Youth Research News Vol 10 No 3; November 2000

In This Issue

• Regional and Rural Education and Development
• Publications
• Babes in the Bush
• Project Update
• YRC Staff News

Regional and Rural Education and Development

The Youth Research Centre's commitment to rural and regional research and development has been recognised by the faculty through the appointment of Johanna Wyn to the position of Assistant Dean (Regional). The Dean of Education, Professor Brian Caldwell, following the practice in several other faculties, has created a number of Assistant Dean positions to provide leadership in areas of priority in the faculty. Maxine Cooper has been appointed to the position of Assistant Dean (Professional Partnerships), Dianne Chambers fills the position of Assistant Dean (Information Technology) and David Clarke has taken up the position of

Assistant Dean (Innovation). The role of Assistant Dean (Regional) is largely focussed on the development and implementation of the faculty's contribution to the University's Goulburn Valley initiative.

At this stage, the University's contribution to rural and regional education, research and development, based in the Goulburn Valley Region is being shaped by three faculties: Education, Medicine and the Institute of Land and Food Resources. The initiative is receiving an enthusiastic response from staff across the faculty of Education, who can see the opportunity to collaborate (for example, across health and education), to develop partnerships (including a regional key learning network) and to further rural and regional research (through the strengthening of a rural research site). The Goulburn Valley initiative provides an opportunity for the faculty's rural and regional research and development profile to be enhanced and for teacher education and research students to work in the region.

Publications:

Discovering Democracy in Action: Learning from School Practice

This is a report from 25 Victorian schools about the practices developed and the lessons learnt during the Civics and Citizenship Education project. It provides, in practical and useful terms, school-based insights into ways of developing Civics and Citizenship Education in your school!

Flyer enclosed to order your free copy!

LSAY Research Report No 16, Melbourne, ACER

Non-completion of School in Australia:
The Changing Patterns of Participation and Outcomes

Stephen Lamb, Peter Dwyer and Johanna Wyn

Finishing Year 12 has become even more important for young people seeking work.

The proportion of young people who completed Year 12 doubled from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, and those who left school early during the 1990s. Young people who leave school before completing Year 12 were more at risk of unemployment during the mid-1990s than during the 1980s.

The report, Non-completion of school in Australia: The changing patterns of participation and outcomes, was released by the Australian Council for Educational Research in October.

The proportion of early school leavers declined substantially from about 65 per cent to 25 per cent between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s. The smaller group of young people who did not complete Year 12 in the mid-1990s experienced longer periods of unemployment.

The percentage of those males who did not complete Year 12 who were unemployed for most of their first post-school year doubled between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s from 14 to 30 per cent. This change in the prevalence of unemployment occurred despite the much smaller numbers of non-completers in the mid-1990s. The situation for females was similar, with 23 per cent of those who did not complete Year 12 being unemployed for most of their first post-school year in the early 1980s compared to 37 per cent in the mid-1990s.

This report has made it clear that those who do not complete school find it hard to gain secure jobs and face a greater risk of exclusion in a society that requires active learning well beyond the school years. Its particularly important that we develop policies that encourage young people to complete Year 12 and improve their opportunities for further learning, says Dr Phillip McKenzie, Deputy Head of Policy Research at ACER.

The combined effects of labour market changes, economic recession and changes in income support and curriculum policy helped to keep young people at school during the 1980s and early 1990s.

In the mid-1990s a higher proportion of students completed Year 12 than in the early 1980s. In 1982, about 35 percent completed Year 12, and by 1994, the proportion had doubled to 76 per cent. The gap between those who did and did not complete Year 12 narrowed most among those from low socio-economic backgrounds, and those from government schools.

Despite these substantial improvements, the main indicators of non-completion stayed the same. Those who do not complete Year 12 are still more likely to be from lower socio-economic status backgrounds, rural areas, and government schools. They were more often young people with low levels of achievement in literacy and numeracy, especially among males.

Some gaps even increased. For example, compared to the early 1980s, non-completers in the mid-1990s were more likely to come from rural areas.

The main reasons given by young people for not completing Year 12 focus on getting a job or an apprenticeship or earning some money. In the early 1980s, 67 per cent of males reported this as their main reason for not completing school. The rate in the mid-1990s remained almost the same, 65 per cent.

Negative experiences of school are increasingly a motivation for young people to leave school before completing Year 12. In the early 1980s 16 per cent of males said their main reason for not completing Year 12 was that they did not like school or they were not good enough at school work. By the mid-1990s, 21 per cent cited this reason. For females, the rate increased from 24 percent to 27 per cent in the early 1990s.

