STUDENT TRAJECTORY ASPIRATION
RESEARCH (STAR):
A Study of Aspirations, Enablers and
Barriers to Further Education in the
Blacktown Learning Community
STUDENT TRAJECTORY ASPIRATION RESEARCH
(STAR):
A Study of Aspirations, Enablers and Barriers to Further
Education in the Blacktown Learning Community
PROJECT REPORT
May 2013
Margaret Somerville
Tonia Gray
Carol Reid
Loshini Naidoo
Susanne Gannon
Lin Brown
iii
CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... v
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... v
LIST OF ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................. vi
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................... vii
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 1
The STAR Project .................................................................................................................. 1
BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................... 1
Higher Education Participation Program (HEPP) .................................................................. 1
Demographic Indicators in Western Sydney .......................................................................... 2
Blacktown City and Local Government Area ........................................................................ 3
Blacktown Learning Community ........................................................................................... 3
The STAR Project .................................................................................................................. 3
Research Questions ................................................................................................................ 4
The STAR ProjectAims ......................................................................................................... 4
Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 4
Place as conceptual framework ......................................................................................... 4
Collaborative ethnography ................................................................................................ 4
Methods .................................................................................................................................. 4
Ethical procedures ............................................................................................................. 4
Research sites ..................................................................................................................... 4
Children’s artefacts from classroom based activities ......................................................... 6
Focus groups ...................................................................................................................... 6
PRIMARY SCHOOLS ............................................................................................................ 7
Analysis and Discussion of Children’s Artefacts ................................................................... 7
School One ............................................................................................................................. 7
School Two ............................................................................................................................ 8
Gender ............................................................................................................................. 10
Reasons for career aspiration .......................................................................................... 10
SECONDARY SCHOOLS .................................................................................................... 13
Analysis and Discussion of Children’s Artefacts ................................................................. 13
School Three – Co-educational ............................................................................................ 13
Gender ............................................................................................................................. 13
Barriers and enablers ...................................................................................................... 14
School Four – Single Sex, Female ....................................................................................... 15
Career aspirations by age and SES ................................................................................. 15
Career aspirations over time ........................................................................................... 16
iv
School 5 – Single Sex, Male ................................................................................................ 19
Career choice by year level and SES ............................................................................... 19
PARENT FOCUS GROUPS ................................................................................................. 22
STAR Parent Interviews ....................................................................................................... 22
Analysis of Primary School Parent Focus Groups ............................................................... 22
Aspirations ....................................................................................................................... 22
Enablers ........................................................................................................................... 23
Barriers ............................................................................................................................ 24
Analysis of Secondary School Parent Focus Groups ........................................................... 24
Aspirations ....................................................................................................................... 24
Enablers ........................................................................................................................... 26
Barriers ............................................................................................................................ 27
Summary: Parent Focus Group Data Primary and Secondary Schools ............................... 29
TEACHER FOCUS GROUPS.............................................................................................. 30
Family Background .............................................................................................................. 30
SES Status ............................................................................................................................ 30
Support Opportunities .......................................................................................................... 30
Role Models ......................................................................................................................... 31
Values (Motivation, Self-esteem, Confidence) .................................................................... 31
Summary: Teachers’ Data from Primary and Secondary Schools ....................................... 32
CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 33
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 34
APPENDIX 1: Blacktown City and the STAR Project Suburbs ............................................. 35
APPENDIX 2: Educational Requirements for Career Choices: Primary Schools .................. 38
APPENDIX 3: Full Tables: Data from Teacher Focus Groups ................................................ 42
v
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Summary Table – Educational Requirements for Career Choice, Kindergarten
Schools 1 and 2 ............................................................................................................ 9
Table 2: Summary Table – Educational Requirements for Career Choice, Year 5 Schools 1
and 2 ............................................................................................................................. 9
Table 3: Summary Table of Gender and Educational Requirements for Career Choice ......... 10
Table 4: Frequency of Reasons for Career Aspirations, Year 5 Schools 1 and 2 ..................... 11
Table 5: School 3 – Aspiration by Gender ............................................................................... 14
Table 6: School 3 – Enablers and Barriers to Success in Career Choice ................................. 14
Table 7: School 4 – Career Choices by Age & SES Category ................................................. 16
Table 8: School 4 – What I Wanted to be in Primary School .................................................. 17
Table 9: School 4 – Careers After School ................................................................................ 18
Table 10: School 4 – Career in Ten Years ................................................................................ 19
Table 11: School 5 – Career Aspiration by Year Level and SES Category .............................. 20
Table 12: General Data – Parents/Caregivers, Primary Schools .............................................. 23
Table 13: Enabling Factors – Parents/Caregivers, Primary Schools ........................................ 23
Table 14: Barriers to Career Aspirations – Parents/Caregivers, Primary Schools ................... 24
Table 15: General Data – Parents/Caregivers, Secondary Schools .......................................... 25
Table 16: Enabling Factors – Parents/Caregivers, Secondary Schools .................................... 27
Table 17: Barriers – Parents/Caregivers, Secondary Schools .................................................. 28
Table 18: Summary: Themes – Teacher Focus Groups Primary: Schools 1 and 2 .................. 31
Table 19: Summary: Themes – Teacher Focus Groups Secondary: Schools 3, 4 and 5 .......... 31
Table 20: SEIFA Indices for STAR Suburbs ............................................................................ 35
Table 21: Pattern of Arrivals of New Overseas ImmigrantsSTAR Suburbs ............................ 36
Table 22: % High–Low Income Earners, STAR Suburbs ........................................................ 36
Table 23: Employment Status, STAR Suburbs ........................................................................ 37
Table 24: Occupations, STAR Suburbs .................................................................................... 37
Table 25: Highest Educational Qualification, STAR Suburbs ................................................. 37
Table 26: Educational Requirements for Career Choice: Kindergarten at Schools 1 and 2. ... 38
Table 27: Educational Requirements for Career Choice: Year 5 at Schools 1 and 2 ............... 39
Table 28: Educational Requirements, Career Choice and Gender ........................................... 40
Table 29: Frequency of Reasons for Career Aspirations: Year 5 Schools 1 and 2 ................... 41
Table 30: Themes – Teacher Focus Groups Primary: Schools 1 and 2 .................................... 42
Table 31: Themes – Teacher Focus Groups Secondary: Schools 3, 4 and 5 ............................ 44
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Career Aspirations – Low SES Students Years 9 and 11 ........................................... 21
Figure 2: Reasons for Career Choices – All Students Years 9 and 11 ...................................... 21
vi
LIST OF ACRONYMS
ATSI Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
BLC Blacktown Learning Community
CER Centre for Educational Research
GWS Greater Western Sydney
HEPP Higher Education Participation Program
HREC Human Research Ethics Committee
HSC The Higher School Certificate
LBOTE Language Backgrounds Other Than English
LGA Local Government Area
NAIDOC Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee
OC Opportunity Class
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
SEIFA Socio-Economic Indices For Areas
SERAP State Education Research Approval Process
SES Socio-Economic Status
STAR Student Trajectory Aspiration Research
TAFE Technical and Further Education
VET Vocational Education and Training
vii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
The Student Trajectory Aspiration Research (STAR) project was a partnership between the
Blacktown Learning Community and the Centre for Educational Research, University of
Western Sydney. It was funded by the Higher Education Participation Program, a scheme
initiated in Australia by the Commonwealth Government in 2010 in response to the Bradley
Review of Higher Education which found that particular groups of people – Indigenous
people, people of low socio-economic status1 and people from regional and remote areas –
continue to be under-represented in Australian tertiary education (Bradley, Noonan, Nugent &
Scales, 2008).
The project used a participatory action research approach with teachers from five schools
within the Blacktown Learning Community (BLC). The aim was to investigate how
children’s career and further study aspirations are shaped over time in low SES, culturally
and linguistically diverse communities and to explore the enablers and barriers to progression
to further education. The study used creative methods integrated within day to day classes to
investigate career aspirations in four snapshots of different age groups in early and late
primary school and early and late secondary school. A focus group was held in each school
with teachers, and another with parents, to investigate the enablers and barriers to the
participation of children from these schools in further education.
Blacktown City is located in western Sydney about 35 kilometres from the Sydney Central
Business District. Blacktown City is rated at 972.8 on the SEIFA index, indicating it is more
disadvantaged than the national average (1005.2) and the New South Wales average (1003.3).
It has higher unemployment, higher levels of employment in unskilled occupations, and
lower levels of educational qualifications compared to Greater Sydney as a whole. Patterns of
disadvantage are unevenly distributed across the different suburbs within the Blacktown
LGA, allowing the project to make some preliminary comparisons about the differential
aspirations of children growing up in different socio-economic circumstances. The Blacktown
Learning Community was set up by an active group of local primary schools in order to
enhance the schools’ capacity building in Blacktown schools. The partnership was initiated
by the Principal of Marayong Public School and the Principal invited the participation of two
primary and three secondary schools.
The STAR Project
The STAR project asked three central research questions:
What are the aspiration trajectories of children in the Blacktown Learning
Community?
What are the enablers and barriers to their participation in further education?
What factors can facilitate the development and support for aspirations to participate
in further education?
Within the framework of place, teachers participated in a collaborative ethnography to gather
children’s artefacts using creative methods integrated within the school curriculum. Two
1 In the Bradley Review, low SES was determined by postcode and includes all those students whose permanent home
address postcode falls within the lowest 25% of postcodes as coded by the ABS SEIFA Index of Education and Occupation
(Census 2006).
viii
classes in early and late primary and early and late secondary were selected at each of the five
participating schools. In all classes, students were asked to reflect on and represent ‘What I
want to be when I grow up’. Open ended focus groups were conducted at each of the schools
with parents and with teachers to explore what they thought about the children’s aspirations,
and the enablers and barriers to children’s participation in further education.
Analysis of Primary School Artefacts
144 Kindergarten children and 87 Year 5 children produced drawings and text about what
they wanted to be when they grew up. Rather than collapse the data from the two primary
schools, however, it was found to be useful to compare them because of the marked
difference in the children’s aspirations, possibly due to differences in the socio-economic
status of the families in School 1 and School 2. A quantitative analysis of the children’s
aspirations according to the levels of education required for the nominated career found that,
in School 1, 17% of children at Kindergarten level compared to 28% of children in School 2
aspired to a career requiring tertiary education. The gap had increased to almost half by Year
5 with 40% of children in School 1 aspiring to a career requiring tertiary education compared
to 80% of children in School 2. The overall trajectory showed a strong increase from
Kindergarten to Year 5 in those children aspiring to tertiary education and an increasing
proportion of children in School 1 aspiring to careers with less education requirements than in
School 2. This data suggests that a marked differentiation occurs between children of
different socio-economic backgrounds as they progress from Kindergarten to Year 5.
An analysis of the written data for Year 5 classes in School 1 and 2 revealed seven main
themes as reasons for choosing a particular career. The themes of job satisfaction, a desire to
help people, experience or confidence with the activity/career, appeals to remuneration,
family influences, and visions of inventing reveal a more complex shaping of aspirations for
children than either their teachers or their parents revealed in the focus group data.
Analysis of Secondary School Artefacts
Secondary schools chose different means of collecting data and although direct comparison
across the three secondary schools is not possible, much interesting data came to light.
In School 3, 18 children in a Year 8 selective stream made a class video to identify their
preferred career and potential enablers and barriers that might impact on their career
trajectories. Career choices were mixed but with a clearly defined gender pattern of lower
aspirations for girls than boys, with half the boys identifying computer related careers. These
children showed a major focus on educational achievement as influencing their career
trajectories that was absent in primary school children. They identified their own individual
attitudes and behaviours as more important than any other factor that might influence their
career trajectories. Positive attitudes and behaviours directed towards learning were seen as
even more important than actually achieving good grades in terms of realising their career
aspirations. They were also concerned about the fact that they might change their minds
about their career choice, even though Year 8 may be too early for fixed career aspirations,
which can change throughout one’s life. Individual children’s socio-economic status was not
identified in this data.
