Between ambition and alignment: transitions to post-compulsory education of children of migrants in Barcelona

Studies on the educational transitions of children of migrants are dominated by a quantitative perspective that highlights the unequal distribution of students across educational pathways but fails to account for the heterogeneity of experiences or the subjective dimension of these processes. This article examines the transitions to post-compulsory education among children of Moroccan and Pakistani migrants in Barcelona, focusing on the interplay between identities and aspirations within structural and institutional constraints. Drawing on qualitative longitudinal and visual research, the study follows 17 students over a year to explore how they navigate their transitions within a context of school and urban segregation. I propose two types of transition: transitions by ambition, where students choose studies based on a prestigious long-term professional goal; and transitions by alignment, where choices align with abilities, naturalised under the ideology of natural gifts, and available pathways. Transitions to post-compulsory education of participants are experienced through complex identity and aspirational articulations. These experiences underscore the futility of essentialist frameworks and the importance of incorporating young people’s voices in transition research.