Developing and Testing Tools to Measure Youth Capabilities: Theoretical Rationales and Empirical Procedures within a Cross-National Pilot Survey Project

Abstract

This paper describes the design and the implementation of the EduWel survey project which took place during the PhD programme of the EduWel Early Stage Researchers (ESRs), between September 2010 and July 2013. The project had two main purposes: to design and implement a pilot survey for the detection and study of certain variables to be analysed under a Capability Approach framework and to provide the ESRs with complete training on the various stages of a field survey.

The pilot survey was carried out in four European countries (UK, Italy, Germany and Sweden) and involved high school students as respondents (ISCED level 3: Upper secondary education). The focus of the survey was on two relevant capability domains (critical thinking and embeddedness) which are often overlooked and missing in the empirical literature but essential for children and young adults to flourish and to socialise and assume a key role in children and young adults’ aspirations and capability to aspire (Hart, 2012; Hart et al. 2014).