In School 4 (single sex, female) 26 Year 9 and 10 students produced individual videos about
their career choices, how this might change over time and factors that might influence their
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choices. Socio-economic status was identified by teachers and this data showed a marked
tendency for students identified as mid-high SES to select high status and high income
professional careers requiring tertiary study, over those students in other SES categories. Far
fewer students in the low SES category identified tertiary pathways. Options associated with
fashion and display, or that might seem glamorous (model, hairdresser, designer, air hostess)
were all associated with students from low SES backgrounds. Many careers named by low
and mid SES students were ambiguous in terms of higher education requirements. This
school provided data about changing career aspirations over time with children nominating
their past, present and future aspirations. While the numbers are too small for valid
comparisons they do suggest some marked differences between children identified as low
SES compared to children of mid to high SES, with fewer low SES students expecting to go
to university and more specifying that they would be working during their study. Possibly the
most significant aspect of this school is the development of teaching and learning activities
that open the topic of career and further study aspirations as an area of open interest and
exploration.
In School 5 (single sex, male) data was collected from two Year 9 classes (41 students) and
one Year 11 class (25 students). Career aspirations were highly gendered and show
disproportionate orientations towards working in the computer industry (Year 9) and
professional sport (Year 11). In the younger cohort the aspiration towards professional sport
is spread evenly between SES groupings whilst in Year 11 it is markedly the preference of
students who are identified by teachers as coming from low SES backgrounds. Collated data
from all students lists financial reward as the most often occurring reason for career choice
followed by: personal interest and talent, helping others, exciting/fun; always wanted/my
dream; specific discipline and specific role models; and finally, challenging/interesting.
Marked differences were revealed, however, from Year 9 to Year 11 with no children
identifying Financial reward or Exciting/fun in Year 11. Further data would need to be
collected to make statistically significant comparisons but nevertheless there are some
marked trends that warrant further investigation.
Parent Focus Groups
Primary school parents identified issues concerning their children’s aspirations as: the
appropriateness of changing aspirations over time; the fact that they wanted their children to
be happy in their career choices; the influence of media celebrities and sports stars; and the
long term aspiration of a good income. Low SES parents overwhelmingly emphasised the
importance of support for whatever career was chosen, the value of trade-related education
and careers, the importance of realistic achievement, and financial considerations such as the
cost of education, including lack of income during study. They overwhelmingly identified
parental influence as a critical enabling factor in children’s aspirations. Items relating to
financial struggles and monetary constraints were most often cited as barriers to children
aspiring to further education. Other factors most frequently mentioned were their children not
applying themselves at school, deficiencies in the curriculum or teaching, and lack of role
models within the family.
At secondary schools several themes emerged from the parent focus groups relating to the
factors that influence young people’s career choices. These included: low SES as a limiting
factor; lack of clarity and certainty about their career choices; an overarching desire by
parents for their children to be happy, content and successful with the career choice made; the
x
constant state of flux in career choice; parents role modelling career aspirations to children;
and the importance of parents ‘chasing the right school’ for their children.
Open communication channels between parent and child and parents’ acceptance of their
child’s wish to leave school were all seen as enabling factors for career aspirations. The
success of the school and the expectations of teachers were also flagged as significant factors
in the process. Interestingly, some parents were highly satisfied with the schooling their child
received whilst others were dismissive about the quality of education on offer (see section on
‘barriers’ for information on parents’ discontent). Issues relating to financial struggles and
monetary constraints were most often cited as barriers by parents of secondary school
children. Other factors included discontent with the school’s performance; their children not
applying themselves at school and having to set additional homework; deficiencies in the
curriculum or quality of teaching on offer; the impact of technology in the learning process;
and the anxiety produced when a child was not coping in the system.
In summary, the emergent themes gleaned from the parent focus group data included the
financial struggles of low socio-economic families and the hardships endured to enable their
children to pursue their career aspirations. Similarly, many articulated that their children had
no clear ambitions for their future careers. This was particularly evident in the primary school
data where the career choices varied frequently. Being happy, content and personally fulfilled
with the career choice were also recurring themes at both the primary and secondary level.
The influence of role models, the media and sporting heroes was noted as a significant player.
Parental aspirations were projected onto their children, and many parents wanted their
children to be earning a decent wage in the future. This attitude can, in part, be linked to
parents who were adamant that ‘chasing the right school’ was important. Parents of secondary
school children were more critical of the school system and teachers in relation to their
children achieving their career aspirations, possibly because of the pressure of performance in
secondary school.
Teacher Focus Groups
The same themes emerged from the data analysis of teacher focus groups at both primary and
secondary school level. The key themes that emerged from this data included the impact of
family background, socio-economic status of the family, support opportunities provided in
schools, role models at home and in school, and values (motivation, self-esteem, confidence).
Teachers believed that factors important for students’ successful transition to further
education included the provision of resources, abilities and support provided by families, in-
school support programs, and role models inside and outside the family structure. Teachers
saw the lack of continuity between home and school as having a major impact on the
aspirations of students and their transitioning into further education. Families with fewer
financial, social and cultural resources were less likely to be involved in the education of their
children.
Migrant parents, however, were viewed as having a positive attitude towards education so
that lack of financial, social and cultural resources did not always mean that students from
those backgrounds were doomed to failure. Teachers also emphasised that high parental
aspirations did not necessarily guarantee the student academic achievement. The school and
the teachers themselves were seen as important role models for the students. Teachers also
felt that good career counselling could assist students to make informed choices about their
xi
future and saw themselves as demonstrating respect and care, including additional in-class
support, which they believed gave students the opportunity to enjoy academic success.
Teachers further acknowledged that low socio-economic status, especially coupled with
language difficulties, did affect students’ attitudes towards school and contributed to limited
aspirations in further education. There was a correlation, according to the teachers, between
firm, targeted career goals and self-esteem and confidence, in that students who had given
thought to their future choices and who were confident about them, generally had high self-
esteem, which further assisted them in achieving academic success. Essentially, teachers
believed that the attitudes and values held by the students had a strong impact on their
educational outcomes.
Finally, teachers indicated that in-school and after-school support programs were a good way
of encouraging student engagement in learning and developing positive attitudes towards
school. Effective role models from the home, school and community were seen to inspire
students and inform them of the opportunities available to them. Teachers strongly affirmed
that the tertiary sector could expose students to reliable and relevant information about
tertiary study and students should also be given an opportunity to sample university life.
Conclusion
In summary, the STAR project has provided an opportunity for the development of a
collaborative model for university–school partnerships in relation to supporting the
development of appropriate career and further education aspirations for all children. The
creative methods trialed in this study have provided important information about the
significance of opportunities for teachers and students to imagine possible futures at all levels
of schooling. For low SES students this is particularly important in primary schools, where
early differentiation in career choices becomes strongly established. Rather than supporting
the idea of early fixed career choice, the findings of this study suggest that children need to
understand the multiple pathways to career choice and the factors that will assist their
success. By Year 5 children have sophisticated ideas about their choice of careers but little
information about the multiple pathways to achieving their career aspirations. The lack of
specific insights about participation in university education is apparent at all levels. By Year 8
children are seriously concerned about their educational achievement and lack of fixed career
goals, when it might be more effective to develop passionate engagement with learning as an
opening to future possibilities. The findings suggest that socio-economic and gendered
limitations on career and further education aspirations become more entrenched as students
progress through secondary education, when it might be reasonable to expect that school
education should be able to mitigate against these outcomes.
Teachers and parents appreciated the opportunity to engage in discussions about the career
and further education aspirations of the children and had many insights to offer about the
factors that enable children to achieve their goals or prevent them from doing so. Teachers in
particular had a wealth of ideas for the support of children’s developing aspirations over time,
although teachers at primary school level had not previously engaged in such conversations.
Schools and teachers in the Blacktown Learning Community could benefit from sharing these
ideas and strategies with each other and continuing the conversation about how children’s
career and further education aspirations are shaped over time. These conversations will
support the ongoing aspirations of all parents and children for a future of social engagement
and contribution.
1
INTRODUCTION
The STAR Project
The Student Trajectory Aspiration Research (STAR) project was a participatory action
research study with teachers from five schools within the Blacktown Learning Community
(BLC). The aim of the project was to investigate how children’s career and further study
aspirations are shaped over time in low SES, and culturally and linguistically diverse
communities and to explore the enablers and barriers to progression to further education. The
study used creative methods integrated within day to day classes to investigate career
aspirations in four snapshots of different age groups in early and late primary school and early
and late secondary school. A focus group was held in each school with teachers, and another
with parents, to investigate the enablers and barriers to the participation of children from these
schools in further education. Preliminary findings suggest that the career aspirations of
children are influenced by multiple factors including gender, ethnicity and socio-economic
status, and that family poverty in particular is significant. The influence of parents on their
children’s aspirations, however, appears to be more important than socio-economic status.
Teachers were believed to be a significant influence and the participatory action research
process with BLC teachers has assisted their capacity to support children’s aspirations
towards further education. Focus group discussions with parents potentially raised their
awareness and could lead to the establishment of mechanisms to support families in their
aspirations for their children.
BACKGROUND
Higher Education Participation Program (HEPP)
The STAR project was funded by the Higher Education Participation Program, a scheme
initiated in Australia by the Commonwealth Government in 2010 after the 2008 Review of
Higher Education (Bradley, Noonan, Nugent & Scales, 2008). The Bradley Review found that
university performance and participation in Australia were slipping relative to other OECD
nations and that particular groups of people – Indigenous people, people of low socio-
economic status2 and people from regional and remote areas – continue to be under-
represented in Australian tertiary education. University enrolments from these groups had
remained static or had decreased through the previous decade. Aspiration amongst those
groups of students to participate in higher education is an issue that is raised for particular
attention in the Bradley Review.
From 1989 to 2007 there was only a 1% increase (from approximately 14% to approximately
15%) in tertiary participation of students from the lowest 25% of socio-economic status
groups (Bradley et al., 2008, p. 28). The Report found that ‘a student from a high socio-
economic background is about three times more likely to attend university than a student from
a low socio-economic background’ (Bradley et al., 2008, p. 29). There is also a distinct
differentiation in the courses and institutions low SES students attend if they do go to
university, with their lowest representation in medicine, dentistry, economics, law,
architecture and creative arts (Bradley et al., 2008, p. 30). Students from low SES
communities are most highly represented in agriculture and education. Data presented in the
Bradley Review suggests that despite low access rates, the success rate of such students at
2 In the Bradley Review, low SES was determined by postcode and includes all those students whose permanent home
address postcode falls within the lowest 25% of postcodes as coded by the ABS SEIFA Index of Education and Occupation
(Census 2006).
Focus Group Summaries
2
university is almost equal (97%) to that of their peers from medium and high SES
communities.
In 2009, the Federal Government adopted modified recommendations from the Bradley
Review and set the following national targets: a) that by 2025, 40% of the Australian
population aged 25 to 34 years should be qualified with a bachelor level degree or above, and
b) that by 2020, at least 20% of the undergraduate student population nationally should be
from low socio-economic status backgrounds. The HEPP scheme is designed to assist
progress towards these targets by supporting projects that focus on increasing the participation
and success of domestic students from low SES backgrounds in tertiary education.
HEPP encourages partnerships between universities and primary and secondary schools to
raise the awareness, aspirations and capacity of students from communities where articulation
to universities historically has been low. These focus areas match the three precursors to
increased tertiary participation that the Bradley Review identified: awareness of higher
education, aspiration to participate, and educational attainment to allow participation
(Bradley et al., 2008, p. 40). The Student Trajectory Aspiration Research (STAR) project is a
partnership between schools in the Blacktown Learning Community (BLC) and the Centre for
Educational Research (CER), University of Western Sydney. It is directed towards the second,
and in some ways the most complex, of these prerequisites for participation. Aspiration to
participate in higher education starts early and is entangled with awareness and attainment
goals. It drives school choice, subject selection and focus through secondary school, and
contributes to the goal setting and planning that are essential if young people are to secure a
life trajectory that incorporates tertiary study.
Demographic Indicators in Western Sydney
The population of western Sydney is characterised by high cultural diversity and pockets of
extreme disadvantage. The majority of new immigrants (60%) that come to Australia settle in
western Sydney, with 35% of these coming from more than 170 countries, and speaking over
100 different languages. Over the past decade 50% of new arrivals came from Iraq and Sudan,
often as refugees. The region is also home to the largest single Indigenous community, 10% of
whom have relocated from other parts of the country.
Seven of the ten local government areas in western Sydney rated as having the highest levels
of disadvantage on the SEIFA index are in the GWS region. The SEIFA index is derived from
factors such as low income, low educational attainment, high unemployment, jobs in
relatively unskilled occupations, and other general variables that reflect disadvantage.
