Education Commons^™

The Occupations And Earnings Of Young Australians : The Role Of Education And Training, Gary Marks

LSAY Research Reports

This report investigates the effect of post-secondary education and training on the occupation and earnings of young people. The majority of young Australians undertake further education and training after leaving school, and it is important to better understand the pathways that they follow, and the impact of different types of experience on the early career. Such analyses can help young people in choosing appropriate programs as well as assist policy makers in identifying resource priorities. They can also contribute to debates about the role of education in promoting social mobility and economic development. The data analysed are from a sample …

Career Advice In Australian Secondary Schools: Use And Usefulness, Sheldon Rothman, Kylie Hillman

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines young people’s participation in career advice activities while at school and their perceptions of the usefulness of the advice they receive. The data are from the 2003 15 yearold cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY). Most members of this LSAY Y03 cohort were in Year 10 in 2003. The present report examines how much career advice students accessed in Years 10, 11 and 12 across three years of data collection (2003–2005). A smaller group of the cohort is followed each year; this group was in Year 10 in 2003, Year 11 in 2004, and …

School Non-Completers: Profiles And Initial Destinations, David D. Curtis, Julie Mcmillan

LSAY Research Reports

This study examines non-completion of Year 12 at school for a nationally representative sample of young people who were 15 years old and still attending school in 2003. The study explores relationships between non-completion and selected socio-demographic and school-related factors, and changes in rates of school non-completion from the early 1980s to 2005. There is a particular emphasis on how socio-demographic and school-related factors over that period have influenced early school leaving. This study also examines the use of an alternative measure of ‘school completion’, which incorporates participation in a vocational education and training program after leaving school.

Vet Pathways Taken By School Leavers, David D. Curtis

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the vocational education and training (VET) pathways pursued by young people since leaving school. It investigates the characteristics of those who pursue VET, their persistence in those programs, and the labour force and related outcomes that they experience following their VET participation. The investigation uses data collected as part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program. It is based on survey data collected annually since 1995 from young people who were in Year 9 at school at that time (the Y95 cohort). Their progress through school, into any postschool education they had undertaken by 2001 …

Completing University : Characteristics And Outcomes Of Completing And Non Completing Students, Gary Marks

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the factors that influence course completion by young Australians who commence university. It also documents the labour market outcomes of those who enrol at a university but who leave before obtaining a qualification. University education involves substantial public and private resources. It is important, therefore, to better understand the factors associated with course completion, and whether even a partial experience of university study may be beneficial in opening up other pathways. The report analyses data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program to address these questions. The data are from a sample of young people …

Movement Of Non-Metropolitan Youth Towards The Cities, Kylie Hillman, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Research Reports

This report focuses on a group of young people who were living in non-metropolitan areas in their final years of secondary school, and the pathways they followed in the years following secondary school, including their geographic mobility and participation in education, training and employment. Rural communities have long felt concern about the rate at which young people leave for urban areas, many never to return. This report analyses the issues involved by mapping the experiences of the same group of young people over an extended period of time. The authors investigate what pathways non-metropolitan youth follow in the years after …

The Transition To Full-Time Work Of Young People Who Do Not Go To University, Gary Marks

LSAY Research Reports

This report focuses on the transition to full-time employment of young people who do not go to university. The majority of Australia's school leavers do not enrol in university, and it is important to better understand the pathways that they follow. The report uses a substantial longitudinal dataset to map the dynamics of the youth labour market, and identify the factors that are important in securing full-time work. The group analysed were part of a national sample of 13,613 young people who were first surveyed in Year 9 in 1995. The report follows them through to 2002 when their average …

Variations In Vet Provision Across Australian Schools And Their Effects On Student Outcomes, Stephen Lamb, Margaret Vickers

LSAY Research Reports

The aim of this report is to develop a school-based typology that captures some of the variation in VET provision across Australian schools. Models of VET provision are constructed using information on system-level policies, obtained from state and territory curriculum authorities, and information on school-level delivery derived from a national survey of schools and students. The report not only focuses on the types or models of VET provision, but also their impact on school completion rates and on initial post-school outcomes for different groups of students. The results suggest that whereas schools adopting the integrated models of VET tended to …

Non-Apprenticeship Vet Courses : Participation, Persistence And Subsequent Pathways., Julie Mcmillan, Sheldon Rothman, Nicole Wernert

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines recent school leavers who commenced non-apprenticeship VET courses in Australia during the late 1990s. The focus is on the early post-school years, up to age 20. The report has two broad aims: to describe the educational, training and labour market pathways of non-apprenticeship VET course entrants; and to identify factors associated with persistence in non-apprenticeship VET courses. The report uses data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) to address each of these aims. The findings are based upon a sample of young people who had been in Year 9 in 1995 and who commenced a …

Participation In And Progress Through New Apprenticeships, John Ainley, Matthew Corrigan

LSAY Research Reports

New Apprenticeships provide a pathway from school to adult working life for a significant proportion of each cohort of young people and thus make a potentially important contribution to the formation of skills for individuals and for the community as a whole. New Apprenticeships are based on a formal combination of study and work that links learning in the workplace with learning in an educational institution. They incorporate both traditional apprenticeships and traineeships. This report focuses on two broad research questions : What are the characteristics of young people who commence a New Apprenticeship overall, as well as of those …

