Alors que les questions relatives à l’éducation familiale et scolaire d’un côté, et aux conditions effectives d’une formation « tout au long de la vie » de l’autre, sont généralement traitées séparément, cette thèse s’efforce de les étudier de manière transversale et connexe, en prenant pour objet l’initiative individuelle en formation postscolaire. Cette recherche s’inscrit dans une double perspective, interactionniste et ethnométhodologique : elle postule d’une part que, sous certaines conditions et dans certaines situations, les acteurs sociaux peuvent s’affranchir des déterminations sociales, en s’engageant dans des projets personnels et des parcours postscolaires « probables ou improbables » ; elle tient compte d’autre part, des situations et des conduites sociales circonstanciées, et s’intéresse aux raisonnements et décisions pratiques qui organisent le cours des actions individuelles. La thèse repose sur l’hypothèse d’une co-construction entre la biographie historico-familiale et l’histoire socio-éducative individuelle dans l’appréhension du phénomène de retour-aux-études. L’analyse approfondie de 38 entretiens narratifs d’adultes, met en évidence l’intrication de facteurs historico-familiaux et idéologiques, institutionnels, interactionnels, événementiels et temporels, dans la tentative de recadrage des « destins sociaux » individuels. L’étude montre que le retour-aux-études relève d’un processus individuel d’« actorisation scholastique », qui est la mise en œuvre du projet personnel par des actes d’auto-instruction. Deux types de projets et de profils se sont alors dégagés : le projet rétrospectif pour les « stratèges-diachroniques » et prospectif, pour les « opportunistes-biographiques ». / Whereas issues related to both concerns family and schooling education, and the effective conditions of “long-life learning” are usually raised and studied on separate levels, this research aims to approach them transversely through self-initiative in further education, which is our object of research. This study is anchored in interactionist and ethnomethodological theoretical perspectives: it postulates that under some conditions and situations, social actors can free themselves from their social disadvantages (dominance) by performing “probable or improbable” self-learning acts, related to a personal project; furthermore it takes into account the context and circumstances circumscribing the situations and social behaviour, as well as the practical sociological reasoning people use to respond to the circumstances in which they find themselves and which motivates their action. The thesis focuses on the “co-construction” between historical-family biography and individual socio-educative history to comprehend the “back-to-study” social phenomenon. Based on the analysis of 38 in-depth biographic interviews, we demonstrated the intricacy of biographical factors - i.e. family-historical and ideological, institutional, interactional, event impacting and temporal - in the reframing of individuals’ “social destiny”. In conclusion we showed that the back-to-study phenomenon proceeds from an individual process of “scholastic actorism” consisting in operating one’s biographical project through back-to-study practices. Two types of self-learning projects and profiles were drawn up: the retrospective project from “diachronic-strategists” adults, and the prospective project from “synchronic-opportunists” adults.

The phenomenon of stigmatisation in the transmission of HIV/AIDS was highlighted in this study, and considered from a social constructionist perspective. The lived experiences of 20 participants were explored in the context of a stigma reduction programme. Perceived meanings attached to stigma, and its influence on participant behaviour was revealed through narratives. The influence of the programme on participant meaning making and perceptions was also revealed, and found that the meaning of stigma remained unchanged, and therefore stigma was not reduced. Not discounting the therapeutic platform of the programme in enabling co-construction of new perspectives which enabled coping mechanisms for participants in dealing with their circumstances. It is recommended that studies such as this be used to assist future stigma reduction programmes to identify their roles in meaning making regarding stigma, with the premise in mind that if meaning shifts, experiences will shift. / Psychology / M.A (Psychology)

The phenomenon of stigmatisation in the transmission of HIV/AIDS was highlighted in this study, and considered from a social constructionist perspective. The lived experiences of 20 participants were explored in the context of a stigma reduction programme. Perceived meanings attached to stigma, and its influence on participant behaviour was revealed through narratives. The influence of the programme on participant meaning making and perceptions was also revealed, and found that the meaning of stigma remained unchanged, and therefore stigma was not reduced. Not discounting the therapeutic platform of the programme in enabling co-construction of new perspectives which enabled coping mechanisms for participants in dealing with their circumstances. It is recommended that studies such as this be used to assist future stigma reduction programmes to identify their roles in meaning making regarding stigma, with the premise in mind that if meaning shifts, experiences will shift. / Psychology / M.A (Psychology)