Economic disadvantage is related to poor health outcomes and the only single factor that has
been found to alleviate entrenched poverty and disadvantage is education. Educational
achievement in western Sydney reflects the low socio-economic status of many communities
in the region. The overall secondary school retention rates for Years 7 to 12 in western Sydney
is the lowest in the Sydney metropolitan area (69.5% compared to 95.2% in northern Sydney).
In 2009 twice as many people in western Sydney aged 15 or older had not attended school at
all compared to the rest of Sydney and NSW.
The University of Western Sydney has a mandate to ‘enhance the cultural, economic,
environmental and educational development’ of its local and regional communities. It is the
only university in the region and offers a range of courses and research programs to some
36,000 students. The University offers a large number of access and pathways programs,
funded through the Higher Education Participation Program and the Bridges to Higher
Education program, to support participation by low SES students in higher education.
Focus Group Summaries
3
Blacktown City and Local Government Area
Blacktown City is located in western Sydney about 35 kilometres from the Sydney Central
Business District. Blacktown Local Government Area (LGA) is bounded by Hawkesbury
LGA in the north, The Hills in the north-east, Parramatta in the east, Holroyd and Fairfield in
the south and Penrith in the west. Blacktown LGA has a population of 301,096. Of the total
population, 113,213 people were born overseas and 19% arrived in Australia within the last
five years. Blacktown City is rated at 972.8 on the SEIFA index, indicating a level of
disadvantage greater than the national average (1005.2) and the New South Wales average
(1003.3). It has a higher level of unemployment, higher levels of employment in unskilled
occupations, and lower levels of educational qualifications when compared to Greater Sydney
as a whole. Patterns of disadvantage are unevenly distributed across the different suburbs
within the Blacktown LGA and the tables at Appendix 1 provide further information about
these patterns.
Blacktown Learning Community
The Blacktown Learning Community was initiated in 1995 as an alliance of six state primary
schools in the Blacktown area, in order to increase opportunities for professional development
of teachers and capacity building across the schools. It has expanded over time and now
consists of 15 public schools. Led by Ian Feneley, the long term Principal of Marayong Public
School, the core group of schools has been Marayong PS, Seven Hills North PS, Schofield
PS, Seven Hills PS, Hambledon PS, Quakers Hill PS (primary schools), Quakers Hill High
School and Seven Hills High School. The Blacktown Learning Community is supported by
the Department of Education and Community Quality Assurance Unit at Nirimba, Blacktown.
The STAR Project
The Blacktown Learning Community requested the collaboration with the Centre for
Educational Research and the availability of HEPP funds provided the opportunity to form a
collaborative project. The first STAR project meeting took place in September, 2012 with the
Principal of Marayong Public School, Ian Feneley, the Principal of Quakers Hill Public
School, Bert Lo Campo and the Director of the Centre for Educational Research, Margaret
Somerville. Following this meeting these lead Principals invited the following five schools to
participate in the project: Marayong Public School, Quakers Hill Public School, Quakers Hill
High School, Blacktown Boys High School and Blacktown Girls High School. A second
meeting was organised with Principals and key teachers from the participating schools and the
larger project research team to formalise the project.
Many issues of concern in relation to the aspirations of children in the participating schools
were raised during the meetings. The demographic and geographic characteristics of
Blacktown were explored and the particularities of place were identified as important features
of the research. Pockets of potentially ‘depressed’ communities with ‘depressed aspirations’
within the larger Blacktown area were discussed. Teachers described key times in children’s
progression through school when some children become ‘future poor’ with regard to
aspirations. Issues of recognition and identity were seen to be important in shaping the
aspirations of young people, which the teachers believe develop within and are influenced by
family, community and school. Parents from different socio-economic and ethnic
backgrounds were seen to emphasise and direct their children’s career aspirations in different
ways and at different stages. Student engagement and disengagement were also discussed,
with teachers agreeing that while children begin school ‘fresh and bright’, for a number of
Focus Group Summaries
4
students disengagement seems to begin as early as Years 3 or 4. The overarching research
questions and aims of the project were formulated and discussed.
Research Questions
What are the aspiration trajectories of children in the Blacktown Learning Community
from the time they enter primary school until they leave secondary school?
What are the enablers and barriers to their participation in further education?
What factors can facilitate the development of and support for aspirations to
participate in further education?
The STAR Project Aims
To understand how the career and further education aspirations of school students in
the Blacktown Learning Community are shaped over time
To identify the enablers and barriers to participation in higher education
Methodology
Place as conceptual framework
The project methodology is framed within the concept of place, emphasising the significance
of place and community in the formation of children’s aspirations. The framing of place is
evident in the overall characteristics of Blacktown as a Local Government Area in the Greater
Western Sydney (GWS) region as described above.
Collaborative ethnography
Within the concept of place the project employed a collaborative ethnography research
approach developed in partnership with teachers of the identified classes. Storytelling and art-
making were identified as potentially productive methods of investigating children’s
aspiration as they elicit more imaginative and deeper connections with a sense of self, they
can be open-ended and they are especially suitable for research with young children. Semi-
structured focus groups were chosen as the means of exploring with parents and teachers the
enablers and barriers to participation in higher education. Analyses of the qualitative data
were based on identifying emergent themes in the children’s artefacts and in the transcribed
focus group conversations.
Methods
Ethical procedures
The research methods implemented in the STAR project were approved by the University’s
Human Research Ethics Committee (approval number: H9888) and also by the NSW
Government’s Department of Education and Communities (approval number: SERAP-
2012221).
Research sites
Two primary and three secondary schools were selected from the Blacktown Learning
Community (BLC) to participate in the STAR project. The schools are located in the socio-
economically mixed area described above, which is multicultural, multilingual and growing.
There are differences across the schools in the Blacktown Learning Community, with small
pockets of poverty amplified by intergenerational disadvantage alongside an emerging
affluent population. These demographics produce community desires and needs that shape
school responses. The outcome is a diverse range of programs and strategies within and across
Focus Group Summaries
5
schools in the BLC aimed at enriching the educational experiences of students. The schools
therefore have much to share and to learn from each other but these opportunities for
collaboration are also constrained by individual contexts.
The two primary schools are medium sized (500–700 students) with similar demographics,
although one is low SES while the other has a number of students from out of the area due to
its offering an Opportunity Class and Enrichment Classes in each grade except Kindergarten.
The school with a low SES population receives Federal funding under the National
Partnerships initiative, while the other primary school has never received funding to assist
students from disadvantaged backgrounds under any program. While all schools in the BLC
have increased the number of enrichment classes and selective streams they offer, this primary
school has always had an Opportunity Class.
Two of the three secondary schools are single sex – one male and one female – while the
other is a typical comprehensive secondary school. The comprehensive secondary school has
the largest population of students, followed by the girl’s school, which draws on 40 primary
schools. The diversity of primary feeder schools to this secondary school results from the
desire by aspirational parents and/or parents with specific cultural and religious needs for
single sex schooling for their children, and because it is one of only two all girls’ secondary
schools in western Sydney. The boy’s secondary school has a smaller student population. It is
important to consider such demographics in secondary schools because these shape staffing,
curriculum choices and opportunities for providing special programs. None of the secondary
schools have National Partnerships funding but all have some form of program targeting the
extension of students, such as enrichment classes, selective streams and accelerated literacy.
School 1 is a mid-sized primary school with 505 students enrolled in 2012, of whom 51.7%
are from LBOTE and 7.5% from Aboriginal backgrounds. School 1 receives funding under
the National Parnerships program. The school currently has 33 teaching staff and 13 support
staff. School 2 is also a mid-sized primary school with enrolments of 676 students in 2012.
Students from LBOTE backgrounds comprise 59% of the students and 4% are from
Aboriginal backgrounds. The school currently has 38 teaching staff.
School 3 is a co-educational secondary school catering for students from Years 7–10 (Stage
4/5) with 39% from non-English speaking backgrounds and 5% from Aboriginal
backgrounds. The school currently has 87 teaching staff and a support unit. The school’s
desirable academic reputation makes it commonplace for ‘out of area’ students to seek
admission. As a result, many students travel long distances to attend. School 4 is a partially
selective, girls only, secondary school with both academically selected students and local
comprehensive classes. It had approximately 700 students in 2012 with 47% from non-
English speaking backgrounds and 2% Aboriginal students. The school currently has 55
teaching staff, two specialist ESL teachers and one Support Teacher Learning Assistance. It is
one of only two government girls’ schools in western Sydney. School 5 has been a partially
selective, boys’ secondary school since 2010, drawing students from 50 primary schools
across a geographic region stretching from the Blue Mountains to Liverpool. The school had
372 students in 2012 with 44% from non-English speaking backgrounds and 3.5% ATSI
students. The school currently has 42 teaching staff and 10 support staff. It emphasises boys’
education strategies, literacy and numeracy, and technology for teaching and learning.
A single university researcher was allocated to each of Schools 1, 2 and 3 with another
university researcher working with both Schools 4 and 5. It was decided that each school
would negotiate the classes which would be invited to participate, the teachers who would
become co-researchers in the project, and the creation of artefacts to represent the students’
Focus Group Summaries
6
imagined futures. It was agreed that data collection should be non-intrusive and integrated
into everyday classroom practice.
Children’s artefacts from classroom based activities
Two classes were selected at each of the five participating schools. In primary schools,
children in an early primary class and children in a late primary class participated in the
project. In secondary schools, young people in a lower secondary class and young people in
an upper secondary class participated. In all classes, students responded to a prompt that
asked them to reflect on and represent ‘What I want to be when I grow up’.
Focus groups
At each school a focus group discussion with teachers was facilitated by the university-based
researcher, and another focus group was held with parents from that school. Each focus group
consisted of between three and eight participants. Particular questions were devised from the
broad research questions to shape focus group discussions with parents and teachers at each
school:
What are the career and further education aspirations of your children and how do they
change over time?
What are the factors that would assist children from your school to go on to further
education?
What are the barriers to children in your school going on to further education?
Although specific questions were used to initiate the discussion, a range of other issues and
specific insights emerged during each focus group discussion.
7
PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Analysis and Discussion of Children’s Artefacts
School One
Fifty-four artefacts were collected from two Kindergarten and one composite
Kindergarten/Year 1 class. Teachers were asked to annotate the back of children’s artefacts
with their perception of the child’s SES status and ethnicity. In the Kindergarten classes the
teachers talked with the children about the fact that when they grow up they will be adults and
will have a job. They asked the children what they would like to be when they grow up. In
two classes the teacher wrote on the board the words ‘When I grow up I want to be…’ for the
children to copy. In the other class the children were provided with an A4 sheet with the large
outline letters ‘When I grow up …’ at the top, and an outline of a square for the children to
draw in. Underneath the square were seven ruled lines for the children to write their story.
Ability to write clearly varied, with most children only copying the words ‘When I grow up’
and adding their imagined occupation. Three children in the composite class wrote longer
stories including a reason for their choice of career. All three of these students were girls, two
of them wanting to be a teacher, and one wanting to grow up to be ‘kind’.
When I grow up I wunt to be a teecha, teeching kids like you
do. You know wy. Bcos I like to teech like wen I am 33. If
that is too old then I will be 23.
In all classes there are marked gender differentiations in choices, with the girls wanting to be
teachers, princesses, or carers of animals, and the boys policemen, sporting heroes or robots.
Forty-five artefacts were collected from two Year 5 classes which showed the expected
marked change in sophistication from Kindergarten to Year 5. Year 5 children were introduced
to a computer-based activity in which they were invited to find images of what they wanted to
be when they grew up and to create an A4 sheet with images and a typed story. Again there
was a marked gender differentiation, with girls preferring caring professions and boys heroic
male occupations (professional football player, policeman). There was a marked increase in
aspiration towards high level professional occupations requiring tertiary study, including vets
(largest number overall), doctors, and computer engineers. The students’ stories show a very
sophisticated understanding of their particular career choice and are long and complex enough
for the source of their aspiration to be apparent. For example:
Lawyer
When I grow up I want to be a lawyer. I like defending the innocent. And I like pursuing
the accused. The only thing about a lawyer is that I could speak for the unspoken, who
could not speak for themselves. (Female, Anglo)
Children’s doctor
When I grow up I want to be a children’s doctor. I like young children and would like to
help them when they are sick. My mother always wanted me to be a doctor as well.
