Widening opportunities for career guidance - research circles and social justice

Abstract

For a number of years, sociologists have discussed what they call a ‘Danish paradox’ (Jæger & Holm, 2007) in trying to explain why a high degree of redistribution, through income taxes and the provision of free education, social benefi ts, healthcare and so on, does not result in a far greater degree of social mobility through education. For instance, Denmark falls behind most of the other Nordic countries in terms of the ability of compulsory education to break the cycle of negative social heritage, despite similar models of society (Ekspertudvalget for fattigdom [Expert committee on poverty], 2013). A particular focus has been on the question of why free and open access to all levels of education—even supported by student grants—does not result in greater social mobility among children with parents without qualifications beyond compulsory schooling, an important issue given that education is regarded by most scholars as ‘the primary agent in the transmission of social positions in society’ (Jæger, 2009; Jæger & Holm, 2007; Jæger & Karlson, 2015; Thomsen, J. P., 2015). Furthermore, in Denmark, all pupils are provided with mandatory and free career education and guidance through most of compulsory school; but even in spite of this, the paradox of relatively low social mobility remains. In this chapter, we will discuss the potential of research circles as a collaborative method for professionals in schools to develop and support socially just practices through the widening of educational opportunities for all pupils. In order to understand the need for such a focus on social justice through education, we begin by presenting the development of neoliberal policy in Denmark and the accompanying rise in inequality.