CALL FOR PAPERS | Second Chance Education in Europe: Critical Analysis and Future Perspectives
Publicada em 2026-01-27Rationale: This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for the analysis and discussion of different perspectives on second chance education within the European context. It focuses on the need for a comprehensive examination of existing second chance education models, their strategies, implementation, and outcomes. We aim to generate meaningful dialogue among scholars, educators, and policymakers about how these models can be improved and adapted to serve a diverse population of youth facing significant challenges in their educational and professional trajectories. In Europe, second chance education has emerged as a response to educational exclusion and the need to improve young people’s employability. Research synthesis conceptualises second chance education as a pedagogic device designed to reengage early school leavers by providing complementary and compensatory educational provision for needs insufficiently addressed within mainstream education systems. While this definition is broadly shared, second chance education is implemented through diverse models across Europe, often within the wider field of Vocational Education and Training (VET). This heterogeneity has fueled critical debate about whether these models contribute to reducing educational inequalities and strengthening an inclusive educational system or, conversely, reproduce compensatory logics and forms of school segregation.
Innovative Nature: This proposal is innovative because it examines second chance education models by critically analysing how their outcomes are intrinsically linked to their capacity to contribute to an inclusive and equitable educational system. By incorporating critical approaches, we seek to challenge established narratives that often frame second chance education as a singular solution to educational exclusion. While recognising the value of these educational offers in promoting social and educational inclusion, we also examine their limitations as compensatory or dual-track approaches that, in some cases, may inadvertently reinforce educational segregation. Additionally, this Special Issue provides an opportunity to compare diverse second chance education models implemented across Europe, including Portugal, Germany, Spain, and France, among others, enriching the debate on best practices and their applicability across different contexts.
Suggested Topics/Research Questions: This Special Issue welcomes contributions that examine second chance education models through various lenses, including their effectiveness, challenges, and broader social implications. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
- Model Evaluation: What second chance education models have significantly reduced school dropout rates and improved employability?
- Educational Inequalities: How do these models contribute to reducing educational inequalities among different socioeconomic groups?
- Impact on Inclusion: Do second chance education models promote a comprehensive educational system or do they generate new forms of school segregation?
- International Perspectives: What lessons can be learned from international contexts that have succeeded in addressing these issues?
- Voices of Practitioners: How do professionals working in second chance education perceive their role and impact on students? What insights can they provide regarding the challenges and successes of these programs?
- Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation: How are curricula and teaching methods adapted to meet the needs of second chance learners? What forms of assessment and knowledge recognition are implemented in these settings?
- Organisation of Teaching Work: How is the work of educators structured within second chance education programs? What are the implications for teacher identity, professional development, and pedagogical autonomy?
International Interest: The topic of second chance education holds international interest, as many European countries face similar challenges regarding educational exclusion, inequality, and youth unemployment. This Special Issue has the potential to attract a global audience of researchers, educators, and policymakers interested in educational improvement and social inclusion. By gathering a variety of perspectives and case studies, we hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of how these models can be effectively implemented and adapted to better serve at-risk youth. Contributions grounded in robust empirical research—particularly those offering comparative insights—will be especially valuable for fostering informed, context-sensitive innovation.
Conclusion: This Special Issue aims to be a meeting point for critical debate and reflection on second chance education in Europe. Through a multidimensional approach, existing notions will be challenged, and a dialogue that leads to more effective and inclusive educational practices may be promoted. By amplifying the voices of professionals in the field and shedding light on the micro-level processes that define daily educational experiences, we will provide valuable insights that can inform future developments in second chance education.
Important dates
- Article submission up to June 30, 2026
- Publication: April 2027
Submission instructions
Following the policies of the ES&C Journal, authors can submit their texts in English, French, Spanish or Portuguese. The contribution must be original, unpublished and must not be under review or submitted for publication in another journal.
New manuscripts should be submitted electronically through the online portal accessible on the journal website and they should meet the requirements mentioned in the submission instructions on the ESC website. Articles will undergo a blinded peer review process.
For further information, please contact esc@fpce.up.pt.
About ESC
ESC is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published three times a year by the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE) of the University of Porto, Portugal.
Seeking to establish and expand the dialogue between cultures and interdisciplinary perspectives and contribute to qualifying the public debate around educational and social problems, ESC welcomes submissions of original work based on empirically grounded research supported by a strong theoretical and methodological component.
Publication in this journal is completely free of charge for authors, and there are no submission, processing, or publication costs or fees.
An overview of the journal is accessible at https://ojs.up.pt/index.php/esc-ciie.
About the Guest Editors
Davinia Palomares-Montero, Univesitat de València (Spain), davinia.palomares@uv.es
Associate Professor in the Department of Teaching and School Organization and researcher at the Transitions Research Group. She obtained a PhD in Sociology and a degree in Educational Sciences from the University of Valencia (UV) (2010). Her PhD thesis received the extraordinary doctoral award in social sciences from the UV. She has authored and co-authored more than fifty academic works (more than twenty of which are Web of Sciences and/or Scopus indexed), three books, and more than ten books’ chapters (some are Scopus indexed) on second chance education, vocational education and training, early school leaving, and workplace training. She has coordinated research projects and participated in others. She has published the results of her work in prestigious journals and disseminated her knowledge in various forums to transfer her results to society.
Alexandra Doroftei, Universidade do Porto (Portugal), adoroftei@fpce.up.pt
Researcher at the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto. She obtained a PhD in Educational Sciences from the University of Porto, focusing on Vocational Education and Training, particularly in Apprenticeship Courses and Social Justice in 2020. She has authored and co-authored several academic works, including diverse articles and book chapters indexed in Scopus and/or WoS, on vocational education and training and early school leaving, including second-chance Education; European citizenship; and networking. She is a member of CIIE's Advanced Research and Training Group: JEDI - Youth, Education, Diversity, and Innovation. Her research interests include social justice, equality, social inclusion, school success, early leaving from education and training, educational policies, educational networking, higher education, research methods, mixed methodology, NVivo, and vocational education and training. In addition to academia, she has worked in schools, in a Childhood and Youth Home with at-risk children and young people, and an NGO with disadvantaged populations.
Eunice Macedo, Universidade do Porto (Portugal), eunice@fpce.up.pt
Invited Professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP), mainly in the areas of citizenship and diversity, intervention methods in education, evaluation in education and training and professionalization in education/training. Researcher at the Centre for Educational Research and Intervention at the same faculty. Her research interests intersect educational citizenship, education as a social right, early leaving from education and training, learning with arts, educational policies, gender in education and citizenship, young femininities and masculinities, women's participation, and violence against women. Extensive experience in coordination and research in international collaborative networks and projects. She has researched second opportunity since 2013, in several (inter)national projects, and has several international publications in that area. She is the author of more than 120 publications of a scientific nature. Representative of FPCEUP in the direction of the Network of Second Chance Schools and Initiatives (E2O). Was a member of the installing committee of E2O, and active consultant in the launch of ESOV (teacher training, educational project, construction of leading documents).