(Female, Indian)
Police officer
I would like to be a police officer when I grow up because I would like to help the world
from badness and put them in custody. (Male, Anglo)
Focus Group Summaries
8
School Two
At School 2, the learning activity was entitled ‘Future Me’. It invited students to ‘think about
what you want to be and what you will look like when you grow up’. Students were asked to
draw a self-portrait in a ‘work outfit’ and to write a line or a paragraph underneath their
illustration, explaining ‘what you want to become and why’. Three classes at Kindergarten
level participated in the activity. In these classes the teachers orally scaffolded the activity,
brainstorming the range of possibilities together with the students as a talking/listening
activity and then sending them off to draw on their own. Teachers assisted students by
scribing if they were unable to write the caption for the image.
Many of the boys wanted to be superheroes, firemen, or policeman and one child specifically
said he wanted to change the world. Many children at the Kindergarten level were altruistic,
wanting to help people. Several children wanted to be doctors and nurses, and the teacher
thought this may have been related to ethnicity. Other occupations named by boys included
soldier, captain of a boat, dog catcher, race car driver, and the Hulk. While in the discussion,
the girls said they wanted to be nurses and boys wanted to be doctors or police, in their
individual work on the task several girls wrote that they wanted to be pop stars, and one
wanted to work in a shop or a supermarket. Some boys wanted to be astronauts, a choice that
seems to reflect the sorts of games they play in the playground.
Three Year 5 classes completed the task, including the OC class and two mainstream classes.
The OC class has twenty-two boys and eight girls, with the gender imbalance being an effect
of the testing that secures places in the selective streams. Eighteen of the boys are Indian and
the teacher thought that these were the boys who wanted to become scientists or physicists.
The OC students completed the task independently. The teacher’s initial impressions were that
science or medicine related careers were the most common choices in that class and video
game design was also popular. The teacher thought that girls in the OC class were more
oriented towards creative occupations, with one girl wanting to be a photographer. Another
wanted to be a secretary, and another a teacher. None of the boys were interested in these sorts
of options. Several of the boys mentioned that they wanted a career that would make lots of
money and the teacher thought this may have been a result of family influence. Many students
were thought to be under pressure to have their choices shaped by parental preferences.
The students in the mainstream classes also seemed to display a gendered bias, with girls
having an orientation towards nursing. Male students wished to be a ‘cop’, Prime Minister or
a member of a SWOT team. A low achieving boy wanted to be a train driver. Sport was
prominent in boys’ choices and many students in the mainstream classes wanted to work with
animals. Another student wanted to teach people how to be a ninja. Otherwise, however, the
students’ aspirations were reality-based and students suggested that their choices were
predominantly based on their interests.
A quantitative analysis of the data from primary school children’s artefacts revealed that there
were marked differences between the aspirations of children at School 1 and School 2, which
are most likely related to the marked differences between the two suburbs in SES rating as
shown at Appendix 1. It was decided to compare the data between the two schools rather than
collapse it. In Tables 1 and 2 the numbers and percentages were calculated for children at
Kindergarten and at Year 5 level at each of the two schools, according to the educational
qualifications and training required for children’s career aspirations.
Focus Group Summaries
9
Table 1: Summary Table – Educational Requirements for Career Choice,
Kindergarten Schools 1 and 2
Educational Requirements for
Career Choice
Kinder School 1
N=54
Kinder School 2
N=90
Tertiary Education 9 (17%) 25 (28%)
Further Education TAFE – (Diploma,
Apprenticeship) or Training Colleges 20 (37%) 29 (33%)
On the Job Training 11 (20%) 24 (26%)
Fantasy (Princess, Queen, Robot,
Superhero) 14 (26%) 12 (13%)
Total 54 (100%) 90 (100%)
* Full table appears in Appendix 2, Table 26
Table 2: Summary Table – Educational Requirements for Career Choice,
Year 5 Schools 1 and 2
Educational Requirements for Career
Choice
Year 5 School 1
N=45
Year 5 School 2
N=42
Tertiary Education 18 (40%) 32 (76%)
Further Education TAFE – (Diploma,
Apprenticeship) or Training College 11 (24%) 4 (9%)
On the Job Training 16 (36%) 5 (12%)
Fantasy (Princess, Queen, Robot,
Superhero) 1 (2%)
Total 45 (100%) 42 (100%)
* Full table appears in Appendix 2, Table 27
There were marked differences between School 1 (low SES) and School 2 (higher SES) in the
choice of careers associated with different levels of education, which became more marked
with age level. At Kindergarten level, 17% of children at School 1 chose a career requiring
tertiary level study compared with 28% of children from School 2 (Table 1). By Year 5, 76%
of children from School 2 aspired to careers requiring tertiary education compared to only
40% of children from School 1 (Table 2). The proportions of children from each school
aspiring to careers requiring further non-tertiary education (TAFE colleges and equivalent) are
very similar for children in Schools 1 and 2 at Kindergarten level (37%:33%) and quite
differentiated by Year 5, with more children from School 1 (24%) than from School 2 (9%)
aspiring to such careers. Similar proportions of children in Kindergarten at each of the schools
chose careers requiring no ‘formal’ further education, but by Year 5 marked differences were
apparent, with 36% of children from School 1 aspiring to careers which required no ‘formal’
further education or training compared to only 12% from School 2. We can conclude from
these comparisons by socio-economic status, that a marked differentiation in career aspiration
occurs between children of different SES status as they progress from Kindergarten to Year 5
in primary school.
While it is only a very slight finding that is not statistically significant, it is interesting to note
that at Kindergarten level the proportion of children aspiring to fantasy careers in School 1 is
twice that in School 2, but by Year 5 no children in School 1 aspire to such careers while 2%
of children in School 2 continue to do so. This phenomenon is significant in that the reverse
might be expected, and it supports the idea of the role of imagination in the creation of
alternative futures, which could be further investigated.
Focus Group Summaries
10
Gender
Table 3: Summary Table of Gender and Educational Requirements for Career Choice
Gender and Educational Requirements
for Career Choice All Year 5 All Kinder
Male
N=52
Female
N=31 Male
N=72
Female
N=72
Tertiary Education 27 (52%) 18 (58%) 5 (7%) 29 (40%)
Further Education TAFE – (Diploma,
Apprenticeship) or Training College 12 (23%) 4 (13%) 32 (44%) 17 (24%)
On the Job Training 12 (23%) 9 (29%) 23 (32%) 12 (17%)
Fantasy (Princess, Queen, Robot,
Superhero) 1 (2%) 12 (17%) 14 (19%)
Total 52 (100%) 31 (100%) 72 (100%) 72 (100%)
Gender unidentified 4
* Full table appears in Appendix 2, Table 28
At Kindergarten level nearly six times as many girls as boys aspire to a career requiring
further education, but by Year 5 the gender balance is almost equal. In both Kindergarten and
Year 5, more boys than girls aspire to a career requiring further (non-university) education.
More boys than girls at Kindergarten level, and more girls than boys at Year 5 level show
preferences for a career requiring on the job training, which possibly indicates an increasing
gender differentiation, as children progress through primary school, in the choice of those
careers requiring no further education.
Reasons for career aspiration
Year 5
The study recorded 199 reasons given by the Year 5 children for choosing a nominated career.
Some children gave just one reason while others were able to visualise a career with as many
as four key advantages. For example, one student described her multiple aspirations for her
career as:
I like to be a doctor because a doctor earns a lot of money. And I want to be
rich. I even like to help a lot of sick people. So I will be reliable and
responsible enough for this job. (Female)
An analysis of the written data revealed the following themes, listed here in decreasing order
of the number of times they were cited as a reason for choosing a particular career. The seven
categories are: job satisfaction; the desire to help people, animals or the broader community;
the desire to contribute to the community; already having experience or confidence with the
activity/career; appeals to remuneration; family influences; and visions of inventing. One
child also focused on what he wanted his life ‘not to be’. Table 4 below shows the frequencies
with which these themes were generated by the students.
Focus Group Summaries
11
Table 4: Frequency of Reasons for Career Aspirations,
Year 5 Schools 1 and 2
Reasons/Themes Number of
times
Job satisfaction 76 (38%)
Contributing to the Community 55 (28%)
Experienced with, and/or confidence to do the
job
23 (11%)
Remuneration 22 (10%)
Family influence 12 (7%)
Inventions 11 (6%)
Total 199 (100%)
* Full table, including sub-theme frequencies, appears in Appendix 2, Table 29
Excerpts from the data confirm that by Year 5 the children (10 and 11 years old) have clear
thoughts guiding their aspirations towards certain careers. Some examples of children’s stated
reasons for career choice, from within the identified themes, are as follows:
Job satisfaction
I would like to be a professional dancer because I have loved dancing since
I was a little girl and I would love to become famous for dancing!!!
I would like to be an artist because I would be able to create artworks and
have them displayed and feel proud to know that I had created the art.
… a chemical engineer because she loves science and seeing reactions to
chemicals. (Female, Zambian/Indian)
Contributing to the community/altruistic
I want to be a fighter pilot because I want to help Australia in the war.
(Male)
When I grow up I would like to be a veterinary because I love animals and
to save all the animals in need. Just seeing the animals in poor condition
makes me sad, so I would love to help all animals in need. (Female)
Experienced with and/or confidence to do the job
I want to be a football player because I have played it my whole life. (Male,
Low SES)
Remuneration
I want to be a cricketer because it is fun and you get a lot of money. (Male)
... so I can help my family with money. (Male)
I would like to be a professional soccer player because I’m good at it and
you get good money for playing something you like. (Male)
… a professional basketball player and play in the NBA. He practises every
day to improve his ability and says it will also make him rich. (Male,
Filipino)
Focus Group Summaries
12
Inventing
… a scientist to create things. (Male, Filipino)
… a scientist to invent eco-friendly power. (Male, Fijian/Indian)
… a scientist to find new ways of extracting and harnessing energy. (Male,
Indian)
Family influence
… a V8 super car driver in the Bathurst 1000 – brought up with lots of cars
as well as name being a car! (Male, Australian)
… a vet. Because she likes animals her father suggested she be a vet.
(Female, Chinese)
I want to be a builder because I can build a mansion for my family to live in.
(Male, Low SES)
Fantasy
One student, thought it would be fun to be
… a superhero with a bike, guns and a helicopter. (Male, Fijian)
An outlier
An interesting comment was recorded by one student who focused not only on ‘what he
wanted’ for his career, but also on ‘what he didn’t want’ to experience in his life. He indicated
he would like to be the
… CEO of Woolworths for good salary and to give money to charity, help
my family and live a good life. Not to give up or make a major mistake and
not to struggle. (Male, Fijian)
13
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Analysis and Discussion of Children’s Artefacts
The three secondary schools in the STAR project took different approaches to the generation
and collection of student artefacts representing the students’ aspirations for the future. In one
school, students created individual video statements, which were edited together by their
teacher. In another school students spent a day creating short films where students interviewed
each other in pairs on a range of aspects of intended careers and related issues and filmed
these interviews. At the third school students used a single lesson to create images and text on
a poster or PowerPoint presentations to represent what they wanted in the future. The method
selected for data elicitation was decided by the school, and was integrated as far as possible
into the everyday learning and organisation of the school. As well the student artefacts,
teachers at each school provided additional information on the students, identifying gender,
low SES students, and year level or age.
This section of the report focuses on the research question: What are the career and further
education aspirations of the children and how do they change through time? The schools are
discussed in order of the Year level of children selected for the study, beginning with School 3
which worked with the youngest age group, in Year 8, then School 4 which focused on Year 9
and Year 10 students, and finally School 5 which selected classes of students in Year 9 and
Year 11. Depending on the varying data sets generated at each school, some comment can also
be made in each school about emerging patterns in terms of gender and SES, and about
students’ perceptions of enablers and barriers to the achievement of their desired career path.
School Three – Co-educational
In this school artefacts were collected from 18 students in one Year 8 selective stream class,
comprising ten male and eight female students. These students made a class video, which was
edited by the teacher, to identify their preferred career and name potential enablers and
barriers that might impact on their career trajectories.
Gender
Table 5 lists students’ career choices at School 3 by gender, revealing some gendered patterns
in their selections – half of the boys have indicated computing/engineering related careers.
Though the girls’ options appear quite varied, only two of the eight identified careers clearly
entail higher education at university. Slightly more boys than girls identified career pathways
that will involve tertiary study, though some careers are ambiguous in terms of the necessity
for further education e.g. ‘zoo keeper’ and ‘dance teacher’. A small number of the career
options for boys and girls are also likely to lead towards further education in the VET
(Vocational Education and Training) sector rather than at university. Although students
identified particular professions requiring further study, or referred generally to ‘courses’,
only one student named a particular university degree, Bachelor in Business and Hospitality,
as a necessary prerequisite (to be a chef) and this may not be accurate.
