This paper argues that a component of increasing the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youths completing their secondary education is having parents and teachers maintain heightened expectations of these children in achieving this goal. To understand this phenomenon, we investigate the importance of, and discrepancies…

Using the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data, this paper aimed to examine if, and to what extent, demographic factors predict students' participation in science over the age of 16 (post-16). While all the students participating in this study are attending Australian schools, the comprehensiveness of these datasets, together with…

Adding to concerns about falling participation rates in science education, the profile of certain student groups who go on to study decreases, particularly as the year level increases. The aim of this paper is to examine if, and in what ways, demographic factors predict students' post-16 participation in biology, physics, chemistry and earth/space…

The transition from school to further education and work is a milestone in the life of a young person. Many young people go on to further education or training after leaving school, which often leads to viable job opportunities. This report is a summary of recent research by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) about the…

This report examines two sets of issues, the first being whether Indigenous Australians obtain a lower return on investment in education and training than other Australians. If they do, then this would partly explain why, in general, Indigenous participation in education and training is relatively low. The second issue is whether Indigenous…

Despite significant improvements in the areas of education and employment, the gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth remain. Across some indicators--for example, university participation--the gap has actually widened. This is mainly because improvements for non-Indigenous young people have matched or surpassed the gains made by…

Achievement in literacy and numeracy by Australian 14-year-olds was examined by analyzing data from the following studies conducted between 1975 and 1998: the Australian Studies in School Performance; the Australian Studies of Student Performance; the Youth in Transition Survey; and the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. During the study…

Data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) were analyzed to assess the viability of using the LSAY study data for national reporting of outcomes by geographic location and to identify variations in young Australians' education participation and outcomes by geographic region. The analysis revealed several sample distribution…