Introductions and explanation of the focus and intent of the research – 20 minutes
Timing Questions Ask the group to think about [prompts] 20
minutes
For all:
I’d like to ask you some questions about this vocational program and how it works (then move on to questions below)
For teachers:
What does this program consist of? How is it structured, delivered, assessed?
Content
- Mix of vocational skills, general education, work placements, industry visits, LLN, personal skills, employability skills, career advice
Students
- Intended target groups
- Participation by students other than the target group - Strategies for eliciting student expectations/motivation Certification
- Nationally accredited or not
- Certification available and through whom
For support staff:
In broad terms, what sort of support is in place for this program and what is the philosophy that underpins that support?
Policy relating to support - For students - For teachers Philosophy
- What shapes the thinking within the school/college - How is this philosophy transmitted to students - How is the philosophy transmitted to other staff, the
community, including industry
For external stakeholders:
What is your involvement with this program, its students/teachers? How and for what purpose did this relationship come about?
Roles and responsibilities - Type of activity
- Organisations represented
- Focus of relationship –what is desired outcome from the involvement
- Extent of commitment – short term/long term
30
minutes For teachers:
How would you describe your approach to teaching and learning in the program? What approaches appear to work well and which are less successful with the cohorts of students that undertake the program? What evidence do you have that this is the
Pedagogical approaches (words that best describe?) - Applied, experiential, work-related
- Collaborative and negotiated - Description and degree of
flexibility/timetabling/attendance/modes of delivery - Extent of student-focus/individual/personalised - Importance/value of vocational focus
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case?
Expectations placed on students
- Attendance, behaviour, learning contracts, negotiation processes
Measures of success - What counts as success
For support staff:
How do the various elements of support work and who makes decisions about who gets what support and when?
Process and practice
- Range of support strategies in place and how they work together (if they do)
- Decision-making processes
- Expectations that are placed on staff and their effectiveness - Importance/value of vocational focus
Measures of success - What counts as success
For external stakeholders:
Within your knowledge, what do you consider the major value of vocational programs for students 15 to 19 years old?
Value/importance of vocational focus - Educational, social, economic, other Measures of success
- What counts as success - Evidence of success
30
minutes For all:
Now a question on retention. Retention to Year 12 or its equivalent and successful transition to work or further study has become a key policy for Australian governments.
What do you think are the key features of this program that encourage young people to remain in education and training?
For teachers:
What strategies do you use to retain and help transition to further study or work? Which of these strategies work well? What evidence do you have of this? What gets in the way of successful retention and transition?
Transition partnerships/relationships
- Role of stakeholders: industry, employers, community agencies, other education/training providers
Transition
- Processes/pathways exist for transition
- What, how and with whom have these been developed - Formal agreements, informal agreements including
evidence of the benefits to students of these arrangements - Information, advice and career counselling linkages Barriers to success
- Internal to the program (structure/content/resourcing etc) - Internal to the organisation (policy/processes)
- Resourcing issues Challenges
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- Those overcome and those still to be won
For support staff:
What aspects of the program do you think are critical to assisting young people to enter the workforce or take on further education or training?
What gets in the way of successful retention and transition?
Support mechanisms
- Policy, processes and practices (identification of at risk, monitoring)
- Extent of integration
- Information, advice and career counselling linkages Supportive partnerships/relationships
- What, how and with whom have these been developed - Role of other stakeholders in supporting students and
teachers involved in the program(s) Barriers to success
- As for teachers Challenges
- As for teachers
For external stakeholders:
What aspects of the program do you think are critical in assisting young people to enter the workforce or take on further education and training?
30
minutes For all:
Research suggests that a supportive school/college culture is critical in raising levels of student engagement and completion. Do you agree with this statement?
For teachers and support staff:
What are the features of your organisation – its structures and culture – which support the achievement of positive program outcomes?
Support mechanisms
- Early identification, intervention and monitoring strategies for at risk students
- Specific support roles (internal & external) and strategies for working with teaching staff
- Mentoring, social activities, peer support and other student-centred activities etc.
Culture, including leadership
- Mission, values strategic direction, cultural artefacts supporting program intent
- Communication approaches – students, teachers, community, industry
- Commitment to quality and quality outcomes - Relationships with key stakeholders including industry - Linkages with the broader community
- Factors that make this program successful and distinctive (if relevant)
Key characteristics of the program - Curriculum
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- Quality of teaching
- Quality and extent of support - Industry linkage
- Facilities and resourcing
For external stakeholders:
What is it about this vocational program that makes it effective in keeping young people engaged in education and training?
Key characteristics of the program - Curriculum
- Quality of teaching
- Quality and extent of support - Industry linkage
- Facilities and resourcing
15
minutes For all:
If you were in a position to make changes to the program content or the way you are delivering it, what changes would you make and why?
- Addressing the challenges previously identified together with other aspects
15
minutes For all:
Do you have any other comments?
Ask if there are any sources of data available
Confirmation of data and other publicly available information sources to support write up of case study.
- Curriculum
- Vocational program information
- Documents that set out roles and responsibilities, processes, learning contracts etc.
- Completions data: unit of competency completions, qualifications, certification
- Pathways agreements and data relating to transition - Any other data, information that is relevant to the
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