Focus Group Summaries
14
Table 5: School 3 – Aspiration by Gender
Aspirations of GIRLS Aspirations of BOYS
Chef
Ultra-sonographer/ cardiologist
Hairdresser
Dance teacher
Photographer
Radiology/ vet
Casting director
Zookeeper
Graphic designer
Vet
Electronics programmer/ robotics
IT/ computers
Software engineer
RAAF fighter pilot
Mechanical engineer
Vet
Builder
Table 6 identifies the perceived enablers and barriers to success in the chosen careers. These
have been sorted into ‘in school/ university factors’ including academic results, course and
subject selections and attitudinal or behavioural factors relating to study, and ‘out of school
factors’ including family, income and the broader knowledge of the sphere of work that the
students hope to enter. Items that relate to individual attitudinal or behavioural factors
(attitude, motivation – work hard, study, enjoy) are marked in the table with an asterisk (*).
Items that relate to academic success (results, grades) are marked with a hash sign (#). While
it is difficult to distinguish factors that are necessarily entangled (for example, studying hard,
which is indicated as behavioural/ motivational *, is likely to lead to good grades, indicated as
academic #), the distinction nevertheless reveals some interesting patterns which are
discussed in the following section.
Table 6: School 3 – Enablers and Barriers to Success in Career Choice
Enablers Barriers
School/ university factors School/ university factors
Right classes
Get into elective
Get into particular Bachelor degree
Not getting right classes
Not get into courses I want
Not getting into desired institution
Getting subjects I need
#Good grades
#Grades needed
#Bad grades
#Bad grades
#Grades
#Grades/ computer games
#Good marks
* Put time and effort in
* Try hard, get into right courses
* Try to like science more
* Motivation
* Study more, get better grades
* Study & get experience
* Work extra hard
* Changing mind/ become impatient
with study
* Changing mind
* Change my mind
* Change my mind
* My attention span
* Too lazy/ not right attitude
Out of school factors Out of school factors
Parents in profession
Start outside of school
Go to FTV institutes to find out more
Not enough money
Barriers and enablers
In terms of both enablers and barriers students recognise that their own individual attitudes
and behaviours are significantly more important than any other factors that might impinge on
their career trajectories. Positive attitudes and behaviours directed towards learning were seen
as even more important than actually achieving good grades, in terms of realising their career
aspirations. This may reflect students’ understanding that positive learning behaviours precede
Focus Group Summaries
15
learning success and it also implies that this is a domain that students perceive is under their
control. They understand that they have control and responsibility for managing their time,
behaviour and affective orientations or feelings towards what they are learning (‘try to like
science more’). These individualised factors were seen by students as the most important
factors for enabling their success, with significantly more attention given to attitude or
behaviour (*7) than actual results (#2). This may also reflect the year level of students, as in
Year 8 it is less likely that career paths will be closed off by poor results. However, when it
comes to barriers to achieving their career aspirations, the risk of poor grades (#5) in the
future has increased to almost the same level of concern as attitude and behavioural aspects
(#6) that students might perceive to be under their control. This may indicate an expectation
of higher anxiety about their future success being less under their control than the present.
However, it is difficult to determine these factors from the data.
Another important factor that emerges as a potential barrier in the future for some students is
the concern that they might change their minds (4) about their desired career path. This seems
to be perceived by them as a disadvantage. However, in Year 8 perhaps it is rather early for
students to expect that they should have locked in linear and singular career paths. None of
the student responses suggested that they are thinking about flexible or multi-directional
career plans that could allow productive changes of direction or adjustment as they proceed
through secondary school and learn more about their own skills and interests and the breadth
of career options that might be available. In terms of academic pathways, students were very
aware that certain subject choices, courses or institutions will be necessary for their chosen
careers and access to these was identified equally as enabling (4) and disabling (4).
Teachers did not identify students in School 3 in terms of SES, therefore no conclusions can
be drawn about how SES status might impact on students’ aspirations. All students were in the
selective stream in Year 8.
School Four – Single Sex, Female
This school embedded the creation of the artefact into a full day career-planning event for
Year 9 and Year 10 students from a mix of selective and non-selective streams. Students
ranged in age from 14 to 16 years and their responses have been organised according to age.
Overall 26 student videos were produced throughout the day, although not all students
completed all elements of the activity. All students used the same setting for their videos and
took turns to conduct and record extended video interviews. Each student sat in a throne-like
chair and spoke directly to the camera in response to a series of identical questions focusing
on desired career choice, how this has and might change over time, factors that will assist
them to achieve these goals, as well as several other related factors (after school plans,
friends’ plans, general sense of the future). Students at School 4 were not asked for factors
that might serve as barriers to the achievement of their goals. Each student’s video is edited as
a separate file but has been enhanced and extended by the teacher with an introductory
sequence incorporating images, props and costumes that are relevant to that student’s career
choice. Teachers identified students as being from low, mid and mid-high SES backgrounds.
Career aspirations by age and SES
In Table 7, students’ current aspirations are listed and organised according to SES as identified
by teachers. They indicate a marked tendency for students identified as mid-high SES to
select high status and high income professional careers requiring tertiary study, over those
students in other categories. Far fewer students in the low SES category identified tertiary
pathways. Options associated with fashion and display, or that might seem glamorous (model,
hairdresser, designer, air hostess) were all associated with students from low SES
Focus Group Summaries
16
backgrounds. Many careers named by low and mid SES students were ambiguous in terms of
higher education requirements.
Whilst there was an inclination towards gendered options in many of the selections, there was
also a small number of unconventional career choices for girls (tattoo artist, construction
worker, panel beater). However these were modified by their more detailed responses to later
questions (receptionist at tattoo parlour; construction worker – ‘I have no idea’). Students
were not asked directly why they had chosen their particular career option but traces emerge
in some of the more detailed responses. Only two students mentioned role models or family
influence (optometrist – ‘due to my parents’; teacher – ‘because of my Dad’). Students often
added other possible pathways in their answers to later questions. These ‘proliferating’
aspirations, in that the more some students spoke, the more options they came up with, have
been indicated by (+…..) in Table 7.
Although students made general comments about the university study they expected to
complete, only one student named a specific course (Bachelor of Science with major in
biochemistry or forensics – to become a chemist). Another student named particular
institutions (Sydney University or Macquarie University). As student numbers varied in each
age group, it is difficult to draw conclusions about aspirations across time from their current
imagined career options, however there may be a clearer focus emerging for 16 year olds in
terms of a single preferred career option, as they seemed less inclined than the younger
students to give multiple responses.
Table 7: School 4 – Career Choices by Age & SES Category
Age/
Years Low SES Mid SES Mid-high SES
14 Army/ law
Model
Army / journalist/ freelance photographer/
history teacher (+bakery, butcher)
Air hostess (+counsellor, work with
children)
Hairdresser
Fashion designer/ successful business
woman
Fashion designer
Panel beater
Veterinarian (+zoology)
Tattoo artist
Concert pianist (+play
music in movies)
Zoologist/ optometrist
(+dietician)
Doctor/ cosmetic
dermatologist
Copyright lawyer/
writer/ actress
15 Art teacher
Accountant
Obstetrician / astrophysicist (+write
books)
Dance teacher
Construction worker/ nurse (+life guard)
Nurse
Registered nurse
Chemist
Policewoman
16 Nurse
Tourism industry
Architect
Career aspirations over time
Past aspirations
School 4 provided an expanded opportunity to look at changes to students’ aspirational
trajectories over time because of the way the artefacts were constructed. As well as indicating
their preferred career options now, students were also asked to recall what they had wanted to
do when they were at primary school (Table 8), and where they imagined themselves in the
Focus Group Summaries
17
future – both ‘after school’ (Table 9), and then ‘in ten years’ (Table 10). Table 8 suggests that
only three students maintained a clear commitment to a single career path from their primary
years (doctor, hairdresser, fashion designer) through to the present. Two of these were in the
low SES group. Several other low SES students had modified their aspirations – from dancer
and artist to dance teacher and art teacher. Modifications of aspirations were also apparent
where two students (low and mid SES) who had wanted to be doctors as children, now want
to be nurses, and a third (mid SES) has changed her preference from doctor to chemist. As
would be expected, childhood fantasy categories (princess, mermaid, vampire) have been
replaced by what seem to be more realistic options. Notably, almost all the students who could
not recall thinking about future careers while they were at primary school were in the low
SES group.
Table 8: School 4 – What I Wanted to be in Primary School
Age/ Years Low SES Mid SES Mid-high SES
14 Hairdresser*
Fashion designer*
Vampire
Princess
Farmer/ mermaid
Singer
?
Doctor/ teacher Doctor*
Rapunzel/
optometrist
Singer/ doctor
15 Artist*
Dancer*
Lawyer
Archaeologist
Astronaut
?
Fashion designer
Doctor in ER
?
16 Dancer/doctor
2 x ?
Model
(Asterisk indicates same as or closely related to present option; ? indicates that students
don’t recall the future careers they imagined in primary school.)
After school
At School 4 students’ imagined trajectories into the future were captured via snapshots at two
points in time – ‘after school’ and ‘in ten years’. Table 9 suggests that almost half (12 of 26)
of the students plan to go to university soon after finishing secondary school, comprising
almost all of the students in mid and mid-high SES groups and only four of the thirteen
students in the low SES group. Two of the low SES students expected to study at TAFE after
they finished school. Three of the four university-bound low SES students specified that they
would also need to be working while at university. However this was specified by only one of
the eight students from the mid and mid-high categories intending to go to university. Six of
the twelve low SES students expected to be working when school finished (sometimes
combined with study), while only two of the mid and mid-high SES students identified paid
work as part of their immediate post school planning. Amongst the low SES students, one
anticipated combining parenthood and marriage with university (army/law), and three planned
to travel overseas. Two of the mid-high SES students also planned to travel but their travel
was embedded into an educational pathway (i.e. as a ‘year off’ before university or within a
student exchange program).
Focus Group Summaries
18
Table 9: School 4 – Careers After School
Age/
Years Low SES Mid SES Mid-high SES
14 University/ married/
babies
TAFE/ job/England
2 x Work in preferred
job
University/ p/t work
TAFE/ university/ work
University University
/student exchange
University
Year off/work/
university
15 2 x Work in preferred
job
Go to America
3 x University
Work in preferred job
16 Travel around the
world
University
University University
(‘Work in preferred job’ means that students repeated their initial career choice in
response to this question)
In the future: ten years
The imagined futures of ‘in ten years’ enabled students to develop mini narratives about the
order in which they intended to make certain choices in their lives. As with other elements of
their responses, these were not always complete or consistent with what they had answered
earlier in their interviews. Ten of the 26 students imagined themselves having children within
ten years, though two students (mid and mid-high SES) specifically noted that they would be
too young to be married or have children. Only seven of the 26 students specifically identified
themselves as working in ten years’ time. Three students of the 26 expected they would be
still studying at university. Nine of the students identified themselves as living or travelling
overseas. While none of these categories are mutually exclusive (for example, living overseas
is likely to incorporate working overseas and parenting may be accompanied by work), the
students’ responses do indicate the factor that was foremost at the time of their responses to
the question. Although numbers of students are small, and any conclusions to be drawn are
tentative, there were emerging patterns in SES terms. Having children was specified as a
career related life goal to be achieved within ten years by more than half (7 out of 11) of low
SES girls, a third of mid SES girls (2 out of 6), and one quarter of mid-high SES girls. Work
(or work-specific study) was specifically named as part of their life in ten years time by less
than half (4 out of 11) of low SES girls, by half (3 out of 6) of mid SES girls, and more than
half (3 out of 4) of mid-high SES girls. Although student responses included some which may
have been intended to be provocative or humorous (for example, ‘pregnant living in a
trailer’), it is nevertheless significant that these girls did not have in mind (or did not choose
to offer) a recognisable career choice in answer to this quite specific question, and such
responses are likely to indicate uncertainty around aspirational trajectories.