Unmet Demand? Characteristics And Activities Of University Applicants Not Offered A Place, Gary Marks

LSAY Research Reports

This report focuses on Year 12 students who apply to go to university but are not offered a place. This group is commonly referred to as indicating a level of 'unmet demand' for university. The size and nature of the group are potentially important considerations in planning higher education. [p.v]

Young People Outside The Labour Force And Full-Time Education : Activities And Profiles, Kylie Hillman

LSAY Research Reports

This report focuses on a group of young people who are not involved in full-time education or the labour force, that is, they are not studying full-time, nor are they working or looking for work. The report has three broad aims : to investigate the socio-demographic and educational profiles of those young people; to investigate the activities of this group; and to investigate the stability over time of the group. [Extract, ed]

Life Satisfaction Of Young Australians : Relationships Between Further Education, Training And Employment And General And Career Satisfaction, Kylie Hillman, Julie Mcmillan

LSAY Research Reports

This report has three broad aims : To describe the relationship between life satisfaction and participation in a range of post-school education, training and labour market activities each year between 1999 and 2002; To assess whether the relationship between life satisfaction and post-school activities holds after prior levels of life satisfaction are taken into account; To assess whether movement between activities in the post-school years is associated with changes in life satisfaction. [p.v]

Pathways From School To Further Education Or Work : Examining The Consequences Of Year 12 Course Choices, Sue Thomson

LSAY Research Reports

Particular subjects or subject combinations are traditionally more likely to act as gateways to higher education or to vocational education and training, while other combinations are more likely to lead to the workforce or perhaps to unemployment. In general, tertiary or vocational qualifications facilitate the transition to work, and graduates earn significantly more than those who enter the workforce directly from school. However, some groups of students are less likely to participate in further education and training, including low achievers and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The literature has pointed to differences in curriculum participation according to background variables such …

Attitudes, Intentions And Participation, Siek Toon Khoo, John Ainley

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the relationship between students' attitudes to school and intentions to participate in education and training, and the influence of these attitudes and intentions on participation in Year 12 and in further education and training. Students' attitudes to school, educational intentions and attainments are considered in the context of earlier school achievement, social background, geographic location, language background and gender. These factors are related to attitudes, intentions and participation. [p.1]

Assessing The Value Of Additional Years Of Schooling For The Non Academically Inclined, Alfred Dockery

LSAY Research Reports

This paper seeks to assess the benefits of additional years of schooling for those Australian youth who are not well suited to further education. This has a very important policy context as school retention rates have increased markedly over recent decades and many traditional VET pathways have disappeared. Raising the compulsory schooling age is regularly put forward as a policy response to high youth unemployment rates. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence available to show how this may impact on those affected. If, for some segments of a cohort, schooling does largely serve as a signalling mechanism, then …

Course Change And Attrition From Higher Education, Julie Mcmillan

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the pathways of recent school leavers who enter the higher education sector in Australia. The focus is on the first three years after completing senior secondary school. The report has four broad aims: to provide estimates of the proportions of entrants who change courses or leave the higher education sector before completing a course; to identify factors associated with course change within the higher education sector; to identify factors associated with attrition from the higher education sector; and to examine the initial education, training and labour market destinations of those who leave the higher education sector before …

The First Year Experience : The Transition From Secondary School To University And Tafe In Australia, Kylie Hillman

LSAY Research Reports

This report examined the experiences of young people during their first year of tertiary education. The data used in this report are drawn from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), which study the progress of cohorts of young Australians as they make the transition from secondary school to work and further education and training, beginning in Year 9. The group of young people who were in Year 9 in 1998, and who first entered tertiary education during 2002, are the focus of this report. Three sets of questions form the basis of the report. How satisfied are university and …

What Do We Know About The Experiences Of Australian Youth? An Easy Reference Guide To Longitudinal Surveys Of Australian Youth Research Reports, 1996–2003, Robyn Penman

LSAY Research Reports

This reference guide is not simply a summary of each report – rather the findings from 36 reports have been summarised thematically to show what we know about the experiences of Australian youth as they move through education and training into the labour market and adult life. The bracketed notations in the right hand margin indicate the report number and the relevant page(s) on which each piece of information is based and where further information can be found.

The Job Finding Methods Of Young People In Australia : An Analysis Of The Longitudinal Surveys Of Australian Youth, Year 9 (1995) Sample, Alfred Dockery, Rob Strathdee

LSAY Research Reports

Recent changes in occupational structure and the declining demand in the labour market for young people, have made it more difficult for school-leavers to find employment. In response to this, policy makers have focused attention on firstly identifying and then removing barriers to school-leavers finding work. This analysis focuses on early labour market entrants; those school-leavers who went directly from secondary school into the labour force, either into work or in search of work, rather than on to further studies. Data was collected from 1995-2000.

