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Basic skills and transitions to adulthood

Donald Simpson, is a Lecturer in Education in the School of Social Sciences and Law, University of Teesside, UK. [email: donald.simpson{at}tees.ac.uk]

Mark Cieslik

Mark Cieslik, is a Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Social Sciences and Law, University of Teesside, UK. [email: m.cieslik{at}tees.ac.uk]

This article reports on the findings of a qualitative research project conducted in the North East of England. This project involved interviews with 55 young adults in an attempt to explore the impact of poor basic skills on transitions to adulthood. Poor basic skills have been identifued across Europe as a problem facing nation states, groups and individuals. But apart from large-scale survey-based studies (Bynner and Parsons, 2001), previous youth research has neglected the process through which basic skills play a role in transitions to adulthood. Proposing a social theory of situated basic skills as communal and individual resources, the authors develop an approach that is sensitive to both structure and agency in theorizing the role of literacy, numeracy and oracy in transitions. They claim that the mobilization of basic skills resources and their role across the life-course can best be understood by using a conceptualization of agency that recognizes the importance of reflexivity as a mediating link between subjective (agential) and objective (structural) dimensions of transition.

Key Words: basic skills • England • literacy • numeracy • youth transitions

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Young, Vol. 15, No. 4, 395-412 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/110330880701500404


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Simpson, D. Articles by Cieslik, M. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?