Young people and the final year of secondary schooling: identity, aspirations, and future orientation

Abstract

The rapid expansion of tertiary participation in Australia over the last two decades has led to heightened attention to the final years of schooling. This has significant implications for the individual, institutional, and social demands young people experience whilst participating in senior-secondary curriculum. To better understand these matters, this thesis employed a qualitative longitudinal approach to explore young people's narratives over the duration of their final year of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). The study comprised repeat interviews, focus groups and blog posts from thirteen Year 12 students attending three contrasting co-educational, government secondary schoo..