Those who do not finish school are often those who do not do well at school. Raising the levels of achievement of those at risk is essential, Dr McKenzie said. We also need to make sure that those who do not complete school have opportunities later on to re-enter education and training.

It is also important to ensure that young people are not just participating in education and training to occupy their time but are engaged in programs that are appealing, relevant to their futures, and which promote skills and knowledge that will ensure their long-term employability and active participation in society, Dr McKenzie said.

The report also emphasised the important role played by apprenticeships in providing a structured pathway to employment for those who did not complete Year 12. However, this was more so for males than females, with relatively few apprenticeships being taken up by girls in the mid-1990s.

The study looked at approximately 5300 students from the 1980s and 1990s. Current ACER research is following up the employment outcomes of young people who left school in the late 1990s

The report forms part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program, which is jointly managed by ACER and the Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA). The report was written in conjunction with the Youth Research Centre of the University of Melbourne.

For further information, contact Ms Julia Robinson, ACER Communications and Project Publishing Manager, (03) 9277 5561.

The full report will be available on the ACER web site (www.acer.edu.au) on 19 October 2000.

Copies may also be purchased from ACER Press Customer Service (ALSA16; $40, plus $5.50 p&h);

telephone (03) 9835 7447; fax (03) 9835 7499; email: sales@acer.edu.au

Babes in the Bush:
Youth, Gender and Identity among Young Rural Women

Dr Glenda Jones has recently completed her Ph.D. at the Youth Research Centre. She recently spoke to Chris Ettery from the Faculty of Education about her thesis and the experience of completing a Ph.D.

What prompted your study of Babes in the Bush?

It was a mixture of being pragmatic and satisfying my academic intentions. Being based in northern Tasmania I wanted to study in my local area. I was also aware there is a deficit of studies in the rural environment. In a way it was turning my situation to my advantage. I am also a committed feminist and wanted to do work which encompassed my views.

How did you conduct the research?

I interviewed a couple of young females in a rural area over a period of three and a half years. The intention of the Ph.D. was to look specifically at how the participants grew up in a rural environment: the public (school, college, university) and the private aspects (relationships, push and pull factors) of their lives. These aspects have been analysed together and give a fuller picture of why decisions were made. Demographic data were studied to look at general trends which could be compared and contrasted with their experiences to see any correlation.

What problems have you encountered?

The loneliness of a Ph.D. student is difficult. Johanna Wyn (Director, Youth Research Centre and thesis supervisor) was brilliant at keeping me enthusiastic and motivated to continue the work. The upside of this individuality is the immense satisfaction felt when the Ph.D. is completed and finished.

What are your future plans?

I am following up with this work with a study on youth transition programs. I am looking at migration trends of pupils after they have left a deprived school in rural Tasmania. This programme initially started in 1995. I will be using the raw data collected to identify and analyse the trends shown. The longitudinal aspect to this work made it attractive.

The whole interview can be read in Melbourne Education - A publication of the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. Issue: 3

Project Update

Student Welfare Initiative Evaluation Project

Helen Cahill, Johanna Wyn and Emma Goedemanns are currently engaged in series of focus groups and interviews with students, staff and school leaders in ten Catholic schools, exploring issues related to school relationships, self-regard, help-seeking and engagement in learning. In addition, participants in the Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Studies (Student Welfare) are reporting on the challenges and opportunities associated with promoting social and mental health in the school setting.

Strategies for Engaging At Risk Young People to Year 12

Helen Stokes from the Youth Research Centre and Dev Mukherjee and Joan Brown from ACEE presented the findings of the project to DETYA in Canberra on 23rd October. The project has been looking at the perspectives of 1399 young people in regard to education, work and lifestyle issues. The final report is still being finalised and should be available towards the end of the year through the DETYA website. Details will follow when they are available.

New Projects

Evaluation of the Pathways Project

Helen Stokes, Debra Tyler and Roger Holdsworth have been contracted to carry out the evaluation of Phase 1 of the Education Department's Pathways Project. The project is designed to assist 15-19 year olds negotiate a Pathway Plan, these young people may be in a school or other educational setting or outside of education. Pathway Plans are seen as a tool to encourage all 15-19 year olds to carefully consider and negotiate their future pathways through school or other locations and beyond. Twelve areas of high need have been selected in Victoria for the project: Metropolitan- Casey/Dandenong, Hume, Frankston/Peninsula, Moreland and Yarra Ranges; Rural and Regional- Ballarat, Central Goldfields/Mt Alexander, Delatite/Wangaratta, East Gippsland, Greater Geelong, La Trobe and Mildura. Each of the 12 program areas will develop their own Pathways Network which is expected to demonstrate a cross sectoral representation from education, training, employers and community representatives.

