Vergleichende Betrachtungen zur Nutzung von Durchlässigkeit in Bildungssystemen: Die Kategorisierung von Anschlusslösungen beim Übergang in die nachobligatorische Ausbildung

Abstract

Permeability of the educational system is a central postulate in modern education politics in both Germany and Switzerland. Endeavors for permeability do not only include the structural integrability of different educational programs, but also the wish to harness learner’s full potential within a given system. Not surprisingly, the transition from compulsory to non-compulsory education plays a crucial role for educational biographies in both countries. It is at this juncture, when young learners can not only choose between academic, vocational or semi-vocational programs, but also between high, middle or low aspirational levels within these three kinds of non-compulsory education. The paper will focus on three central questions, while comparing the two national systems: First, how can the various offerings of non-compulsory secondary education be categorized? Second, what kind of utilization patterns can be observed among different groups? Third, how can the different learner groups be categorized in terms of the individual educational characteristics? In order to answer these questions, the authors propose the use of a system integrating categorization matrix, which can then be used as a base for system comparison and discussion. It can be shown, that even though the two systems show structural comparability, a plausible explanation of permeability and transition to upper secondary education cannot ignore local structural aspects and national contexts.