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The Transition to Work of Education and Pedagogy Graduates: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Study from Sapienza University (2008-2018)

Emiliane Rubat du Mérac, Giulia Halina Nilo, Astrid Favella, Pietro Lucisano

Abstract


Abstract

This article presents a mixed-methods longitudinal study on the transition to work of graduates in Education (Bachelor’s degree) and Pedagogy (Master’s degree) at Sapienza University of Rome between 2008 and 2018. Integrating administrative records (UNI.CO dataset) with narrative reconstructions of 23 career trajectories, the study explores employment outcomes through two indicators: the Employment Index and the Coherence Index. The findings reveal persistent contractual precariousness, high fragmentation in early career paths, and a gradual decline in job-coherence over the observed period. While formal alignment between degrees and job functions remains high, actual employment conditions raise critical concerns. The capability approach and narrative analysis help uncover the subjective and structural factors that shape the work transitions of graduates. Gender, academic performance and study regularity emerge as relevant but not decisive factors. The article concludes by stressing the need for educational policy to recognize the specific challenges faced by graduates in education-related fields and to enhance the quality and stability of their professional opportunities.


Keywords


Capability approach; Education graduates; Job quality; Longitudinal data; Transition to work

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.7358/ecps-2025-032-ruba

Copyright (©) 2026 Emiliane Rubat du Mérac – Editorial format and Graphical layout: copyright (©) LED Edizioni Universitarie

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Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS)
Registered by Tribunale di Milano (19/05/2010 n. 278)
Online ISSN 2037-7924 - Print ISSN 2037-7932

Research Laboratory on Didactics and Evaluation - Department of Education - "Roma Tre" University


Editor-in-Chief: Gaetano Domenici 
Editorial Board: Eleftheria Argyropoulou - Massimo Baldacci - Joao Barroso - Richard Bates - Christofer Bezzina - Pietro Boscolo - Sara Bubb - Giuseppina Castellana - Jean-Émile Charlier - Lucia Chiappetta Cajola - Jean-Louis Derouet - Peter Early - Giancarlo Fortino - Constance Katz - James Levin - Pietro Lucisano  - Roberto Maragliano - Massimo Marcuccio - Arianna Lodovica Morini - Romuald Normand - Michael Osborne - Donatella Palomba - Nazarena Patrizi - Michele Pellerey - Vitaly V. Rubtzov - Jaap Scheerens - Noah W. Sobe - Francesco Susi - Giuseppe Spadafora - Pat Thomson - Roberto Trinchero - Ira Vannini

Editorial Staff: Fabio Alivernini - Guido Benvenuto - Anna Maria Ciraci - Massimiliano Fiorucci - Luca Mallia - Massimo Margottini - Giovanni Moretti - Carla Roverselli 
Editorial Secretary: 
Conny De Vincenzo


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