Vocational choices and possible educational trajectories. A study from Udelar-Uruguay

Abstract

This research work was conducted by Universidad de la República, the main institution of higher education in Uruguay. It addressed vocational guidance and decisions related to the vocational choices made by students. The main objective is to present information about the processes of vocational choice in young people from disadvantaged sectors of the Uruguayan society, which affect the continuity and/or disconnection from the education system. For conducting the research, a questionnaire, which was used in Argentina for a study, was applied, based on the coincidence of aspects to be evaluated and that such questionnaire had been validated in a reality similar to that of Uruguay. It was applied to 243 young students of secondary and higher education from disadvantaged sectors in terms of economic, social and cultural capital. The results of this study show that this group has defined peculiarities in relation to its intentions and expectations in its life projects, and they develop themselves in a social environment in which the factors that hinder or favor the achievements of their expectations are directly related with the context in which they develop themselves. With this information, it is possible to define actions and highlight the particular needs of the population group studied.