Czy gap year się opłaca? Motywy oraz korzyści i straty przerwy w formalnej edukacji na przykładzie polskich „gapperów”

The article deals with the issues of motives and the assessment of the balance of benefits and losses of a break in formal education in the form of a “gap year”, based on the experience of Polish students. The study was conducted in the form of a questionnaire interview with 15 respondents. There were identified four groups of motives for undertaking a gap year: social, psychological, educational and economic. Moreover, based on the premises underlying decisions to take a break, five categories of gappers were distinguished: “travelers”, “dropouts”, “gappers who repeat a year at university or retake the final high school exam”, “workers”, and “undecided”. Gap year is taken by young Polish people in specific life situations, usually when they: drop out of university, try to improve the results of the final high school exams, or want to have more time to plan their further education. Gap year is a time when tourist activity is often undertaken. The respondents claimed that the break in formal education had brought them more benefits than losses.