Across Europe, VET systems face persistent challenges in recruitment and retention, often tied to the perceived 'low status' of vocational pathways and to frictions across institutional transitions. In Denmark, application rates have stagnated or declined while attrition remains high—despite repeated structural reforms (Clarke et.al., 2021). We contend that two blind spots sustain this problem: (1) contextual (institutional) and individual (biographical) factors are treated separately, and (2) the policy focus on structures underplays how master narratives that frame VET as a 'lesser' pathway shape belonging and participation. Moreover, students’ voices remain under-represented in how knowledge about VET is produced and used. In the three-year research project  NarratiVET supported by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF), we investigate following research questions:

1.How do VET students narratively construct themselves at the intersection of personhood and studenthood?

2. How are master narratives about VET internalised, reworked or resisted through counter-narratives, and how do such storylines develop over time?

3. Under which relational and institutional conditions do these narratives enable or constrain voice, belonging and persistence?

We mobilise narrative inquiry and narrative ethnography, treating narratives as performative acts situated in social and institutional ecologies (Cain et al., 2013; Clandinin et al., 2016; Schmid et al., 2021; Piekut, 2025). This perspective positions interviews and field encounters as sites where identities are negotiated rather than merely reported, foregrounding the relational and discursive conditions that shape what can be told. Narratives are not neutral representations but identity work embedded in power relations and cultural scripts (De Fina & Georgakopoulou, 2008; Ljunggren et.al., 2020). We integrate three strands: (a) The master/counter-narrative tradition (Bamberg & Andrews, 2004) to analyse dominant storylines, such as VET as a “lesser” pathway, and the emergence of counter-positions that reclaim agency and voice  (b) McLean & Syed’s (2016) bidirectional model to trace processes of internalisation and construction of hegemonic and alternative trajectories, highlighting how students both absorb and resist cultural narratives.(c) A linked focus on voice and belonging to capture how recognition, power and participation shape narrative possibilities (Angus et al., 2013; Thomas et.al., 2019; Piekut, 2021). Voice is understood as the capacity to make oneself heard on one’s own terms, while belonging is conceptualised as a relational and spatial position within educational and social structures (Pfaff-Czarnecka, 2013; Lähdesmäki; Angus, 2013). In our adaptation, intersections denote the liminal crossings where personal biographies meet institutional scripts and broader cultural discourses about vocational knowledge and labour. This lens allows us to theorise VET participation not only as a structural phenomenon but as a narrative ecology, where identity, legitimacy and agency are continuously negotiated.

European/international dimension: The framework is intentionally portable across European VET contexts for three reasons: (i) It addresses pan-European concerns about the social legitimacy of vocational knowledge and the permeability of pathways, which remain uneven across countries. VET systems differ markedly in structure, prestige and success rates—from dual systems with strong labour-market integration to fragmented models with high attrition. This diversity makes comparative insights crucial for understanding how narratives shape participation under varying institutional conditions. (ii) It speaks directly to ECER 2026’s emphasis on the production and uses of education research under 'poly-crisis' conditions, where labour market volatility, demographic shifts and contested expertise intersect globally, but manifest locally in different ways.

The study adopts a qualitative approach within a mixed-methods design, focusing on narrative interviews as the primary tool for exploring identity work and belonging in VET. Narrative interviewing is particularly suited for capturing how participants construct meaning over time, as it treats stories not as static accounts but as performative acts embedded in social interaction (Gubrium & Holstein, 2008, 2009; Clandinin et al., 2016). This method foregrounds participants’ voices and allows for nuanced insights into how educational trajectories intersect with personal biographies. To trace narrative development and identity negotiation, interviews are conducted in multiple waves over an extended period of two to three years. Longitudinal narrative inquiry enables researchers to observe continuity and change in narratives about VET and, positioning in and between master- and counter narratives, offering a dynamic view of agency and belonging (Pfaff-Czarnecka, 2013; McLean & Syed, 2016; Lähdesmäki et.al., 2016;). This design is critical for understanding how master narratives are internalised or resisted across transitional phases in education. Narrative interviews elicit educational scripts, critical incidents and future orientations, while observational notes provide contextual sensitivity to institutional practices. These qualitative materials are linked to survey constructs on belonging and choice patterns to situate individual stories within broader trends. Analysis combines thematic and structural coding with performative narrative analysis (De Fina & Georgakopoulou, 2008). We map master and counter-narratives (Bamberg & Andrews, 2004) and apply McLean & Syed’s bidirectional model to trace internalisation and reconstruction of dominant storylines. Reflexivity regarding interviewer position and power relations is integral, alongside member checks where feasible. Informed consent, confidentiality and transparent handling of language choices ensure integrity and preserve participants’ voices across dissemination formats.

We expect to show how students reframe low-status narratives into conscious vocational choices, often grounded in family traditions, early occupational encounters and relational recognition in school/workplace settings. We identify narrative mechanisms that scaffold belonging and persistence, as well as conditions that constrain agency (dissonant pedagogical scripts, biographical incidents, transition frictions). We offer an intersectional narrative framework integrating master/counter-narratives with voice and belonging, operationalising McLean & Syed’s logic in VET contexts. Methodologically, we contribute a reflexive account of narrative co-production: what can be told, on whose terms, and with what legitimacy, addressing ECER’s focus on knowledge production and use under poly-crises. Through the implementation of Research–Practitioner Hub and planned hackathons/storytelling events at VET schools, we translate insights into actionable strategies with schools and stakeholders; the model is scalable across European VET systems and connects student voices with decision-makers in comparative dialogues. Findings are transferable to diverse European contexts where VET systems vary in structure, prestige and success rates, making this work relevant beyond Denmark.

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