Influences On Achievement In Literacy And Numeracy, Sheldon Rothman, Julie Mcmillan

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the influence of a range of factors on the literacy and numeracy achievement levels of Year 9 students in Australia. The data were obtained from students in the first wave of LSAY and were analysed using hierarchical linear modelling to account for the sample design of LSAY. Modelling procedures followed a theoretical construct, incorporating variables believed to be important influences on achievement in literacy and numeracy. In addition, variables were selected to ensure consistency between cohorts and between literacy and numeracy. Included in the analyses were variables relating to students (gender, Indigenous background, language background, home location), …

A 'Causal' Estimate Of The Effect Of Schooling On Full-Time Employment Among Young Australians, Chris Ryan

LSAY Research Reports

This paper exploits a policy change that occurred in South Australia in the mid 1980s to generate a 'causal' estimate of the effect of schooling on full-time employment outcomes. The Early Years of School policy changed the way that an identifiable subset of students progressed through junior primary school, causing them to obtain an additional year of schooling for any completed grade or level compared with their predecessors. The policy affected individuals born in specific months of the year (most of those born in October to February inclusive and some of those born in July to September inclusive) whereas individuals …

Dynamics Of The Australian Youth Labour Market : The 1975 Cohort, 1996-2000, Gary Marks, Kylie Hillman, Adrian Beavis

LSAY Research Reports

Over the last three decades, the transition from full-time education to full-time work has been characterised as problematic for a significant proportion of young adults. It is often argued that a high proportion of young people continually move between unemployment, part-time work, low status full-time work and withdrawal from the labour force. Young people are viewed as ‘significant losers’ from changes in the labour force that have occurred over recent decades (Spierings, 1999).

This report focuses on labour market dynamics between the ages of 20 and 25 for a cohort of young people born in 1975. The early 20s is …

Active Citizenship And The Secondary School Experience : Community Participation Rates Of Australian Youth, Kevin Brown, Carla Lipsig-Mumme, Grazyna Zajdow

LSAY Research Reports

This project explores the relationship between volunteering, active citizenship and community participation for young Australians.

Patterns Of Participation In Year 12, Sue Fullarton, Maurice Walker, John Ainley, Kylie Hillman

LSAY Research Reports

The focus of this report is on participation in the final year of school. At present a little less than three-quarters of young Australians remain at school to Year 12. This report documents the differences in Year 12 participation rates between males and females, socioeconomic background, cultural background, and earlier school achievement. There are also differences associated with school sector and location. [Executive summary, ed]

School Leavers In Australia : Profiles And Pathways, Julie Mcmillan, Gary Marks

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the process of school leaving and the transition from school to post-school education, training and the labour market. A major focus of the report is young people who do not stay on to complete senior secondary school, as this group is often perceived 'at risk' of experiencing a problematic transition. In particular, the following research questions are addressed: What are the influences on non-completion, and have these influences changed over the past two decades? What are the early post-school experiences of school non-completers, and how do these differ from those of young people who complete Year 12? …

Student Workers In High School And Beyond : The Effects Of Part-Time Employment On Participation In Education, Training And Work, Margaret Vickers, Stephen Lamb, John Hinkley

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the effects of part-time student employment on participation and attrition in secondary school and in tertiary study, and on post-school activities of young people. The first part of the report begins with an examination of part-time work during Year 9, and looks at the possible effects of working during Year 9 on Year 12 completion, and the relationships between Year 9 employment and the main activity young people pursue in the first few years beyond school. The second part focuses on the part-time employment activities of full-time tertiary students. it asks whether involvement in part-time work might …

Achievement In Literacy And Numeracy By Australian 14 Year-Olds, 1975-1998, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Research Reports

This LSAY research report examines student achievement scores on tests of reading comprehension and mathematics from five studies conducted between 1975 and 1998. The data are from five studies involving young people in Australian schools: the Australian Studies in School Performance in 1975, the Australian Studies of Student Performance in 1980, the 1989 Youth in Transition study and the 1995 and 1998 Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth studies. The report examines literacy and numeracy trends for all students and for smaller groups of students, with results reported by gender, language background, socioeconomic status and location. Multivariate analyses examine how influences …

Becoming An Adult : Leaving Home, Relationships And Home Ownership Among Australian Youth, Kylie Hillman, Gary Marks

LSAY Research Reports

Most studies on the transition from school implicitly assume that adulthood is reached upon gaining full-time work. This report focuses on other aspects of adulthood: moving out of home, establishing a relationship, and buying a house. The report documents the incidence of these events over time and analyses their relationship with social background, demographic and labour market factors. The study uses data from the four Youth in Transition cohorts born in 1961, 1965, 1970 and 1975. [Author abstract]

Student Engagement With School : Individual And School-Level Influences, Sue Fullarton

LSAY Research Reports

In this report, which examines the engagement of young people with school, engagement is defined through Finn's taxonomy of engagement or participatory behaviours, which examines students' level of participation in the extracurricular activities offered to them by their schools. Major findings from the investigation show that between-school differences account for almost 9% of the variation in students engagement levels; the overall level of student engagement in the school was a strong predictor of student-level engagement; gender, parents' educational level, student perceptions of school climate, self-concept of ability and intrinsic motivation were all found to have an effect on individual engagement, …