Indigenous students’ aspirations: dreams, perceptions and realities [EIP 05/01]
This report investigates Indigenous school students’ aspirations relating to schooling and further education. It also identifies these young people’s barriers to further education and training and the nature and usefulness of the careers advice they receive.
Abstract
The report is based on a survey of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students from a sample of 17 secondary schools in WA, Queensland and New South Wales as well as focus groups with students, parents and career advisers and some semi-structured interviews with year 11 and year 12 indigenous students. Almost two thirds of respondents were from rural areas and just over one third were from urban areas. The research asked students about what they planned to do when they left school, how relevant their current studies were to what they aspired to do, the barriers they identified to participation in schooling and further education, the role of self-concept, the family environment, where they got career advice and how useful this advice was. The study surveyed both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and therefore their responses are compared to see if there were differences in aspiration and preferences in regard to schooling, further education and employment and the influences on the choices they want to make. The study also identified perceptions held by parents of Indigenous students in relation to the value of further education to their children’s later employment and community life, sources and quality of career’s advice and their views on barriers to their children’s success. This research was funded under the Evaluations and Investigations Programme (EIP).
Author(s)
Rhonda Craven; Adrian Tucker; Geoff Munns; John Hinkley and others;
Self-concept Enhancement and Learning Facilitation (SELF) Research Centre, University of Western Sydney
Publication Details
| Type : |
Reports |
| Published : |
19/7/2005 |
Topics Covered
| Sectors : |
| Career development |
| Higher education |
| Indigenous education |
| School education |
|
| Detailed :
|
| Career choices |
| Equity and access |
| Parents and community |
| Rural, regional and remote |
| Student views |
|
Availability
Executive summary: download PDF 
(165.8 KB, 26 pages)
Executive summary: download RTF 
(506.7 KB, 26 pages)
Full report: download PDF (2.0 MB, 224 pages)
Full report: download RTF (5.8 MB, 224 pages)
Not published in hard copy format