeeding in the transition to adulthood

The Israeli context

The educational residential setting is larger than in most other countries

The multi-cultural origin affects the characteristics of youth in educational residential settings

Many care leavers go to the army after care

Transition to Adulthood in IsraelThe key scenario of transition to

adulthood in Israel:finishing high school military service extended travel after military serviceintegration into higher education integration into work and establishing

family

The aim of the study:To broaden understanding of factors

relating to integration into higher education of alumni of educational residential settings as part of their transition to adulthood.

Theoretical FrameworkThe broad conceptual framework includes

the resilience approach, the identity capital model and the social capital model

Resilience approach provides a framework for understanding the success of young care leavers in integrating in higher education, despite their being a vulnerable population

The identity capital model explains adaptation of individuals to independent life based on their resources

The social capital model explains adaptation of individuals to independent life based on the resources available to them through their membership in an established social network

“Compressed networks” (many and strong connections) help members progress in society.

Networks spread across groups provide more opportunities for progress.

MethodQualitative approach Semi-structured in-depth interviews 45 Care leavers from 3 cultural origin groups: Israel,

former Soviet Union and EthiopiaAnalysis focused on shared themes Open coding to develop categories of informationAxial coding to reconstruct the data, make

connections between categories

Main FindingsCare leavers integrating into higher

education desired to conform to the key scenario

not to differ from other young people perceiving higher education as a tool for success and progress

Care leavers experience difficulties with the key scenario

Care leavers often found themselves lagging behind: They started studying later than their peers as they need first to save money for their studies and felt insecure in the educational field

Some had to complete matriculation exams or take preparatory programs to be admitted into higher education

Their studies lasted longer than usual as they needed to work during their studies

The key to successIdentity capital and social capital

contributed to care leavers’ resilience.

The combination of their personal resources and the resources provided by their social networks seems the key to successful integration.

Care leavers’ perceptions of factors related to their

integration in higher education

Factors related to the resources provided by

social networks

Special programs

supporting higher

education

Provided access to

higher education

Support during higher

education

Military service

Exposure to young people

from different groups

Presence of a significant adult

Financial support for

veterans studying

Formative experience

Residential care

Promoting the educational

field

Presence of a significant adult

Support

Formative experience

Family

Gave importance to

acquiring higher

education

Presence of significant adult

with higher education

Support

Factors related to the care

leavers’ resources

Tenacity/

Determination

Assertiveness

Optimism

Desire to succeed

Persistence

Self belief

Color key:Compressed networkNetwork across groups

“What helped me integrate into higher education - I think that it is my basic qualities and my environment, support from my environment. Without this support even my qualities would not have been able to be expressed”. (Anna)

What care leavers think can help them integrate into higher education?

Developing their personal resources while in care (confidence in themselves and their abilities)

"I think the most important thing is that you have to build or help the boy or girl build their own confidence in their abilities… when they get the experience that they succeed, then high education is something further that they know that they can do and it depends just on their choice” (Getaon).

What care leavers think can help them integrate into higher education?

Developing the resources that social networks provide young people in and after care

During care - providing information, exposure to institutions of higher education, exposure to care leavers who entered higher education. Support for care leavers wanting to enter higher education (scholarships, mentors, emotional support).

“...emotional and financial help... Special scholarships for care leavers, I do not think it's asking too much, today dividing out so much money on this or that... when in fact... the real deal is care… those that were three years in care… in youth villages… their life is shit!... 95 percent of the people who studied with me their life was shit! At home, emotionally, in .. I don’t know in what... it is not inventing... and telling stories... We lived it... So I think you need affirmative action for people like us, I think it should be a fund that would really financially and emotionally support people who want to get out of this circle of poverty and the depression and of this no horizon... I'll get out of it at the end of next year but many people do not come out of it... and this glass ceiling that people talking about… it really leaves the people like us down” (Moshe).

Conclusions

The resilience of care leavers allowing them to integrate into higher education derives from their identity capital and their social capital. These should be developed during and after care.

Thank you for your attention!

yifatmor@hotmail.com