Types of Institutions and Youth School Experience: Dynamics of Inequality in Argentine Secondary Education

Abstract

This chapter has a twofold objective. First, it presents the main characteristics of the Argentine educational system in relation to the type of supply and student trajectories in comparison with other Latin American countries, as well as discussions on the ways in which inequality was processed in secondary education in order to, secondly, examine the differences in school experience according to the type of educational institution. In this way, the chapter explores the ways in which inequality is processed in Argentina, emphasizing its interrelation and multidimensionality when considering the type of educational offer, the reasons for choosing these institutions and the meanings that are put into play in the school space. In this way, the chapter provides elements for the more subtle forms of construction of the differences that become inequalities. For the presentation of the analysis, data have been recovered from a research project carried out in the context of the pandemic that involved a data triangulation strategy with the application of a survey, focus groups and interviews conducted in the context of the pandemic with young students from secondary schools in the City of Buenos Aires.