It is widely recognised that tertiary education does not provide all of the knowledge and skills required to succeed in modern societies. Personal and interpersonal skills--so-called "soft skills"--are also needed to complement professional skills and expertise, and become an essential part of an individual's personality. One way of…

The main objective of this study, which evaluated a sample of first-year students enrolled at the University of Burgundy, France, in 2010-2011, is to understand the factors determining success in the first year of university. The originality of this research lies in the inclusion of specific indicators of students' skills when they start…

Suggests that the high dropout rate among first-year students in French universities is due in part to economic factors, which push some students into attending school when work is scarce. Differentiates between those who enter school to invest in the future and those who enter by default. (Contains 71 references.) (NB)

Reports that for centuries French language ideology has elaborated various types of discourses in order to establish linguistic dominance and hierarchy. Asserts that if these discourses could be recognized as a recursive prototype, counter-strategies could be developed to combat linguistic dominance, wherever it may be found. (Contains 30…

Mass education has the goal of guaranteeing the same education to all in order to moderate differences between individuals and promote a kind of "equality of opportunity." Nonetheless, it seems clear that lower-class youths do not benefit as much from their degree or university experience as do those who come from more privileged…