Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-g78kv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-28T00:02:15.528Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Who Struggles Most in Making a Career Choice and Why? Findings From a Cross-Sectional Survey of Australian High-School Students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2015

Natal’ya Galliott ,
Linda J. Graham  and
Naomi Sweller
Natal’ya Galliott*
Affiliation:
Department of Education, Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Linda J. Graham
Affiliation:
School of Cultural & Professional Learning, Faculty of Education, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Naomi Sweller
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Natal’ya Galliott (nee Shcherbak), Department of Education, Macquarie University, Rm 807, Building C3A, Macquarie University NSW 2109, Australia. Email: natalya.shcherbak@gmail.com
Get access

Abstract

This article reports findings from an empirical study examining the influence of student background and educational experiences on the development of career choice capability. Secondary school students attending Years 9–12 (N = 706) in New South Wales, Australia, were invited to participate in an online survey that sought to examine factors influencing their readiness to make a career choice. The survey included questions relating to student demographics, parental occupation, attitudes to school and to learning, career aspirations, and students’ knowledge of the further education or skills required to achieve their desired goal. We found no significant differences in the proportions of students who were ‘uncertain’ of their future career aspirations with respect to their individual characteristics, such as age and gender. There were, however, significant differences in relation to students’ family background, and their perceptions associated with their own academic abilities and self-efficacy.

