The small scale syndrome : career perspectives of Maltese and Gozitan secondary school students

Abstract

The ‘Small Scale Syndrome’ is a model meant to conceptualise the experiences of Monopoly, Intimacy, Totality and Emigration by the inhabitants of small, often island, states and territories. This study uses the Small Scale Syndrome as a tool to investigate the career perspectives of students living in the archipelago of Malta, the smallest country in the European Union. Data was gathered through 321 questionnaires answered by students attending two state secondary schools, one on the island of Gozo and another one on the island of Malta. Results highlight the higher level of awareness of Monopoly of students living in Gozo when compared to their peers living in Malta. The study captures the higher assimilation of Intimacy/ Totality of students with only Maltese citizenship when compared to those with dual or foreign citizenship. Besides, this study also points out the greater inclination towards Emigration of students with dual or foreign citizenship when compared to their peers with only Maltese citizenship. The Small Scale Syndrome appears to be more strongly related to citizenship than to whether one resides in Malta or in Gozo, indicating that it might be affected by the level of social integration of the students under consideration. The study also suggests that the root causes of Monopoly may differ from those of Intimacy/ Totality and Emigration.