Danish School of Education

TY - JOUR

T1 - Shifting the Paradigm in Dropout Prevention from Retention Activities to Community Strategy - an Analysis of Guidance Counsellors’ Experiences with Group Guidance in Danish upper secondary School

AU - Mariager-Anderson, Kristina

AU - Thomsen, Rie

PY - 2022/8/6

Y1 - 2022/8/6

N2 - What is the potential of group guidance for efforts to support students to stay in school? This article explores experiences of guidance counsellors in Danish upper secondary schools when working with group guidance as a strategy to reduce dropout. We use interview data from an action research project aimed at developing new and sustainable guidance activities in schools catering to young adults (18-25) who have previously left school before graduation. Thematic analysis shows that group guidance enriches the practice of guidance counsellors because it provides an opportunity to alter the structure of their practice as well as the focus and activities during guidance sessions. Furthermore, the counsellors reject (or oppose) an existing ‘retention’ paradigm, finding it ineffective and individualising, and instead, they embrace a ‘community’ paradigm, which they see as having greater potential in reducing dropout, while empoweringthem as well as the students.

AB - What is the potential of group guidance for efforts to support students to stay in school? This article explores experiences of guidance counsellors in Danish upper secondary schools when working with group guidance as a strategy to reduce dropout. We use interview data from an action research project aimed at developing new and sustainable guidance activities in schools catering to young adults (18-25) who have previously left school before graduation. Thematic analysis shows that group guidance enriches the practice of guidance counsellors because it provides an opportunity to alter the structure of their practice as well as the focus and activities during guidance sessions. Furthermore, the counsellors reject (or oppose) an existing ‘retention’ paradigm, finding it ineffective and individualising, and instead, they embrace a ‘community’ paradigm, which they see as having greater potential in reducing dropout, while empoweringthem as well as the students.

KW - Group guidance, dropout prevention, retention, professionalisation, student agency

M3 - Journal article

JO - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

JF - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

SN - 0306-9885

ER -