Keywords

youth aspirationscareer educationcareer developmentcareer guidance and counsellingpost-school transitionsstudent backgroundAustralia
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , December 2015 , pp. 133 - 151
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alkire, S. (2005). Subjective quantitative studies of human agency. Social Indicators Research, 74, 217–260. doi:10.1007/s11205-005-6525-0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anyon, J. (1981). Social class and school knowledge. Curriculum Inquiry, 11, 3–42. doi:10.2307/1179509Google Scholar
Apple, M.W. (1972). Community, Knowledge, and the Structure of Disciplines. The Educational Forum, 37, 75–82. doi:10.1080/00131727209339142CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Apple, M.W. (2004). Ideology and curriculum. London: Taylor & Francis.Google Scholar
Applied Economics. (2002). Young persons’ education, training and employment outcomes with special reference to early school leavers. Melbourne, Australia: Business Council of Australia and the Dusseldorp Skills Forum.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010). Schools, Australia. Canberra, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Census dictionary, 2011. Canberra, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). Schools, Australia, 2012. Canberra, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2014). Labour Force, Australia, Nov 2014 (L. Force, Trans.). Canberra, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2012). My school: Guide to understanding ICSEA. Sydney, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Guide_to_understanding_ICSEA.pdf.Google Scholar
Brotherhood of St Laurence. (2014). Australian youth unemployment 2014: Snapshot My Chance, Our Future Youth Employment Campaign. Melbourne, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Bruniges, M. (2001, July). The relationship between assessment and curriculum in improving teaching and learning. Paper presented at the Australasian Curriculum Assessment and Certification Authorities Conference: Bringing Assessment and Curriculum Issues Together, Sydney, Australia.Google Scholar
Burns, A.C., & Bush, R.F. (2010). Marketing research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Correll, S.J. (2001). Gender and the career choice process: The role of biased self-assessments. American Journal of Sociology, 106, 1691–1730. doi:10.1086/321299Google Scholar
Council of Australian Governments. (2009). National Partnership Agreement on Youth Attainment and Transitions. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/npa/skills/youth_attainment_transitions/national_partnership.pdfGoogle Scholar
Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations. (2011). National Partnership on Youth Attainment and Transitions. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.deewr.gov.au/youth/YouthAttainmentandTransitions/Pages/Home.aspxGoogle Scholar
Dockery, A.M. (2005). Assessing the value of additional years of schooling for the non-academically inclined (Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth Research Report 38). Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training and the Australian Council for Educational Research.Google Scholar
Dockery, A.M. (2010). Education and happiness in the school-to-work transition (Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth). Adelaide, Australia: National Centre for Vocational Education Research.Google Scholar
Down, B. (2006). A critical pedagogy of vocational education and training in schools and communities struggling with shifts in the global economy. Learning communities: International Journal of Learning in Social Contexts, 3, 94–120.Google Scholar
Duke, N.K. (2000). For the rich it's richer: Print experiences and environments offered to children in very low-and very high-socioeconomic status first-grade classrooms. American Educational Research Journal, 37, 441–478.Google Scholar
Featherstone, T. (2013, May 11). Gen why: The jobless generation. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from http://aap.newscentre.com.au/cpsunat/130511/library/higher_education/31052031.htmlGoogle Scholar
Gale, T. (2010). Let them eat cake: Mobilising appetites for higher education. Paper presented at the Professorial Address: Knowledge Works Public Lecture Series, Bradley Forum, Hawke Building, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.Google Scholar
Gale, T., & Parker, S. (2015). To aspire: A systematic reflection on understanding aspirations in higher education. The Australian Educational Researcher, 42, 1–15. doi:10.1007/s13384-014-0165-9Google Scholar
Galliott, N., & Graham, L.J. (2014). A question of agency: Applying Sen's theory of human capability to the concept of secondary school student career ‘choice’. International Journal of Research and Method in Education, 37, 270–284.Google Scholar
Generation jobless. (2013, April 27). The Economist, 9, 49.Google Scholar
Gore, J., Holmes, K., Smith, M., Southgate, E., & Albright, J. (2015). Socioeconomic status and the career aspirations of Australian primary and high school students. The Australian Educational Researcher, 42, 155–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graham, L.J., Van Bergen, P., & Sweller, N. (2015). ‘To educate you to be smart’: Disaffected students and the purpose of school in the (not so clever) ‘lucky country’. Journal of Education Policy, 30, 237–257. doi:10.1080/02680939.2014.953596CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hochberg, Y. (1988). A sharper Bonferroni procedure for multiple tests of significance. Biometrika, 75, 800–802.Google Scholar
Keating, J., Savage, G. C., & Polesel, J. (2012). Letting schools off the hook? Exploring the role of Australian secondary schools in the COAG Year 12 attainment agenda. Journal of Education Policy, 28, 268–286. doi:10.1080/02680939.2012.730628Google Scholar
Khoo, S.T., & Ainley, J. (2005). Attitudes, intentions and participation (Research Report 41). Melbourne, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research.Google Scholar
Krejcie, R.V., & Morgan, D.W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607–610.Google Scholar
Lamb, S., & McKenzie, P. (2001). Patterns of success and failure in the transition from school to work in Australia (Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth Research Report 18). Melbourne, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research.Google Scholar
Lamb, S., Walstab, A., Teese, R., Vickers, M., & Rumberger, R. (2004). Staying on at school: Improving student retention in Australia. Brisbane, Australia: Queensland Department of Education & the Arts.Google Scholar
Luke, A., Graham, L. J., Sanderson, D., Voncina, V., & Weir, K. (2006). Curriculum and equity: A review of the international research. Adelaide, Australia: Department of Education and Community Services.Google Scholar
Marks, G. (1998). Attitudes to school life: Their influences and their effects on achievement and leaving school (Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth Research Report 5). Melbourne, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research.Google Scholar
Marks, G. (2010). School sector and socioeconomic inequalities in university entrance in Australia: The role of the stratified curriculum. Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, 16, 23–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMillan, J., Beavis, A., & Jones, F.L. (2009). The AUSEI06: A new socioeconomic index for Australia. Journal of Sociology, 45, 123–149.Google Scholar
McMillan, J., & Marks, G. (2003). School leavers in Australia: Profiles and pathways (Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth Research Report 31). Melbourne, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research.Google Scholar
Mu, G. (2014). Chinese Australians’ Chineseness and their mathematics achievement: the role of habitus. The Australian Educational Researcher, 41, 585–602. doi:10.1007/s13384-014-0152-1Google Scholar
New South Wales Government Education and Communities. (2014, September 10). The new school leaving age: A guide for parents. Retrieved March 2, 2015 from http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/leavingschool/schoolleaveage/investingfuture.phpGoogle Scholar
Noble, G., & Watkins, M. (2009). On the arts of stillness: For a pedagogy of composure. M/C Journal, 12.Google Scholar
Nolan, K., & Anyon, J. (2004). Learning to do time: Willis's model of cultural reproduction in an era of postindustrialism, globalization, and mass incarceration. In Dolby, N. & Dimitriadis, G. (Eds.), Learning to labor in new times (pp. 133–149). London: Taylor & Francis Books.Google Scholar
Pink, B. (2013). Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) 2011. Canberra, Australia: Australian Bureau of Statistics.Google Scholar
Reid, C., & Young, H. (2012). The new compulsory schooling age policy in NSW, Australia: Ethnicity, ability and gender considerations. Journal of Education Policy, 27, 795–814. doi:10.1080/02680939.2012.664287Google Scholar
Saito, M. (2003). Amartya Sen's capability approach to education: A critical exploration. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 37, 17–33.Google Scholar
Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized Self-Efficacy scale. In Weinman, J., Wright, S. & Johnston, M. (Eds.), Measures in health psychology: A user's portfolio. Causal and control beliefs (pp. 35–37). Windsor, UK: NFER-NELSON.Google Scholar
Sen, A. (1995). Inequality reexamined. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Sen, A. (2004). Elements of a theory of human rights. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 32, 315–356.Google Scholar
Sikora, J., & Saha, L.J. (2009). Gender and professional career plans of high school students in comparative perspective. Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, 15, 385–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sikora, J., & Saha, L.J. (2011). Lost talent? The occupational ambitions and attainments of young Australians (Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth). Adelaide, Australia: National Centre for Vocational Education Research.Google Scholar
Tomlinson, S. (2012). The irresistible rise of the SEN industry. Oxford Review of Education, 38, 267–286.Google Scholar
Unterhalter, E. (2003). The capabilities approach and gendered education: An examination of South African complexities. Theory and Research in Education, 1, 7–22. doi:10.1177/1477878503001001002Google Scholar
Walker, M. (2005). Amartya Sen's capability approach and education. Educational Action Research, 13, 103–110. doi:10.1080/09650790500200279Google Scholar
Watkins, M., & Noble, G. (2008). Cultural practices and learning: Diversity, discipline and dispositions in schooling. Sydney, Australia: University of Western Sydney and NSW Department of Education and Training.Google Scholar
Wilson, S.L. (2011). Direct and indirect effects of social class on career expectations and likelihood of compromise in an adolescent sample (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Northern Colorado, CO.Google Scholar