Members of the evaluation team plan to have contact with each program area three times. The first contact will focus on processes involved in the formation of the Networks, and the evaluation team will talk mainly with Network members from various sectors; the second contact will focus on processes for identifying and developing individual student programs, and team members will interview students, parents where appropriate, and the Pathways Negotiators; and the third contact will focus on the outcomes for young people, schools and communities, and team members will interview across a range of local project personnel and participants.

The team will provide informal advice to Networks and the Department about processes, and will produce two Issues Papers for discussion by and comment from participants. In addition, a Final Report including Recommendations will be produced to inform and support the development of future Project Phases.

Phase 1 of the project finishes in March, 2001.

Middle Years Research

Helen Cahill is currently working with a team of researchers from Deakin University including Damien Ridge, Margaret Sheehan and Danielle Elisha to explore issues related to transition to high school, engagement in learning and help-seeking. The research includes a series of focus groups and drama workshops with students in Years Six, Seven and Nine.

Professional Development

Helen Cahill has provided three days of training for the team of 40 educators and support staff who will assist with implementation of the Tasmanian Health and Wellbeing strategy. This strategy is a holistic approach to the four health strategies for schools driven by Commonwealth Health and Aged Care encompassing Mental Health Promotion, Suicide Prevention, Drug Education and Sexual Health. The training included two days of focus on MindMatters: a mental health education resource for secondary schools and a day exploring issues in drug education. Helen will work with Tasmanian school Principals on a district by district basis to raise awareness amongst school leaders about the importance of a supportive environment and a holistic approach to promoting student wellbeing.

Helen has also delivered keynote addresses and workshops on mental health promotion in school settings in a range of locations including Hartz District Tasmania, Ballarat, Sale, Lakes Entrance, Warrnambool, and Colac.

YRC Staff News

Peter Dwyer is back from overseas where he attended two conferences. He reports that the first was NYRIS 7 Symposium Making and Breaking Borders in Helsinki. The work of the YRC was remarked on in the opening keynote address and in some of the paper presentations. This conference also was well attended by various colleagues and provided Peter with the opportunity to meet up again with Kåre Heggen from Norway, and Sinnikka Aaopola from Finland who will be visiting the YRC over the summer vacation.

The second conference was the annual workshop of Transitions in Youth - a group of European researchers who work on large-scale data bases or with longitudinal studies devoted to transition issues. The meeting was held in Antwerp and provided an opportunity to compare notes with fellow researchers from Europe - even though there was more of a preoccupation with statistical and methodology matters than he would have liked. Currently, Peter is completing two major projects - our longitudinal ARC Life Patterns Project, and the NCVER study of Successful VET Graduates. This is the final year of the large ARC study; this year's survey results are now complete and a summary should be available soon on our website.

Roger Woock, Senior Fellow in the YRC, recently attended the Comparative Education Society in Europe annual conference in Bologna, Italy. Roger and Fiona Clyne delivered a paper titled Internationalising Student Experience in Australian Universities. The paper was based on research for the ARC funded project Internationalising Higher Education for which both Roger and Fiona are researchers. The paper identified recent developments and programs supporting the international experience of students at Australian universities. These developments were linked to the concept of the new internationalist developed by Pierre Bourdieu.

Michael Crowhurst, PhD student at the YRC, presented and was on the organising committee (with Mic Emslie) of the New Work New Work community conference hosted by the teacher and youth worker group context (www.vicnet.net.au/~context). The day focused on current research and practice around gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender young people. It was attended by 120 people including academics, bureaucrats, youth workers, teachers, parents, activists and young people. Many concerns surfaced during the day but perhaps one of the most pressing was the need for a co-ordinated approach to pressuring for change around these issues. Many participants at the conference indicated on their feedback forms a willingness to become involved in such work.

Helen Stokes conducted a one-day workshop for Achieving Together in the Wimmera on Wednesday 11 October in Horsham. The workshop centred on issues of schools and communities working together. Around 50 schools, agencies and departmental personnel attended from Horsham and other smaller towns in the Wimmera region.

Prior to the workshop Helen addressed the Regional Youth Committee in Horsham, giving an update on the latest research from the YRC, with emphasis on rural issues.