This article is based on an ethnographic case study and its theme is the dropout in the youth and adult education (EJA) school environment in its relationship with the written culture. With this study, we aim to: (1) discuss the problem of dropout in EJA spaces; (2) understand the extent to which identity constitution of the study participants may involve the movement of stay/dropout in/of the school space; (3) establish possible relationships between literacy practices and this movement, and (4) reflect on the access of the insider or outsider condition by students in the school spaces and its implications for school dropout. To conclude, the study argues that the phenomenon of avoidance is a complex social construct, with significant developments in relation to aspects of identity and the construction/redefinition of literacy practices of students, complexity that cannot be denied in schooling processes.
Youth and adults education; dropout; literacy practices; identity constitution