Abstract
This article presents a research study in Quebec’s adult education centers (AECs), which are now an alternative to general education that allow youths ages 16 to 24 to make up for academic delays or to return to school after dropping out. Data from 386 such students were collected on various personal, psychosocial, and school indicators. Using a latent class analyses, the author identified four different profiles with unique needs. The first two profiles were highly representative of emerging adults who were typical except for their academic delays. Youths in the last two profiles were characterized by victimization and problem behavior, respectively; they demonstrated the need for support that goes beyond the academic and school services usually offered in AECs. The results of this study are discussed in light of new parameters of emerging adulthood and discontinued educational pathways.
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