Navigating Educational Options and Future Attainments: Exploring Adolescents’ Choices in Alternative High School Programs in Van, Türkiye

Abstract

Introduction: The study investigates Turkish adolescents who choose alternative high school programs over traditional education, aiming to understand their motivations, challenges, and outcomes. With high dropout rates associated with adverse socio-economic consequences, the research seeks to illuminate the effectiveness of alternative education in mitigating these risks and fostering academic and social success. By exploring the experiences of adolescents in Van, Türkiye, a region marked by poverty the study addresses questions about the factors influencing school choice, sociodemographic determinants, career aspirations, and overall satisfaction among students enrolled in alternative high schools. Through longitudinal data collection, the research aims to provide valuable insights into the dynamics of alternative education and its impact on youth in Türkiye. Method: Using a quasi-experimental longitudinal design with both quantitative and qualitative methods, 90 adolescents aged 16-24 (M=19.5, STD=1.8, 68.90 % males, 31.10 % females) were interviewed face-to-face during the initial phase of data collection (Phase I: 2019-2020 academic year). Phase II (2022-2023 academic year) involved a follow-up phone conversation with the same students to assess their educational achievements, satisfaction, and future aspirations. Results: General findings indicate that Turkish adolescents chose open high school education due to various academic, socio-economic, and personal reasons. Their decision was influenced by individual risk factors such as parental education level, number of siblings, siblings' dropout status, grade repetition, disciplinary issues, migration, and conflicts with teachers, friends, and school management. Additionally, during Phase II, many students expressed disappointment as their initial career aspirations were not realized. Conclusion: Overall, results highlight the need for tailored lifelong learning and training programs to improve youth well-being during the adolescence phase as well as support the transitioning into adulthood from open education programs. Although the policy setting is Turkish, the learner profiles we observe, i.e., youth from lower socioeconomic backgrounds with lower intrinsic motivation and fewer self-regulation/study skills suited to largely self-directed distance formats, are widespread across education systems. Accordingly, the mechanisms and design levers we identify (scaffolds for self-regulated learning, proactive guidance and counseling, and structured peer-teacher connectedness) have relevance beyond Türkiye, offering practical, low-cost strategies to reduce disengagement and improve persistence in open and alternative secondary programs globally.