Educational fragility and continuity of learning pathways: a reinterpretation through care contexts

Abstract

Educational fragility is often interpreted as an individual difficulty related to the development of specific competences. This paper shifts the focus toward the conditions under which learning takes place, considering difficulties in planning, behavioral regulation, and decision-making as outcomes emerging from the interplay between individual development and educational and social situations (Blakemore & Robbins, 2012; Diamond, 2013). Emotional and relational dimensions directly influence the possibility of orienting oneself and participating in learning processes (Immordino-Yang et al., 2019), particularly in situations marked by instability and social fragmentation (Bauman, 2000). The analysis of hospital schooling and home education pathways highlights these dynamics by making visible conditions that often remain implicit in other settings. In such situations, continuity requires ongoing construction, and the possibility of learning depends on maintaining connections across experiences, relationships, and discontinuous timeframes (Kanizsa & Luciano, 2006; Capurso, 2014). Educational fragility thus emerges as an indicator of the conditions that support or hinder the continuity of learning pathways.