Abstract:

High failure rates in the first cycle of French higher education have posed a major challenge for universities since the early 2000s. Public policies have led to the proliferation of support programs across the bac-3/bac+3 continuum, particularly those focused on student guidance. These initiatives aim to facilitate the transition between secondary and higher education. In this context, this paper examines the implementation of Réopass, a guidance support program embedded within first-year undergraduate curricula. It investigates the shift from policy intentions to actual practices. Our approach is grounded in a theoretical framework designed to capture the tensions shaping the implementation of this program within its context. Drawing on a ternary analysis of support systems, situated within an ecological perspective, we analyze support logics that oscillate between an optimization approach—aimed at developing students’ pre-existing capacities—and a remediation approach—focused on addressing the deficiencies of a target population. Methodologically, the study is based on 18 semi-structured interviews conducted with university stakeholders, including faculty members, instructional designers, administrative staff, and policy-level actors. The findings highlight three main dimensions: first, a structural environment saturated by the accumulation of entropic reforms; second, a central tension between, on the one hand, the individualization of support, perceived as necessary to provide tailored guidance, and, on the other hand, institutional expectations of massification, which constrain available resources; third, the fragility of students’ academic profiles. The analysis reveals a shift from an initially prescribed logic of optimization toward a logic of remediation in observed practices, raising questions about the capacity of the bac-3/bac+3 continuum to reduce student failure. We discuss the conditions for the sustainability of guidance support programs and identify levers for moving beyond localized “patchwork” practices.

Keywords:

Public policy, student support, undergraduate education, guidance, optimization, reparation.