Focus Group Summaries
19
Table 10: School 4 – Career in Ten Years
Age Low SES Mid SES Mid-high SES
14 Travelling by the beach,
have some kids
Be overseas, start family,
go back to work after
they start school
Have ten or more kids, be
married
Have lots of babies, be
married, in big house, be
hairdresser
Living by myself, at least
engaged, have kids after
few years
Finish study, get married
and have own life
Masters degree after
nursing
Married with kid or two,
travelling around the
world
Pregnant living in a trailer
or in England
Finishing university/ travelled
around world/ living alone
(too young for
marriage/kids)
Still finishing university
(dermatology)
Have a partner, be married,
working or in university or
writing or freelancing or
living alone or with my
friend, and travelling, living
in America (too young for
kids)
15 Go to uni, get money/work,
have kids
Independent career driven
woman – mum wants me
to be married and I’ll
have kids but still study
and learn and write
books
Overseas in Paris , NY or
England
In America, NY mall, be
rich and perhaps have
goat, pig, cow
Working playing piano at
different concerts or
still at university
Living in Hawaii on the
beach
In my dream job working
in a lab of forensic
scientist, in relationship
or single (too young for
kids or marriage)
16 Maybe married Married in Dubai with
husband and two children,
working as architect and
travelling all around the
world with kids
School 5 – Single Sex, Male
School 5 selected two classes in Year 9, giving a total of 41 students, and one class in Year 11
of 25 students. The Year 9 cohort included students from both the selective and non-selective
streams.
Career choice by year level and SES
Student career choices are listed by year level and SES in Table 11.
Career aspirations were highly gendered and show disproportionate orientations towards
working in the computer industry (Year 9) and professional sport (Year 11). In the younger
cohort the aspiration towards professional sport is spread between SES groupings, whilst in
Year 11 it is markedly the preference of students who are identified by teachers as coming
from low SES backgrounds.
Apart from the computer studies orientations, only a small proportion of the responses suggest
a higher education pathway and these were concentrated within the Year 9 cohort, possibly
amongst the students in the selective stream. In students identified by teachers as low SES,
there was an increasing orientation towards professional sporting careers as students
Focus Group Summaries
20
progressed to Year 11. Amongst Year 9 students from low SES backgrounds, there was a
relatively even distribution between sport and non-sport careers.
Table 11: School 5 – Career Aspiration by Year Level and SES Category
SES Category Year 9 Year 11
Low SES Army pilot
Aeronautical engineer
Neurosurgeon
Car engineer
Car designer/ bridge engineer/ car artist
Architect/ army
Rugby league player
Soccer player
Rugby league coach
Tradie/ own business
Police officer
Fly for British airways
Join the army
Game designer/ architect/ chef
Business man
Basketball player
Rugby league player
Soccer player x 4
Cricket player x 2
Record producer/ CEO/ hiphop artist
Actor
Bartender
Non-Low SES Pilot of a commercial airline
CEO of big company or engineer
Engineer/ CEO
General practitioner
Dentist
Medical science
Lawyer/ software engineer
Physics
Engineer
Architect
Electronic engineer
Indie game programmer
Gamer/ Software developer or designer
Software/ hardware engineer/
programmer/ gamer
Computer designer
Software engineer x 2
NBA player
Soccer player
Soccer player/ personal trainer/
PDHPE teacher
Cricket player
J rock/ pop song artist
Work at MacDonald’s during
secondary school to build résumé
Army hospital paramedic
Heavy mechanics/ trucks in mines
SAS soldier
Computer designer
Computer sales/ professor
Singer
Join the army
SAS soldier
Software engineer
Petroleum engineer
Professional basketball player
Rugby league player
Builder/ police officer
Police officer
Police officer
Art & design/ author
NOTE: Where students named multiple options, the first named option was used for the figures below. Where
student SES was not identified by teachers, or students did not include their names on their artefacts, their data
was placed in the third section of Table 11 (above) and was not included in the low SES figure below.
The data to show comparative frequencies for career choice between Year 9 and Year 11
students have also been organised into two column/bar graphs. Figure 1 represents the career
aspirations of identified low SES students in Years 9 and 11, while Figure 2 reveals the
reasons that all students gave for their career choices.
Focus Group Summaries
21
Figure 1: Career Aspirations – Low SES Students Years 9 and 11
Figure 2: Reasons for Career Choices – All Students Years 9 and 11
28
45
0
18
9
50
12.5 12.5 12.5 12.5
sport professional (HE) artistic police/ military trade/ business
Yr 9 low SES Yr 11 low SES
% LOW SES students: Career Aspirations
17
10 10 10
12 12
5
7 7
0 0
12 12
8 8
4 4
0 0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
% Yr 9 % Yr 11
Reasons for career choices - % all students Invalid Year 9: 4(10%) and Year 11: 13(52%)
22
PARENT FOCUS GROUPS
STAR Parent Interviews
Focus group interviews were conducted within the respective five schools in the Blacktown
Learning Community. The parents or caregivers were invited to attend sessions that generally
lasted for approximately 60 minutes. The focus group sizes varied from site to site, ranging
from the smallest cohort (three participants) to the largest (seventeen participants). A series of
open-ended questions was posed during these sessions, and participants were invited to
respond to the general questions identified earlier:
What are the career and further education aspirations of your children and how do
they change through time?
What factors would either enhance or impede your child’s career aspirations?
If responses required additional elaboration the facilitator delved further for clarification and
verification. In the following analysis the parent focus groups are discussed in order of the
age levels of their children, primary schools first and then secondary schools.
Analysis of Primary School Parent Focus Groups
Aspirations
Beginning with the two primary schools (both co-educational schools ranging from K–6) the
general comments made by the parents concerning aspirations were varied. The emergent
themes included: aspirations for a trade; no clearly identified aspiration at this stage;
happiness in their chosen career; parents’ aspirations projected upon their children; an attempt
to dissuade children from jobs requiring hard manual labour; their child’s fluctuating career
choices over time; the influence of media and sports; and the long-term aspiration for a ‘good
income’. These are identified in Table 12.
Parent Focus Groups Focus Group Summaries
23
Table 12: General Data – Parents/Caregivers, Primary Schools
Themes Parent comments and Quotes from data
Aspirations for a trade Having a trade to fall back on … if you have a trade, even if you don’t like it you
can go back to it, you can change to something else but you still have it. … my
son wanted to do with his electrical apprenticeship, he said, ‘I want to do that
because that’ll set me up’.
No clear idea at this
stage
The only thing that’s important to him at the moment is TV and video games, and
all of that sort of stuff. … He’s quite bright and above average in most of his
results, but he would have no idea where he wants to go at the moment.
Happiness I want them to be happy, like that’s why I’m not forcing my son over it, like I
can’t tell him what he wants to be. I want him to be happy.
… as long they’re happy, they can be what they want to be.
Parent aspiration
projected onto kids
Even parents should just stay out of it. Like they should be there to lend a hand
and push them along the way, like you can do it. But actually take over and tell
them what they have to do and – I think that’s just wrong.
Aversion to manual
labour
I don’t want him to work hard all his life, like in a hard job.
Randomly selected –
Changing choices over
time
Her career choices change depending on what she’s into at the time. She
originally wanted to be a vet because she loves the animals, and now she’s
learning to braid, and she wants to be a hairdresser and, you know, next week it’ll
possibly change depending on what she starts doing next week. So, yeah, it just
seems to be at the moment whatever she seems to be into, she’ll look for a job
that’s related to that.
Influence of media My daughter wants to be Kym Kardashian.
Influence of sports He wants to play for the Rabbitohs when he grows up … But he fights with his
father because his father wants him to play for Penrith … But that’s all he thinks
about is sport, sport, sport, sport all the time.
Earning a decent wage I think, sometimes they can’t see like the big picture. You might be losing the
money now, but if you put the hard work in academically you’re setting yourself
up for later, and you don’t have to work as hard or do a job that you’re not that
crash hot on.
Enablers
The parents and caregivers of primary students articulated the overwhelming importance of
parental influence as a critical ‘enabling’ factor. In Table 13, the most significant factors
acknowledged were parental support of their child’s career choices.
Table 13: Enabling Factors – Parents/Caregivers, Primary Schools
Themes Parent comments and quotes from data
Parental influence
(supportive,
confident
encouraging)
Give them support and just say, ‘yeah, sure you can do that’, or even if it’s
something that you think, ‘oh never in a million years would my child be able to
do that’ go ‘I bet you could’. Yeah, I guess like pump them up, give them the
courage to be able to say, ‘oh well try it’; not just go ‘oh don’t you want to – this
might be easier if you do this’. If they choose something, be supportive.
Give them a high level of self-confidence, they’re more likely to succeed in life.
They’ve got a lot of years before they might change their mind, but even if they
don’t, who is anyone to say that they can’t do it.
… that’s the other thing is to always be there as support for the kids to allow them
to do whatever they choose to do. If they go out and get a job and they go ‘well,
look I’m going to stop my job because I want to go back and do this’, hopefully
financially we can support that.
I guess support also comes in is to have them at home for a longer period of time,
even if they’re driving you nuts.
Parent Focus Groups Focus Group Summaries
24
Barriers
Table 14 identifies the primary school parents’ perceptions of barriers to their children
achieving their career aspirations. Items relating to financial struggles and monetary
constraints were most often cited. Of the other factors which were discussed less frequently,
children not applying themselves at school, deficiencies in the curriculum or teaching, and
lack of role models within the family were the most frequently mentioned.
Table 14: Barriers to Career Aspirations – Parents/Caregivers, Primary Schools
Themes Parent comments and Quotes from data
Financial struggle in
general
[speaking about a family member – nephew] He did his HSC a few years ago,
and all he ever wanted to do all his life was be a doctor, and he would have been
the best doctor in the world. He missed out by 2 points to get into uni as a doctor.
So he tried to get a review of grade and all that sort of stuff, you know, and they
wouldn’t do it. So he ended up, he went to uni to do something else, and he hated
it.
Not applying
themselves at school
I don’t know that my daughter would ever go off and do uni because she just
tends to be just cruising. … She may have to really apply herself if she decides
that she wants to do something that requires uni. … It doesn’t come easily for her.
Deficiencies in
teaching and
curriculum
There are good teachers, and then there are some teachers that aren’t. … [They]
are just there for the money … and you still get personality clashes too.
Lack of role models I know no one in my family has gone to university, not one.
Analysis of Secondary School Parent Focus Groups
Aspirations
Several themes emerged from the parent focus group about the factors that influence young
people’s career choices. These included: low SES as a limiting factor; lack of clarity and
certainty about their career choices; an overarching desire by parents for their children to be
happy, content and successful with the career choice made; the constant state of flux in career
choice; parents’ role modelling career aspirations to children; and the importance of parents
‘chasing the right school’ for their children. Collectively, these factors are identified in Table
15.
Parent Focus Groups Focus Group Summaries
25
Table 15: General Data – Parents/Caregivers, Secondary Schools
Themes Parent comments and Quotes from data
Low SES
I think … it’s family dynamics. Sometimes along the way, families break down, and
then there is the economic – the socio-economic background that people … I know
from my own ethnicity – Pacific Islanders – I don’t think many of us go to university
because of the fact that the financial stress of the pressure of actually getting out of
school and get a job to help the family.
The fact that there’s a lot of financial pressures in families that – I know my kids
sometimes – they say to me, ‘Mum, we don’t want to go to university’. I will say,
‘why?’ ‘Because it’s going to cost so much money for you and Dad, and we want to
go get a job and help you’. I goes, ‘no you’re not. You are going to go to university. If
you can’t go to university, go to TAFE’.
Still unclear bout
career choice
When they are younger … I think they fancy being something, but they don’t – they
actually don’t know. I will ask this question many times to my children. ‘What do
you want to be?’ ‘I don’t know’. Every time the question, answer is, ‘I don’t know’,
which is great. I think because that’s how it is. They’re still growing up.
She has no clue what she wants to do, and that’s fine too because they actually told us
at the elective night, do something you’re interested in and something you’re good at,
not what you think is going to be good for your career, because he said, she might
have three different careers before she gets the right thing.
Importance of
happiness and
contentment in
their career choice
A lot of children choose what is comfortable and familiar. They see what their parents
are doing – but that sometimes this narrows their options. He is reasonably bright; we
would just like him to be happy with whatever career he chooses … We are not very
pushy parents … just encouraging him to do the very best he can do.
That’s a pathway, and you’ve got to go and do what you want to do and be what you
want to be. Get a job that you like. Don’t just go get a job. Get something – do
something you enjoy doing so that when you wake up in the morning, you’re not
dreading going to work. You’re happy to get up and go to work. That’s the little
things I’ve given to my children.
