Project TRACA

TRACA Project (project website) – Changes in Educational Trajectories: Complexity and Inequality of Opportunities, is a Research and Development Project under the Knowledge Generation Plan (PID2023-147162NB-031).

This project explores complex educational trajectories in post-compulsory education in Spain, focusing on how students deviate from traditional educational pathways. The project is based on the premise that many students make changes in their studies before completing an educational stage, such as changing degrees, switching between in-person and online modalities, or moving between schools. The study includes an analysis of social origin and gender inequalities, investigating the causes and impact of trajectory changes on academic outcomes, with the aim of contributing to educational equity and improving students’ opportunities.

TRACA is a coordinated project under the National Knowledge Plan. It is led by GRET and includes two subprojects:

  • GRET-UAB Subproject: Changes and Discontinuities in Educational Trajectories: Social and Institutional Constraints and Opportunities.
  • University of Valencia Subproject: Complex Trajectories in Baccalaureate and University: Change as a Strategy for Adjusting Expectations and Outcomes.

OBJECTIVES
TRACA has two general objectives:

  1. To describe and analyze complex educational trajectories, highlighting study changes and inequalities based on social origin and gender.
  2. To examine how these inequalities affect opportunities for educational change, particularly in trajectories that include movements between secondary education, vocational training, and university.

METHODOLOGY
The project adopts a mixed-methods approach based on the Concurrent Triangulation Design model, combining quantitative and qualitative data to enrich the analysis. It will involve the analysis of national databases such as ETEFIL and UNeix, as well as longitudinal educational statistics. Additionally, qualitative data will be collected through interviews with students who have experienced changes in their educational pathways, providing a deeper understanding of the motivations and obstacles in these transitions. This methodological combination will allow for a detailed depiction of the trajectories and the conditions that facilitate or hinder them within a context of educational equity.

Subproject coordinated by GRET-UAB:
Merino Pareja, Rafael (IP) (GRET)
Troiano, Helena (IP) (GRET)
García-Gràcia, Maribel (GRET)
Sánchez-Guerrero, Laia (GRET)
Sellarès, Berta (GRET)
Valls Casas, Ona
Elias Andreu, Marina (UB)
Duart, Josep M. (UOC)
Langa Rosado, Delia (UJA)
Lubian Graña, Carlos (USC)
Planas Coll, Jordi (GRET)

Subproject coordinated by the University of Valencia:
Villar-Aguilés, Alícia (IP) (UV)
Muñoz Rodríguez, David (UV)
Medina Calvo, María Ángeles (UV)
Navarro Ardoy, Luis (UPO)
Ruiz-Sancho, Ainara (UV)
Ariño Villaroya, Antonio (UV)
Martínez Morales, Ignacio (UV)