Investigating high school students career choices in an unequally developed economy:

Perspectives from the different rungs of the socioeconomic ladder

NATALYA SHCHERBAK & LINDA GRAHAM

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA

Content
Problem Conceptual framework Methodology Main findings Further research

Problem: background information

Two-speed economy

New South Wales:

~51% of population of employment age rate Highest youth unemployment (up to 40%) Decrease in unemployment is correlated with increase in Disability Support Pension Changes in the ratio of blue collar to white collar occupations

Conceptual Framework
Drawing on ideas of:
Human Development theory Moral education and autonomy Democratic threshold of education

Career choice is a multi-stage formative process involving:

opportunities to discover career options experiences helping to develop the intellectual and technical skills

Main questions of the research project:

Who is and who is not active in career decision-making Difference in their educational experiences

Methodology: Focus Groups

Exploratory Stage Qualitative data collection and analysis 40-60 min group interviews

Participants: 4-6 Year 10 students per focus group Different geographic areas of New South Wales, Australia Different Index of Community SocioEducational Advantage (ICSEA) strata (low to high) All schools - co-educational

Focus on student: Ability to articulate a viable career choice Students perceptions related to school preparation/education Demographics and socioeconomic background

Areas of Discussion
Experiences and doings

Role models

Articulation of Career Choices

Pathways

Good life Have + Do

Career Education
Most disadvantaged schools tend to be targeted by Government initiatives

Schools with middle range ICSEA are often left without action
Delayed career education sessions and advice Less targeted by Government programs

Schools with high ICSEA often rely on parents advice or assume that children will go to Universities to get high status professions

Articulation of Career Choices and Pathways

Students from high ICSEA tended to articulate:
1 career choice (with 1 or several pathways)

Students from low ICSEA tended to articulate:

More than 1 career option, Often in jobs that were unrelated to each other and organised:
1. By preference (interest) and 2. By achievability

Among all groups, regardless of ICSEA:

Some students havent yet got a clear idea of what they want to do Some students wanted to go to University, but didnt know what they wanted to study

Helpful experiences
Bulls eye:
Discovery of opportunities and pathways

Seeing what parents do Goal-setting seminars Visits of Army representatives Experiences provided by parents:
Travelling overseas Visiting museums and historical places

Seeing examples of
other students who already made their career choice people from industry what is happening at University

Scholarship programs to help to decide what to do in future

Career sessions

Personality test
Writing resume Excursions

Role models
Parents and their friends Siblings and their friends Other relatives TV shows (i.e. movies, talk shows) Teachers University/Government initiatives (examples they provide) Work experience
Abby Sciuto (NCIS)

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Good life
A lot of similar goods considered to be necessary to HAVE by all students Some differences in the ways students talked about goods highlight:
different attitudes and the way students adapt to their personal circumstances and life experiences.

Higher ICSEA:
if you at the point where you havent got like enough money to afford a car, you can probably get by by public transport means time, but cars convenient.

Lower ICSEA:
You dont really need a car. If you really wanted one you can go get one if you could afford it.

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Good life
Students from lower ICSEA expressed:
Owning a house or a car as a responsibility having life to buy everything Having a really good proper education Freedom being who you are not being pressured into being someone else

Students from higher ICSEA expressed:

Having a big house isnt important, its more important that you have friends and family with you Having savings (as a way to have less financial pressure and stress) Having steady job and steady income purpose is needed in life. Lots of people get that from their job

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Self in the world

Family values were present in all groups, but expressed in a different way:
Student from lower ICSEA:
To feel good and liked I dont want to be alone. Id like a family. Even if it means living with my parents or anything, I dont want to be on my own.

Student from higher ICSEA:

walking into a house that had a happy family inside, where they were all happy and had what they liked and werent selfish.

Travelling was mentioned in most of the groups:

Student from lower ICSEA:
I want to do something different adopting the children, going overseas, helping people

Student from higher ICSEA:

Travelling as a way to get understanding of the world

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Highlights
Students from different ICSEA backgrounds have different:
Life (and school ) experiences Attitudes and preferences (often adapted to the circumstances)

Role-models (with less reliance on family in low ICSEA)

Schools play a vital role in providing experiences that some families are unable to provide

Different students require different kinds of educational experiences to help them reach the level of Informed Career Choice

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Further research
Career decision-making readiness Awareness and access to different sources of information related to career decision making Career opportunities that students can access Ability to connect school experience to their future careers Quality of school education and career advice received Self-vision:
self-direction, autonomy self-efficacy, self-determination

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Thank you for your time and participation!

Questions?
Natalya.Shcherbak@mq.edu.au

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