Achievement and
success in career
choice
We’re planting seeds to actually see them in greatness. They could be the greatest
plumber. Nothing wrong with that. The greatest builder – nothing wrong with that.
But it’s having that – changing the minds of a society, and it starts from the home.
All I ask of my son is that he do his very best that he can do, respect everybody, give
it his best shot and fingers crossed to some point isn’t it as well.
Choices changing
over time
My daughter’s aspirations over time have changed dramatically. But I think that’s
purely because her world has gotten wider. Before she started school, the only
profession that she was aware of was medicine because that was the only profession
that she experienced. She certainly didn’t want to follow her dad because he’d come
home exhausted. But the doctor looked glamorous. When she started school, she
wanted to be a teacher because that was her whole world. Then she went through a
stage of wanting to be a spy and a rock star. But that changes because she’s now
recognising what her talents and deficits are. She can’t hold a tune, so rock star’s not
going to happen. She’s quite timid, so she’s not going to be able to get up in front of
20,000 people. It’s just that because they’re experiencing – at four, she wouldn’t have
known what an engineer was. Now she knows, not that she wants to be an engineer.
But they’re just exposed to so many more careers and professions than they were as a
young child.
But she’s loves English, so she talks about possibly doing human rights law because
… because every new career that she hears about is more exciting than the last. It’s
just fine-tuning it, and that’s going to happen.
Divergence within
families
But at least us parents can support her. This is what she wants. Sometimes the parents
– you should be a doctor, but that’s not what she wants. They only did it because the
parents want it. When they got up to year 12, they change. They say, ‘no that’s too
hard, we don’t want to do that because only Mum and Dad want us to do it’.
Parents as role
models to children
I’m going to university next year for the simple fact that I want to set examples for
my children and say to them, ‘you know what? I’m struggling, studying, family and
Parent Focus Groups Focus Group Summaries
26
work. I don’t want you to do this’. So I’m setting an example for my children that
they have to do it now while they’re young. … To the core of things, it’s the home
that – where the values are put in, instilled and everything.
It’s that nurturing that we do at home. I think – and one of the most – I think the
highest barrier for my ethnicity, or my – Pacific Islanders – is the financial side of
things and the lack of education, because some of us parents, the highest education –
our parents’ parents, their highest education was primary school.
I think his dad is his role model … [He] is very dedicated, studious and career
minded. He always makes my son aim for the very best he can. And I think he thrives
on that.
Chasing the right
school
I knew then that they were taking the application seriously and that this school was
the one. They were doing things the right way. You can see it is a good environment,
good teachers, well looked after, yeah sure there have been little things I am not
happy, no place is going to be perfect, but my kids love it here. … To get my child
here each day, there are a few of us where we live that car pool, so my husband does
the morning shift, and another parent does the afternoon shift. It is worth the extra
effort to come here.
Enablers
In parallel with the findings from the primary school parent cohort, one of the frequently
mentioned enablers for the parents and caregivers of secondary school students was the need
for creating a supportive, encouraging and nurturing environment. In Table 16, several factors
are indicated as being instrumental in achieving this goal; for example, parental influence was
viewed by parents as an integral factor in shaping their child’s career choices. Open
communication channels between parent and child and parents’ acceptance of their child’s
wishes to leave school were all seen as enabling factors for career aspirations. The success of
the school and expectations of teachers were also flagged as significant factors in the process.
Interestingly, some parents were highly satisfied with the schooling their child received whilst
others were dismissive about the quality of education on offer (see section on ‘barriers’ for
information on parent dissatisfaction.
Parent Focus Groups Focus Group Summaries
27
Table 16: Enabling Factors – Parents/Caregivers, Secondary Schools
Themes Parent comments and Quotes from data
Parental influence –
supportive, confident
encouraging
We don’t say that you have to push a child in academics or in maths or science.
That’s not the thing. Let them be where they want to go, but whatever he wants to
do, give them enough support. I think the curriculum lacks here, and I have – in
my learning time, I have learned enough.
We are always pushing him to do better. He doesn’t like it, but he has to learn to
try harder. They slacken off thinking everything is fine.
He doesn’t put time aside; he just ‘wings it’. But life is not like that any more …
but it is good to push them now, because if they do it later, the chances might be
gone.
I’m not – overly – just leaving all my kids worrying to the schools and the
teachers. I take responsibilities for my kids’ learnings, and I teach them to take
responsibilities for their learnings, for the simple fact that the first – I believe the
first school is the home. Some of the time, the teachers do it hard because the kids
don’t have respect for the teachers.
Communicating values
There’s other skills that has to be fostered, not only academic skills. There’s
social skills. There’s other skills that need to be fostered. I know some parents – I
know I’m not one of those parents that focus on wholly academic because I know
that my kids may not be – think they’re doing well. But there’s more to them than
their brains. Do you know what I mean? They have to be good human beings, and
being academic is not really meaning that you are a good human being. I want
them to be all-rounders instead of just being academics – academia.
Not having a career
choice at school is
‘OK’
I think it’s expected of children to know what they want to do. Some people do,
and that’s great. But then there’s other people that need to experience a bit before
and hope that they’ve made the right choices to get them to there. But no child is
a lesser child for going – finishing year 12 or less and going to university or not
going to university.
Like you said, you were a factory worker before you went to university. You
know what? The world survives on every different kind of person. So it doesn’t
mean that a university person is better than a factory worker or anything like that.
I think there’s so much pressure on children to know what they want to do.
They’ve not been exposed to some bizarre career that is really necessary because
it’s not a mainstream doctor, nurse, lawyer, teacher. I think that they need to chill
sometimes and be able to find – and do the work experience.
School success and
electives
I think one of the things that this school – that would have a positive bearing – is
an expectation that they’re going to take it seriously, whereas in my experience,
that’s not always a blanket coverage for all schools, whether primary or
secondary school.
Teachers (values &
expectations; support
programs)
Creative areas, they do problem solving and all sorts of things. My kids have
come home with big canvases that they’ve had to paint, and make decisions all
the way through on how they will do – so all of those skills, I believe will
contribute to their future choices.
General homework
comments
I’ve always checked with my kids that they have homework. The last time
[unclear]. It’s due this week. They feel that pressure. So you have to do your
homework. I never write notes for my kids to say that they haven’t done it simply
because of so and so. I say, ‘no you have to get it done. If you don’t, you have to
go and talk to the teacher. That’s something you have to sort out yourselves’. So
those are the skills I’m trying to teach my kids, that it’s their life. They have to
learn to deal with pressures and deal with things the way it should be done.
Barriers
The perceived hardships, roadblocks and impediments for secondary school students in
attaining their career aspirations became clearer with discussions where parents began to
more specifically blame the children’s schools. Table 17 illustrates the parents’ perceptions of
Parent Focus Groups Focus Group Summaries
28
the barriers their children may encounter whilst trying to pursue the career goals to which
they aspire. Issues relating to financial struggles and monetary constraints were most often
cited. Other factors included: discontent with the school’s performance; their children not
applying themselves at school and having to set additional homework; deficiencies in the
curriculum or quality of teaching offered; the impact of technology in the learning process;
and the anxiety produced when a child was not coping in the system.
Parents with children in the secondary school system were more verbose than their primary
school counterparts. Their comments were more critical of the quality of curriculum and
teaching. This, in part, could be due to the increased pressure on secondary students to
perform well and attain good results in the HSC. Also, the parents were more engaged in the
educative process and not afraid to voice their frustrations.
Table 17: Barriers – Parents/Caregivers, Secondary Schools
Themes Parent comments and Quotes from data
Monetary issues Yes, the monetary barrier is a real issue, but you do what you can to help your
kids. If he keeps up the grades … then we will do what we can to assist.
A lot of people that are working class, blue collar are worried about a $60000
HECS fee … That’s a lot to be hanging over somebody’s head.
He’s now left in year 11. What a waste. There is a brain there, but it was all
getting to him: two hardworking siblings, mum’s struggling, so I think he sees he
can get out to work and maybe help mum a little.
Parents having to set
additional homework
due to dissatisfaction
I would like to say that I have seen the homework system. When my daughter
comes back to home and she’s doing her homework, actually I’m not satisfied
with what the homework has been given.
As we said about homework and stuff, my kids bring home – if I feel that – I
usually sit with them sometimes. I feel like they still need to be doing more. I
give them more homework. I say to them, the same exercise that you’re – go – I
give them some more questions to do.
Underwhelmed with
the school
I think curriculum here in schools is below par. It doesn’t help students to achieve
more. The reasons could be plenty. Obviously, it’s both parents as well as
teachers. What I should say is responsibility, that both should do enough. As far
as social skills are concerned, as the other lady over there was talking, I feel
enough is being done in school to be very, very great socially, communication
wise.
When she was in primary school, she was aiming to become a doctor, but now
she said, ‘Mum, it’s so hard. I don’t think I can do it’. I think the school’s not
enough pressure to achieve.
Suddenly in year 10, 11, 12, everything becomes, whoa. It’s difficult, it’s
stressful. You have not given them enough opportunity to go and feel how to deal
with the stress. You’ve not done enough and that’s why all these problems are
there.
I would like to say that school has to give more little attention towards how to
take the pressure of the work.
My son was – is pretty intelligent, but what I’ve seen over a period of time – he is
in year 10 now. What I’ve seen is he is slowly going down. I still feel he is
intelligent, but I don’t think schools have done enough.
Issues with technology I’ve got – one of my kids is in high ability and one is in low ability – in the
mainstream, but the lower end of the mainstream. I want to raise a couple of
points. Firstly, the issue of technology within their class. For example, the use of
Parent Focus Groups Focus Group Summaries
29
mobile phones amongst low stream kids, because one of the things that has
happened is that they don’t seem to – we’ve got legislation that’s just passed in
Parliament that verifies that we can’t drive and text at the same time because our
brains can’t do it. I believe that we can’t learn – children can’t learn and they
can’t have those mobile phones going. That is such a distraction. I know that my
kid included is affected by this.
If the child in US or Sweden or anywhere can achieve, why not an Australian
child? What stops them? It’s basically the thinking. The whole curriculum is not
correct, and it’s below par. That’s why the children are losing the focus. They
spend five hours on computer, but can’t spend half an hour to one hour on
studies, whether academic or anything else. That’s what the problem lies, in my
opinion.
In my son’s year 10 class, he will tell me – and although he’s high ability, they
will toggle between screens. They’re supposed to be working, but they will also
have something else on. We were given these computers by the Government as
so-called education.
Deficiencies in
teaching and
curriculum
So I’m not talking this school is lacking, or any other school is lacking. What I’m
saying is the curriculum is lacking. The whole national curriculum is lacking.
I would say that curriculum is below par, and it needs to be looked at so that
children achieve much more and they get more focused. If this is going to make
any impact, maybe as a feedback from a parent, I personally feel that really needs
to be looked at.
Parent anxiety trying to
keep up
We’ve had arguments at two o’clock in the morning trying to get assignments
done, and I have rung the schools and said we were up until two this morning
screaming at each other. Its horrendous … he hates me, I hate him. Of course,
we’re all sleep deprived.
He’s falling behind again in another subject. It’s not that he doesn’t get the help at
home. I did the best I can but … that huge gap doesn’t help.
Summary: Parent Focus Group Data Primary and Secondary Schools
In summary, the emergent themes gleaned from the parent and caregiver data included the
financial struggles of low socio-economic families and the hardships endured to pursue their
children’s career aspirations. Similarly, many articulated that their children had no clear
ambitions for their future careers. This was particularly evident in the primary school data
where the career choices varied on a frequent basis. Being happy, content and personally
fulfilled with the career choice were also recurring themes at both the primary and secondary
level. The influence of role models, the media and sporting heroes was noted as a significant
player. Parental aspirations were projected onto their children, and many parents wanted their
children to be earning a decent wage in the future. This can, in part, be linked to parents who
were adamant that ‘chasing the right school’ was important.
30
TEACHER FOCUS GROUPS
Teachers from each school in the Blacktown Learning Community were asked to discuss
what they thought were the barriers to and enablers for the successful transition of students
into further education. The key themes that emerged from this data include: the impact of
family background; socio-economic status of family; support opportunities provided in
schools; role models at home and in school; and values (motivation, self-esteem, confidence).
