THE VOCATIONAL IDENTITY OF INSTITUTIONALIZED YOUTH IN EDUCATIONAL CENTERS: A LOOK AT THE (RE)EDUCATION IN PORTUGAL

Abstract

This work is part of a doctorate work on the development of vocational identity of institutionalized youth at the Institute of Education, University of Lisbon. This same work is part of a broader research project entitled “Feedback, Identity and School Trajectories: Dynamics and Consequences (FITE)³”. In this context, the work that we intend to present is a selection and analysis of relevant bibliographical sources on the topic of vocational identity, institutionalization and  (re)education of young people in Portuguese educational centers. Indeed, the main aim of this paper is to present the institutionalization theme of young people in educational centers in a chronological sequence of what was, what is and what it is for, as well as to present the resolution modes of vocational identity of some youngsters that are institutionalized in Educational centers, in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. The method we adopt to operationalize our main goal is based in the use of two methodological instruments, a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Dellas Identity Status Inventory-Occupation (DISI-O) scale developed by Dellas and Jernigan (1981) and adapted for Portugal by Taveira (1986). Specifically, with DISI-O application it was possible to understand the resolution ways of vocational identity of the young participants in terms of age and professional course.

Keywords: Vocational Identity; Institutionalized Youth; Educational Centers.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/19827199652