Translation and Interpretation of Policy Instruments and Negotiation of Subject Positions

The chapter draws on the results of empirical studies in eight European countries: Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and the United Kingdom (England and Northern Ireland), carried out under the EU-funded GOETE project. It analyses how are internationally circulating policy instruments addressing central problems of schooling shaped and translated, adapted and modified, in institutional relations as well as in the intersection between institution and actors at various levels. Related to this, also on an empirical level, is the question of how subject positions are allocated to individual students especially in the context of educational transitions. How are these allocation processes negotiated, who are the main actors involved, what kind of leverage do they bring into the arena, and how do they interact in the negotiation process. Of special importance are the points of transition and how these correspond to the allocation processes which ultimately indicate future status. In our context, whether or not students and their families feel in charge of their educational trajectories or whether they experience themselves to be powerless in the face of decisions made by someone else, also depends on the allocation politics of their subject positions. The chapter deals with the specific question of how educational trajectories are diverted in the context of a re-signification of ‘the knowledge economy’ and ‘lifelong learning discourses’ through specific policy instruments at a local level.