‘From a sense of failure to a proactive life orientation’: First year high school dropout experiences and future life expectations in Norwegian youth

Abstract

Employing a salutogenic perspective, we designed a qualitative study to explore experiences related to Norwegian students’ decision to leave school and their future life expectations. We identified a range of attitudes: pessimistic, discouraged participants found school to be equally lacking in care and support as their home background, whereas optimistic, proactive participants emphasized that supportive interactions with important others had made them believe in themselves and in alternative career tracks. The implications of our findings are discussed, focusing on social work that can empower marginalized young people to find new opportunities to succeed in school and employment.