What has LSAY found?
Sheldon Rothman
Principal Research Fellow
What has LSAY found?
• The First Year Experience
• Attitudes, Intentions and Participation
• General findings of LSAY
The First Year Experience
• Examines the transition from Year 12 to
the first year of post-school study
• Combines university and TAFE study
• Who stays / changes / leaves? Why?
• How do members of equity groups fare?
Satisfaction + difficulties
• High overall levels of satisfaction among
those who stayed to end of the first year
Satisfaction + difficulties
100
90
80
70
Strongly agree
60
50
Agree
40
30
20
10
TAFE
University
0
Like being
student
Student life
suits you
Like campus
atmosphere
Lived up to
expectations
Made close
friends
Satisfaction + difficulties
• High overall levels of satisfaction among
those who stayed to end of the first year
• Some areas of difficulty reported:
• Juggling study and work
• Time for other activities
Satisfaction + difficulties
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Fees/costs
Work/study
Part-time
Full-time
Family/study
Looking
Not looking
No main difficulty
Satisfaction + difficulties
• High overall levels of satisfaction among
those who stayed to end of the first year
• Some areas of difficulty reported:
• Juggling study and work
• Time for other activities
• Higher satisfaction levels among those
not working and those working part-time
Satisfaction + difficulties
‘Paying course and other fees,
purchasing books and other materials,
and managing accommodation and
transport costs are burdens that most
students are willing to shoulder,
provided that they are satisfied with
their learning, mixing well with other
students and fell that they are a
member of a community.’
Enrolment changes
in the first year
•
•
•
•
1% changed institution
2% changed course
6% withdrew
4% deferred (after starting)
Reasons for withdrawal:
‘a consideration’
80
70
77
60
50
54
40
30
34
20
23
23
10
0
Not what
wanted
Lost
interest
Juggling
Get
job/appren study/work
Career
prospects
20
Financial
Reasons for withdrawal:
‘main reason’
80
70
77
60
50
40
30
54
39
20
19
10
0
34
11
Not what
wanted
Lost
interest
23
23
4
1
4
Career
prospects
Financial
Juggling
Get
job/appren study/work
20
How do interests affect
decisions about tertiary study?
•
•
•
•
Main reasons for changing institution
Main reasons for changing course
Main reasons for withdrawing from study
Main reasons for deferring study
Findings for equity groups:
Continuing in first course
100
90
80
70
81
79
81
83
91
85
86
76
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
All
Low SES
Rural
SWD
NESB
Women
Males
Indigenous
Findings for equity groups:
Main points
• Low-SES: fees and family commitments
• Disability: balance between study and
other commitments
• NESB: remain in first course, but no
difference in satisfaction
Findings for equity groups:
Main points
• Women: generally fitting in well
• Men: balance between study and other
commitments
Findings for equity groups:
Main points
• Rural and isolated: study-related costs
• Indigenous: withdrawal, study-related
costs and commitments
Findings for equity groups:
Main points
• Although students from some groups
continue to be underrepresented in
tertiary study, they report levels of
satisfaction and difficulties similar to
those of other first year students
Findings for all
first-year students
• General satisfaction
• Enrolment changes related to interests
• Difficulties generally related to juggling
study and other commitments
• Once in, equity groups fit in well
Attitudes, Intentions
and Participation
• What are the effects of attitudes to
school on intention to complete Year 12
and on actual participation in Year 12?
• How much do attitudes to school
influence participation directly, and how
much do they operate through
intentions to participate?
Theory of Planned Behaviour
Attitudes
Subjective norm
Perceived control
Intentions
Behaviour
Theory of Planned Behaviour
Attitudes
Subjective norm
Perceived control
Intentions
Behaviour
Theory of Planned Behaviour
Attitudes
Subjective norm
Perceived control
Intentions
Behaviour
Theory of Planned Behaviour
Attitudes
Subjective norm
Perceived control
Intentions
Behaviour
Theory of Planned Behaviour
Attitudes
Subjective norm
Perceived control
Intentions
Behaviour
Attitudes, intention and
participation in Year 12
Background:
location, language,
parent education,
SES, gender
Attitudes to school
Year 9
achievement:
literacy, numeracy
Intention to
do Year 12
Participation
in Year 12
Attitudes, intention and
participation in Year 12
Background:
location, language,
parent education,
SES, gender
Attitudes to school
Year 9
achievement:
literacy, numeracy
Intention to
do Year 12
Participation
in Year 12
Attitudes, intention and
participation in university
Background:
location, language,
parent education,
SES, gender
Attitudes to school
Year 9
achievement:
literacy, numeracy
Intention to
go to uni
Participation
in Year 12
Participation
in university
Results for participation in
Year 12
non-metro
LBOTE
Intention to
do Year 12
parents uni
SES
female
Attitudes to
school
Participation
in Year 12
Year 9 literacy
Year 9 numeracy
Participation
in university
Findings on influences on
continuation in education
• Attitudes predict intention
• Intention predicts participation
• No significant direct effect of attitudes
on participation
• Mediated effect (intention) very strong
Findings on influences on
continuation in education
non-metro
LBOTE
Intention to
do Year 12
parents uni
SES
female
Attitudes to
school
Participation
in Year 12
Year 9 literacy
Year 9 numeracy
Participation
in university
Findings on influences on
continuation in education
• Direct effects on participation
• Literacy and numeracy achievement
• Language background other than
English
• Non-metropolitan locations
Findings on influences on
continuation in education
non-metro
LBOTE
Intention to
do Year 12
parents uni
SES
female
Attitudes to
school
Participation
in Year 12
Year 9 literacy
Year 9 numeracy
Participation
in university
Findings on influences on
continuation in education
• Importance of intentions in later
behaviours
• Intentions mediate between attitudes
(and other factors) and actions
• Positive attitudes to school influence
intentions to participate in postcompulsory years, which in turn
influence participation
Findings on influences on
continuation in education
‘Other things being equal, students who are
positively oriented to their schools and are
actively engaged in its academic work and
other activities are more likely to develop an
intention to continue through school and
beyond. ... Attention to what happens in the
middle and early secondary years of school
can influence educational intentions and
subsequent participation.’
General findings of LSAY
• Importance of a good foundation in
literacy and numeracy
• Timing of school leaving
• Selection of Year 12 subjects
• Scores for university entrance
• Participation in tertiary education
• Employment / unemployment
General findings of LSAY
• Young women have higher participation
in education, but lower job market payoff to education
• Indigenous and rural youth have lower
rates of participation in education
• Family cultural factors more important
than economic factors
General findings of LSAY
• School practices make a difference
• Completing secondary school pays off,
even for low achievers
• A poor start in the job market has longterm costs
• Combining education and work while at
school has benefits
Value of longitudinal studies:
After 7 post-school years ...
19
43
Tertiary graduates
100
Year 10 students
School, study, work
4
7
Currently in study
3
Work & study combined
7
Study, brief interruption/work
3
Study, extended interruption/work
11
7
7
14
Work, study, work
Full-time work
Training then work
Study then work
Brief interruption/work
Non tertiary graduates
7
Extended interruption/work
57
3
Mainly part-time work
4
Mainly unemployed
4
Mainly not-in-labour-force
The latest research reports
The First Year Experience: The Transition from Secondary School to
University and TAFE in Australia, by Kylie Hillman
(LSAY Research Report no 40)
Attitudes, Intentions and Participation,
by Siek Toon Khoo and John Ainley
(LSAY Research Report no 41)
Scheduled for release 29 September 2005
Pathways from School to Further Education and Work: Examining the
Consequences of Year 12 Course Choices, by Sue Thomson
(LSAY Research Report no 42)