The School of Research is pleased to announce that Marion Valarcher, a doctor of sociology affiliated with Sciences Po's CRIS, was awarded the Louis Gruel Prize at the 34th edition of the National Observatory of Student Life competition for her thesis entitled "Le temps de l'orientation : la canalisation des aspirations post-bac de lycéen·nes francilien·nes", supervised by Agnès van Zanten.

Her research, defended on 9 January 2025 at Sciences Po, takes a rigorous look at the selection methods, institutional constraints and social dynamics that shape post-baccalaureate guidance in the Île-de-France region. It highlights how high school students' aspirations are framed, redirected or constrained by guidance systems and educational policies.

Marion Valarcher is currently a postdoctoral researcher with the ENTRAVES project (University of Tours, CITERES/CoST laboratory).

She also teaches quantitative and qualitative methods, introductory sociology and social inequalities to undergraduate and Master's students at Sciences Po, Paris 8, Paris Cité University and the University of Tours.

This award recognises the quality, originality and potential impact of her work on guidance policies and practices in an educational context. 

Congratulations to Marion Valarcher on this well-deserved recognition, which confirms her growing position among young researchers in the field of the sociology of education.

Find out more:

• Read the summary of Marion Valarcher's thesis
• Visit Marion Valarcher's page
• See the announcement on the OVE website
• See the announcement of the prize on the AEF website
• About the Doctorate in Sociology
• About the Centre for Research on Social Inequalities