ESTRATEGIAS Y TRAYECTORIAS DE ESTUDIANTES EN EXTRAEDAD EN EDUCACIÓN MEDIA EN BOGOTÁ

Abstract

This doctoral thesis seeks to understand the educational strategies and trajectories of overage youth in the context of three public secondary education institutions in Bogotá. Overage youth in Latin America is linked to social inequality, poverty, late entry into the education system, and grade repetition, primarily affecting rural and low-income populations. In Colombia, armed conflict, forced displacement, and migration of both nationals and foreigners have disrupted young people's educational trajectories. This situation hinders their completion of studies, increases the risk of dropping out of school, and limits their future opportunities, perpetuating a cycle of exclusion. For the proposed study, a relational analysis was developed using diverse sources of information. In this analysis, social facts, which link subjects, objects, and practices, are only fully perceived through the relationships and positions they occupy within a social structure called the field. When exploring the educational trajectories of these young people, certain factors are identified that influence their retention and success, such as lack of financial resources, low cultural capital, returning to a higher grade, and moving. Other difficulties observed in the school setting relate to family support, youth work, and the lack of a relevant curriculum for these students. Regarding the strategies employed by young people to develop their educational trajectories, the following stand out: resistance actions; investment of capital in the pursuit of technical knowledge; mobilization of social capital; and institutional practices related to over-age students. The research results suggest the need to implement pedagogical support and vocational guidance programs, along with relevant curricular flexibility appropriate to the population analyzed, to enhance the inclusion and academic performance of these over-age students. These practical strategies could reduce the disparity between ideal educational trajectories and their realities.