Search Results

The objective of the Commonwealth Government's Full Service Schools Program has been to provide additional support to schools to develop innovative programs and arrangements that address the specific needs of students who are considered at risk of not completing Year 12 to a satisfactory level. The target group has been students primarily 16 to 17 years of age at risk of not completing Year 12 or not making a successful transition from school to further education, training or employment. One of the statewide projects has been an investigation of ways in which schools and adult and community education (ACE) were working together to offer programs for young people who were at risk of not completing their schooling or who had already dropped out. This document is the report of the project and offers insights into the ways in which 37 schools and ACE partnerships operated. It also demonstrates that similar players in almost every community can forge such partnerships. Show less

Swinburne University of Technology has experienced tremendous growth in open access online learning and as such is typical of the many Australian institutions that have ventured into online tertiary education. While research in online education continues to expand, comparatively little investigates students' enrolment and attrition. This research examines commencing enrolment and associated student withdrawal data, as well as performance scores from eight units forming a marketing major for an open access online undergraduate degree. Since data were collected over a five year period, trends and patterns within a substantial online undergraduate program can be explored. The paper discusses the challenges of analysing enrolment data. Initial findings suggest that retention strategies should be designed according to the stage students are at in their studies. Furthermore, the research informs the prioritisation and development of more effective enrolment and performance data reporting capabilities, which in turn would benefit student management and retention.

Published abstract. Show less

The On Track project, the research project on which this report is based, is an attempt to provide alternative measures of the success of schools in securing positive outcomes for their students. Schools and system authorities require a more detailed picture of retention and transition, which is important not only for the global management of the large and complex system of post-compulsory education and training in Victoria, but for achieving effective outcomes for individuals. The project seeks to provide a measure or profile of post-school transition which takes into account the range of academic and vocational pathways available and thereby provide a balanced and accurate view of outcomes for students in a range of settings. To achieve this, school leavers who exited Victorian schools from Years 10, 11 and 12 in 2002 were surveyed by telephone in March-April 2003. Data collected were subsequently analysed by the research team in the Centre for Postcompulsory Education and Lifelong Learning at the University of Melbourne. The project found that it is important that the survey itself become an ongoing aspect of the policy process, in order to compare destinations from year to year, measure progress towards the achievement of educational targets and continue to provide schools with relevant and recent data on the postschooling destinations of their students. Stakeholders have made clear during the process of reporting findings that a longitudinal perspective is needed in order to put the findings reported in this survey into perspective.

The report 'The destinations of school leavers in Victoria: on track 2004' is indexed at TD/TNC 84.166. Show less

Apprentice attrition continues to impact on skills shortages in the automotive retail service and repair industry. Many apprentice mechanics join the industry direct from school but many leave within the first year of their apprenticeship. This research examines the experiences of apprentice mechanics in a growing multicultural geographic area on the outskirts of Melbourne in an attempt to demystify the reasons for the exodus of apprentice mechanics in the automotive repair sector. Previous research has identified reasons for apprentice attrition yet many of these studies are general in approach and have not examined the issues facing automotive apprenticeship or considered the specific geographic context.

Aggregation of data in previous research on apprenticeships has led to significant factors for attrition being overlooked. This research has identified remuneration during the apprenticeship and on completion as a significant factor for leaving the apprenticeship and the industry. In addition to this, many respondents reported a masculinist culture deeply embedded in the industry. This in some part characterises the workplace culture and environments of mechanics that is, more often than not, not conducive to apprenticeship completion and staying on in the industry. The automotive industry is desperate for skilled labour as technological innovation falls heavily on the repair sector, but changes in the industry both in terms of remuneration and workplace culture are required. This research argues that independent studies need to be conducted into the automotive repair sector specifically to validate the reasons found here for attrition and to advise industry stakeholders and government so that the industry can change to become more amenable to apprentice completion and well paid and valued work.

Published abstract. Show less

This report presents results from the longitudinal survey undertaken as part of the Victorian On Track survey of school leavers. The purpose of the longitudinal research component is to follow samples of Victorian school leavers over a five-year period, to enable in-depth analysis of pathways from school to further study and work. The current report examines the activities and experiences of the cohort of 2003 school leavers in their second year out from school. It maps the experiences of this group of young people in the period between leaving secondary school in 2003 and their interviews in 2005. The results indicate that many school leavers enter study and training or work on leaving school and continue in study in the following year. The completion of a vocational education and training (VET) qualification results in early school leavers having a much greater chance of gaining full-time work. There are strong associations between a student's school experiences and their destinations in their first post-school year. Key findings are that: apprenticeships and traineeships are integral to the pathways of early school leavers; apprenticeship training is an important avenue out of unemployment for early leavers; early experiences of unemployment have lasting effects for early leavers; university continuation rates are strong for Year 12 completers; many who initially defer, enrol in post-school study the following year; apprenticeships and traineeships are increasingly important sources of training for school completers; and completion of Year 12 or a post-school qualification leads to improved employment outcomes. The results highlight the importance of preventative measures in the school system, the need for continuing to support the development of young people's lifelong learning foundation skills at school, and continuing to recognise and reinforce the important role of apprenticeships and other VET certificate courses as viable pathways to employment, particularly for early school leavers. Show less

This conference paper outlines one school's approach to the introduction of a VET (vocational education and training) in schools program. Over a three year period the retention rate at year 10 at Whittlesea Secondary College, Victoria had increased from traditionally low levels to 85 per cent.

