I am Associate Professor of Sociology of Education at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and Director of the GEPS Research Centre. My research focuses on the study of social inequalities in education, with particular attention to secondary education and to the mechanisms through which education systems contribute to the (re)production and/or transformation of social inequalities.
More specifically, my research examines processes of educational (dis)engagement, dropping out and early school leaving; explores young people’s educational trajectories, experiences and identities; and analyses curriculum, pedagogy, and teachers’ practices and beliefs, from a critical sociological perspective. My work is grounded in a social justice approach that foregrounds the relational dimensions of education and attributes a central role to affective and care relations in processes of learning and school engagement. Overall, my research seeks to connect the subjective, institutional and systemic dimensions of inequality through a qualitative-driven approach.
Currently, I am the PI of a competitive grant aiming to investigate the impact of curricular policies, pedagogical practices, and students’ social contexts on the construction of learner identity, through the articulation of different learning experiences and trajectories during secondary education (https://learnerproject.org/). I am also the co-IP of the Acompanya’m project (https://acompanyam.com/) which applies an innovative quasi-experimental design to assess the impact of guidance policies aimed at supporting educational transitions and reducing Early School Leaving.
I am also Editor of Critical Studies in Education and member of the Editorial Board of British Journal of Sociology of Education and International Studies in Sociology of Education, Board Member of the “Sociology of Education” RN10 of the European Sociology Association and Principal Convenor of the BSA (British Sociology Association) Bourdieu Study Group.
Some of my books include: Tarabini, A. (2022). Educational Transitions and Social Justice: Understanding Upper Secondary School Choices in Urban Contexts (Policy Press); Tarabini, A. (2019) The Conditions for School Success: Examining Educational Exclusion and Dropping Out (Palgrave); Tarabini, A. &Ingram. N. (2018). Educational Choices, Transitions and Aspirations in Europe (Routledge).
Mail: aina.tarabini@uab.cat
Bluesky: @ainatarabini.bsky.social
Globalisation, Education and Social Policies 