A Sociological Explanation of Adolescent Agency in the Phenomenon of Fuel Carrying with Emphasis on Social Identity Formation: A Case Study of Upper-Secondary School Students in Minab County

Hasan  Zahedi; Rahmatollah  Amirahmadi; Azar  Eskandari Cherati; Mohammad Reza  Naeymi

doi:10.61838/hhy3v958

Authors

Hasan Zahedi Ph.D. Student, Department of Sociology, Az.C., Islamic Azad University, Azadshahr, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5400-2046
Rahmatollah Amirahmadi Department of Sociology, Az.C., Islamic Azad University, Azadshahr, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2677-9000
Azar Eskandari Cherati Department of Sociology, Az.C., Islamic Azad University, Azadshahr, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9929-0821
Mohammad Reza Naeymi Department of Sociology, Az.C., Islamic Azad University, Azadshahr, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0542-2427

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61838/hhy3v958

Keywords:

Fuel Carrying, Social Identity Formation, Adolescent Agency, Border Regions, Minab

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to sociologically explain the lived experiences of male upper-secondary school students in Minab County and to examine how structural constraints, social identity formation, and adolescent agency interact in shaping their participation in the informal economy of fuel carrying.

Methods and Materials: This qualitative study employed thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke’s approach. Participants consisted of 15 male upper-secondary school students in Minab County who had direct experience of involvement in fuel carrying. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analyzed through systematic familiarization with the data, initial coding, generation and review of themes, definition and naming of themes, and interpretive synthesis. Particular attention was paid to the interaction between structural socioeconomic conditions, peer and community networks, identity construction, risk-taking, and the cultural meanings attributed to fuel carrying within the border-region context.

Findings: The interpretive analysis indicated that adolescents’ involvement in fuel carrying emerged from a dialectical relationship between structural deprivation and identity-oriented agency. Livelihood pressure created the structural conditions for participation, while socialization within fuel-carrying networks transmitted locally valued knowledge, norms, and behavioral expectations. Engagement in risky activities functioned as a means of acquiring status, demonstrating masculinity, and achieving social recognition in contexts where formal educational and occupational institutions provided limited opportunities for such recognition. Moreover, the cultural normalization of fuel carrying reduced perceived moral conflict and facilitated its reinterpretation as a legitimate or necessary livelihood strategy. Collectively, the findings suggest that fuel carrying operates not merely as an economic practice but also as a symbolic arena through which adolescents construct agency, belonging, and social identity.

Conclusion: Adolescent participation in fuel carrying should be understood not simply as individual deviance or economic misconduct, but as an adaptive response to structural exclusion, limited legitimate opportunities, and the sociocultural realities of border communities, within which risky informal work may function as a mechanism of identity formation, status attainment, and symbolic transition into adulthood.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abbas, S. S., & Al-Bakri, S. A. (2020). The Effect of a Post-Method-Era-Based-Training Program on Iraqi EFL Secondary School Teachers' Performance. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343911795_THE_EFFECT_OF_A_POST-METHOD-ERA-BASED-TRAINING_PROGRAM_ON_IRAQI_EFL_SECONDARY_SCHOOL_TEACHERS%27_PERFORMANCE

Ahmed, M. A. (2022). L1 Poetry and Moral Stories as a Factor Affecting Acquisition of L2 Oracy Skills in EFL Settings. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(9), 1930-1938. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1209.27

Al-aajam, S. M. R. (2025). The Impact of Using Brain-Based Learning Theory to Develop Iraqi EFL Studentsin Vocabulary Acquisition at Secondary School. University of Diyala. http://repo.uodiyala.edu.iq/handle/xmlui/16440?locale=en

Al-Banaa, D. S. K., & Nevisi, R. B. (2023). Exploring the Relation between Iraqi EFL Students' Self-Motivation and their Learning Styles. Nasaq, 37(7). https://www.iasj.net/iasj/article/269969

Alipour, M. (1999). The Structure of the Language of Contemporary Poetry: A Study of the Vocabulary and Linguistic Structure of Contemporary Poetry. Ferdows.

Darweesh, A. D., & Kadhim, A. H. (2016). Iraqi EFL Learners' Problems in Using Conjunctions as Cohesive Devices. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(11), 169-180.

Faramarzi Babadi, S., Eskandari Asl, H. A., Dolatyari, F., & Alipoor, H. (2024). Limitations of English Language Learning in Universities of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province and Strategies to Overcome Them [Research Article]. Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology, 7(1), 124-132. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.ijes.7.1.12

Farrah, M., & Al-Bakri, R. (2022). The Effectiveness of Using Poetry in Developing English Vocabulary, Pronunciation and Motivation of EFL Palestinian Students. Language Teaching, 2(1), p1. https://doi.org/10.30560/lt.v2n1p1

Fithriani, R. (2021). Poetry Writing in EFL Classrooms: Learning From Indonesian Students’ Strategies. Kne Social Sciences, 59-75. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v5i4.8667

Iida, A. (2022). A Poetic Inquiry Into a Japanese Pre-Service Teacher’s English Language Learning Trajectory: Pedagogical and Methodological Implications for Teacher Education. Language Teaching Research, 29(4), 1837-1858. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688221084059

Islam, M. R. (2022). Literature in EFL/ESL Classroom: Integrating Conventional Poetry as Authentic Material. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 4(3), 312-328. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v4i3.1052

Kamala, R., & Aziz, A. A. (2020). Systematic Review: The Use of Collaborative Learning to Develop Students’ Guided Writing and Oral Performance in Poetry. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarped/v9-i2/7663

Khammat Al-iessa, A. H., Amiryousefi, M., & Afrouz, M. (2023). Relationship between Iraqi EFL Students' Perceptions of Community of Inquiry and their Attention and Engagement in Online Classes. Teaching English Language, 1-28. https://www.teljournal.org/article_164844_cbe37d53c5114d327bcfdd19009b6102.pdf?lang=fa

Mubarak, Z. (2023). The Relationship-Between the Extent of Iraqi EFL Learners’ Pragmatic-Knowledge of Apology and Request-Speech Acts and Their Ability to Comprehend and Produce Them: Is Language Proficiency-Level-Important? International Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 13(3), 251-258. https://doi.org/10.37648/ijrssh.v13i03.025

Nader Sharhan, A., & Janfeshan, K. (2024). The perceptions of Iraqi EFL preparatory school teachers about literature Spots in Iraqi English textbooks. Cogent Education, 11(1), 2298610. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2298610

Rezaee, A. A., Khomeijani Farahani, A. A., & Mubarak, L. A. (2018). Scaffolding and EFL learners' use of language learning strategies in the Iraqi language teaching context. Teaching English Language, 12(2), 89-116. https://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume29/ej115/ej115a3/

Saad, S., Amat, R., Nordin, R., & Hasan, A. (2023). From Poetry Out Loud to Thinking Out Loud: The ESL Students’ Experience. Social and Management Research Journal, 20(2), 153-164. https://doi.org/10.24191/smrj.v20i2.24330

Wahibullah, M. G., & Indah, R. N. (2021). The Effectiveness of Developing Students’ Ability in Writing English Poetry Through Hypnotic Wiritng. Kredo Jurnal Ilmiah Bahasa Dan Sastra, 5(1), 84-97. https://doi.org/10.24176/kredo.v5i1.5700