Selected papers from this conference may be found from TD/TAS 66.01 to TD/TAS 66.06. Show less

This document reports on the continuing work in 2004 of the On Track project, the research project initiated for the year 2003 which is attempting to provide alternative measures of the success of schools in securing positive outcomes for their students. The On Track survey is designed to provide a valuable tool for guiding program policies both at the government and school level and at the local or regional level. The data collected in this 2004 study are based on a telephone survey of school leavers in March/April of 2004, and were analysed by the research team in the Centre for Post Compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning at the University of Melbourne. The study found that at this time, 4 out of 5 young Victorians complete secondary school; of the remainder, many begin an apprenticeship, traineeship or other accredited vocational training. This high level of participation in education is taking place in a context in which industry, occupational and labour market changes require an increasing investment of effort in lifelong learning. However, given the complexity of the evolving economic and social environment and the range of different regional settings, no single pattern of destinations can be identified as representing the optimum outcome.

The first report for this project, 'The destinations of school leavers in Victoria: report of the 2003 On Track project', is indexed at TD/TNC 84.165. Show less

This report presents results from the longitudinal survey undertaken as part of the Victorian On Track survey of school leavers. The purpose of the longitudinal research component is to follow samples of Victorian school leavers over a five-year period, to enable in-depth analysis of pathways from school to further study and work. The current report examines the activities and experiences of the cohort of 2004 Year 12 completers and early school leavers during their first year since leaving school. The results indicate that many school leavers enter study and training or work on leaving school and continue in study in the following year. The completion of a vocational education and training (VET) qualification results in early school leavers having a much greater chance of gaining full-time work. There are strong associations between a student's school experiences and their destinations in their first post-school year. Key findings are that: apprenticeships and traineeships are integral to the pathways of early school leavers; apprenticeship training is an important avenue out of unemployment for early leavers; early experiences of unemployment have lasting effects for early leavers; university continuation rates are strong for Year 12 completers; many who initially defer, enrol in post-school study the following year; apprenticeships and traineeships are increasingly important sources of training for school completers; and completion of Year 12 or a post-school qualification leads to improved employment outcomes. The results highlight the importance of preventative measures in the school system, the need for continuing support for the development of young people's lifelong learning foundation skills at school, and continuing to recognise and reinforce the important role of apprenticeships and other VET certificate courses as viable pathways to employment, particularly for early school leavers.

Earlier reports are indexed at TD/TNC 84.165 and TD/TNC 84.166. Show less

The purpose of this study, commissioned by the TAFE Board of Victoria in consultation with the TAFE National Centre for Research and Development, was to establish attrition rates and students' reasons for withdrawal from statewide accredited courses in all vocational streams, and a sample of stream 4,000 programs, particularly post-trade programs, to establish the implications of those rates and reasons for the delivery, development and evaluation of TAFE courses, and to commence a longitudinal study to follow persisters through to course completion and examine the processes leading to student withdrawal throughout course duration. The study was underaken by the Curriculum and Training Division, Moorabin College of TAFE. Volume one contains the report on the 1986 survey of attrition rates and reasons for withdrawal from statewide vocational courses and volume two contains the literature review.

Contents: Executive summary - 1986 survey of attrition rates and reasons for withdrawal from statewide vocational courses; volume 1 - report on 1986 survey of attrition rates and reasons for withdrawal from statewidevocational courses; volume 2 - appendix 3: literature review; volume 3 - appendix 4: report on quantitative information on attrition rates; volume 4 - appendix 5 : tables - population characteristics; volume 5 - appendix 6: tables - quantitative results. Show less

This study investigates the experiences of adults returning to study mathematics in an adult learning environment. Current government policy aims to increase school retention rates, and the proportion of low socio-economic status school leavers who successfully make the transition to higher education (Skills Victoria, 2010a). The Technical and Further Education (TAFE) system in Australia has a long history of providing adults who experienced school as problematic, with a 'second chance' to complete their general education in a post-school setting. This study seeks to improve understanding of how these policy goals might be achieved, and to contribute to pedagogical debates on how we meet the needs of learners who have experienced social, economic and educational barriers (Kell, 2010). The study explores the factors that influence persistence and non-persistence of second chance learners who chose to study a Year 12 Mathematics subject at the Victorian Certificate of Education level (VCE) at a suburban TAFE Institute.

Year 12 Mathematics presents a significant hurdle for students who may have had a disrupted education, yet is needed for progression into many study and career paths. This study used qualitative semi-structured interviews to gather insight into educational experiences of the three participants who were all enrolled in Year 12 Mathematical Methods. Two students were early school leavers; the third was a school completer returning to study to pursue an alternate career path after ten years in the workforce. The study highlights how the interaction of affective, cognitive and conative factors can influence a student's successful reengagement with a 'hard' Year 12 Mathematics subject.

The outcomes of this study, while small scale, are important for a few reasons. The study contributes to the under-researched field of adults returning to study mathematics at senior secondary level. Students with a clear sense of agency, who have developed a strategic approach to learning, are able to overcome significant deficits of prior knowledge and successfully complete an academic Year 12 subject. Teachers in both secondary school and TAFE need to make the link between effort and learning explicit for students at all levels. The study also has implications for the recent punitive education policies of the Australian State and Commonwealth governments. Time is a critical factor in the development of an incremental mindset, and the associated sense of agency, needed to enable second chance learners to successfully reengage with school mathematics. For some adults this process may take years.

Excerpts from published abstract.

This thesis was submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education by Research, Monash University, September 2011. Show less