Aspirations as boundaries. Guidance practices and the reproduction of social inequality in free-choice tracking systems

Social disparities in educational decision-making are a well-known factor in the intergenerational reproduction of inequality. While existing research has emphasized differences in resources, expectations, and perceived risks, less attention has been paid to how interactions between families and schools shape these choices. This study examines the role of educational guidance practitioners in the reproduction of social inequality during the transition from lower- to upper-secondary education in Italy, a context characterized by a highly stratified school system and non-binding track recommendations. Using a unique longitudinal administrative dataset from the city of Turin that follows 6,268 students from grade 7 to grade 9, we analyze the sequence linking students’ track intentions, guidance recommendations, final choices, and subsequent outcomes. Our results show that track recommendations – which, in our context, are jointly developed by teachers and guidance practitioners – are not overtly biased in favor of high-SES students. However, recommendations for academic tracks de facto require strong achievement records and explicit academic intentions, which disproportionately holds back academically promising low-SES students. Simultaneously, resistance to undesired recommendations is higher among high-SES students. The study thus identifies two implicit mechanisms through which educational guidance, despite its supportive intent, exacerbates inequalities in free-choice tracking systems. It also underscores the need for guidance policies that critically account for the social embeddedness of educational aspirations.