Family Background
Family backgrounds and expectations may have an effect on student aspirations through such
things as parent contact with the school and positive reinforcement of school work and
performance. Selective school parents were seen by teachers to have a comfortable
relationship with the schools because they understood the requirements of the school. On the
other hand, some parents from low SES backgrounds are not comfortable assisting their
children with school work. Migrant families in general were perceived to be strongly
supportive of achievement, at times despite their low SES status. Family income was another
example of a link to aspirations because income determined the resources that parents could
provide to support their children’s education, including access to after school programs, and
more support for learning within the home. For many young people living in low SES
contexts, less family experience of tertiary education meant less access to potentially
valuable forms of knowledge regarding it.
SES Status
Teachers felt that socio-economic deprivation did influence parental aspirations because those
living in economic hardship had less financial security and fewer material resources of their
own to support their child. However, migrant parents (for example, parents of refugee
students at the school) had high aspirations, since educational achievement was seen as a
means to better job opportunities. Parents were seen to justify their high aspirations from the
perspective of their own adversities (in low skilled jobs) and therefore wanted educational
and occupational success for their children even when their children were low achievers at
school.
Support Opportunities
Schools can play a part in assisting students’ transition through the support they provide. This
is important when family resources are limited. Support such as advice and guidance from
school and university staff and the involvement of professionals or university students in a
mentoring role were stated as important in making a difference. Support in the form of
programs like Fast Forward, Step Up, RAS, and NACARA helped to motivate students to
take the steps necessary to reach their goal. These programs specifically target groups of high-
risk students who, because of poor academic performance and low income, were at greatest
risk of school failure. For example, in some schools the support programs offered a non-
threatening environment for learning, caring and committed staff, a school culture that
encouraged professional collegiality, and a school structure with a low student–teacher ratio
that promoted student engagement.
Focus Group Summaries
31
Role Models
School staff were aware of the importance of role models in the home and at school and the
part these play in cultivating students’ aspirations through messages about academic
performance. These were seen to be more significant for students whose family background
did not offer support for their abilities and aspirations. Some students came from families
where no person went beyond secondary school and hence had no role models within their
networks to show the benefits of tertiary education. Thus, there was a stronger likelihood
that the lack of role models would have an impact on their study performance, or even their
continuation of study. Teachers also felt that it was important for universities to understand
how they [the universities] could be an alienating environment for many students, and felt
that there was a need to take steps to address this alienation. Suggestions for addressing this
possible alienation were to bring university students to talk to school students or to have
school students visit the university’s campus.
Values (Motivation, Self-esteem, Confidence)
Students with a positive attitude towards school work had a positive self-image and this led to
personal ownership of a desire to go to university. What was clear across teachers’ comments
was the impact that career education and counselling made in encouraging students to
transition into further education. Students who were motivated and confident developed a
strong sense of self-efficacy with regard to school and learning which in turn encouraged
them to go beyond what might be expected. As a result, these students became active agents
of their academic success. Teachers felt that many of these values were passed on from the
parents and indeed the family background. In many instances teachers described successful
low SES students as ‘very focused on the goals’, ‘inquisitive’, ‘aspirant’, and ‘work
consistently towards achieving that goal’.
In both primary and secondary schools, the same themes emerged through the data analysis.
Table 18 includes representative quotes from the primary school participants whilst Table 19
contains quotes from the secondary school teachers.
Table 18: Summary: Themes – Teacher Focus Groups Primary: Schools 1 and 2
Theme Quotes from Teacher Focus Group Data
Family/
parental
background
Supportive parents that will sit down with you and say, ‘Okay what can I do? Help me help
this child?’ You can actually sort of pull those families through a whole lot better than you
can with the parents that sit there and go ‘whatever’.
SES status There are so many educational and social and emotional experiences that they [low SES
children] need, to be able to widen their horizons … but we’re also always being told, ‘be
careful, be mindful of how much you’re expecting the parents to pay’. We’ve got to make
sure that we’re keeping costs to a minimum. You’ve got to space excursions out so that
they’re not all bunched together because you’ve got parents who have multiple children
and may all have them due at the one time. We’ve got to be careful of that hardship factor
while we’re trying to be aware of all these experiences that some of the children will only
experience through school and usually only through primary school.
Values
students
possess
I’ve got a lot of kids in my class who have really low self-confidence and they say, ‘I can’t do
this, I’m dumb. I can’t do this, I can’t write’ and I’ll say to them, ‘No, everybody is good at
something’. I put a sign on my wall actually because I saw a quote from Albert Einstein, saying
… if you judge a fish by its ability trying to climb a tree it will spend its whole life believing
that it’s stupid.
* Full table appears in Appendix 3, Table 30
Focus Group Summaries
32
Table 19: Summary: Themes – Teacher Focus Groups Secondary: Schools 3, 4 and 5
Theme Quotes from Teacher Focus Group Data
Family/
parental
background
It [family background] has an impact on their schooling, their attitude to whether school is
important, finishing tasks is important, working hard, but then also for their future even going
to university and other things, other jobs that they might do.
SES status I actually think that a lot of our students, their parents are from low socio-economic areas and
background. Their parents aren’t working. The students are forced to go and work from the
moment they can work and then the kids often realise that they can get money and it’s instant.
Once they have that money they think well I don’t need to go to university ’cause I’m earning
money. But they don’t see the potential of what they could be earning with a career. So
obviously they get a job at Kentucky, the manager at Kentucky offers them a little management
role which is supervising on a Friday night or something, and they get a step up in money, but
they don’t actually see any potential for going any further and they give up on the uni idea.
Values
students
possess
I think as well they [low SES students] haven’t had a taste of success at all throughout their
school life, so they’re lacking the confidence in their own abilities. That affects their outlook
on the future as well.
* Full table appears in Appendix 3, Table 31
Summary: Teachers’ Data from Primary and Secondary Schools
In summary, teachers believed that factors important for students’ transition included
resources, abilities and support provided by families, in-school support programs and role
models inside and outside the family structure. Teachers saw the lack of continuity between
home and school as having a major impact on the aspirations and transitioning of students
into further education. Families with fewer financial, social and cultural resources were less
likely to be involved in the education of their children.
However, in the BLC, migrant parents were viewed as having a positive attitude towards
education, so that lack of financial, social and cultural resources did not always mean that
students from those backgrounds were doomed to failure. Teachers also understood that high
parental aspirations did not necessarily guarantee the student academic achievement. The
school and the teachers themselves were seen as important role models for the students.
Teachers also felt that good career counselling could assist students to make informed choices
about their future and saw themselves as demonstrating respect and care, including additional
in-class support which they believed gave students the opportunity to enjoy academic
success.
Teachers further acknowledged that low socio-economic status, especially coupled with
language difficulties, did affect students’ attitudes towards school and contributed to their
limited aspirations in further education. There was a correlation, according to the teachers,
between firm targeted career goals and self-esteem and confidence, in that students who had
given thought to their future choices and who were confident about their choices generally
had high self-esteem which further assisted them to achieve academic success. Essentially,
teachers believed that the attitudes and values held by the students had a strong impact on
their educational outcomes.
Finally, teachers indicated that in-school and after-school support programs were a good way
of encouraging student engagement in learning and developing positive attitudes towards
school. Effective role models from the home, school and community were seen to inspire and
inform students of the opportunities available to them. Teachers strongly affirmed that the
tertiary sector could expose students to reliable and relevant information about tertiary study
and students should also be given an opportunity to sample university life.
Focus Group Summaries
33
CONCLUSION
In summary, the STAR project has provided an opportunity for the development of a
collaborative model for university–school partnerships in relation to supporting the
development of appropriate career and further education aspirations for all children. The
creative methods trialed in this study have provided important information about the
significance of opportunities for teachers and students at all levels of schooling to imagine
possible futures. For low SES students this is particularly important in primary schools,
where early differentiation in career choices becomes strongly established. Rather than
supporting the idea of early fixed career choice, the findings of this study suggest that
children need to understand the multiple pathways to career choice and the factors that will
assist their success. By Year 5 children have sophisticated ideas about their choice of careers
but little information about the multiple pathways to achieve their career aspirations. The lack
of specific insights about participation in university education is apparent at all levels. By
Year 8 children are seriously concerned about their educational achievement and lack of fixed
career goals when it might be more effective to develop passionate engagement with learning
as an opening to future possibilities. The findings suggest that socio-economic and gendered
limitations on career and further education aspirations become more entrenched as students
progress through secondary education when it might be reasonable to expect that school
education is able to mitigate against these outcomes.
Teachers and parents appreciated the opportunity to engage in discussions about the career
and further education aspirations of the children and had many insights to offer about the
factors that enable children to achieve their goals or prevent them from doing so. Teachers in
particular had a wealth of ideas for the support of children’s developing aspirations over time,
although teachers at primary school level had not previously engaged in such conversations.
Schools and teachers in the Blacktown Learning Community could benefit from sharing these
ideas and strategies with each other and continuing the conversation about how children’s
career and further education aspirations are shaped over time. These conversations will
support the ongoing aspirations of all parents and children for a social engagement and
contribution.
34
REFERENCES
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008) 2006 Census Community Profile Series: Blacktown (C)
(Local Government Area). Available at
http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/communityprofiles?opendocu
ment&navpos=230
Blacktown City Council. (2013) Community Profile: Blacktown City – About the Area.
Available at http://profile.id.com.au/blacktown/about
Blacktown City Council. (2013) Community Profile: Blacktown City – SEIFA Disadvantage.
Available at http://profile.id.com.au/blacktown/seifa-disadvantage
Blacktown City Council. (2013) Community Profile: Blacktown City – Overseas Arrivals.
Available at http://profile.id.com.au/blacktown/overseas-arrivals
Bradley, D., Noonan, P., Nugent, H. & Scales, B. (2008) Review of Australian Higher
Education. Final Report. Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra. Available at
www.deewr.gov.au/he_review_finalreport
Daily Telegraph. (1997) ‘The class who failed’, [front page].
APPENDIX 1: Blacktown City and the STAR Project Suburbs
Blacktown City is located in Sydney’s western suburbs – about 35 kilometres from the
Sydney GPO. Blacktown Local Government Area (LGA) is bounded by Hawkesbury LGA in
the north, The Hills in the north-east, Parramatta in the east, Holroyd and Fairfield in the
south and Penrith in the west. Blacktown LGA has a population of 301,096. 113,213 people
living in Blacktown LGA were born overseas and 19% arrived in Australia within the last five
years. (Source: Blacktown City Council website)
In the 2011 Census, there were 303,528 people in Sydney–Blacktown (Statistical Area Level
4). Of these, 49.7% were male and 50.3% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people made up 2.7% of the population. There were 8,210 Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people. Of these, 4,111 (50.1%) were male and 4,099 (49.9%) were female. The
median age was 19 years. (Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics website)
The most common ancestries in Sydney–Blacktown (Statistical Area Level 4) were Australian
20.7%, English 17.6%, Filipino 7.0%, Indian 6.0% and Irish 4.6%. In Sydney–Blacktown
(Statistical Area Level 4), 57.6% of people were born in Australia. The other most common
countries of birth were Philippines 6.4%, India 5.1%, New Zealand 2.5%, Fiji 2.1% and
England 2.0%. In Sydney–Blacktown (Statistical Area Level 4), 35.3% of people had both
parents born in Australia and 54.7% of people had both parents born overseas. In Sydney–
Blacktown (Statistical Area Level 4) 58.7% of people spoke only English at home. Other
languages spoken at home included Tagalog 4.0%, Hindi 3.6%, Arabic 3.2%, Punjabi 2.3%
and Filipino 2.1%. There were 145,326 people who reported being in the labour force in the
week before Census night in Sydney–Blacktown (Statistical Area Level 4). Of these, 63.6%
were employed full time, 23.5% were employed part-time and 7.1% were unemployed. The
most common occupations in Sydney–Blacktown (Statistical Area Level 4) included Clerical
and Administrative Workers 18.3%, Professionals 17.5%, Technicians and Trades Workers
13.5%, Machinery Operators And Drivers 10.9%, and Labourers 10.5%. The median weekly
personal income for people aged 15 years and over in Sydney–Blacktown (Statistical Area
Level 4) was $566.
SEIFA Index of Disadvantage
Blacktown City scores 972.8 on the SEIFA Index of Disadvantage, indicating a higher level of
disadvantage than the national average (1005.2) and the New South Wales average (1003.3).
The SEIFA Index of Disadvantage measures the relative level of socio-economic disadvantage
based on a range of Census-measured characteristics that reflect disadvantage such as low
income, low educational attainment, high unemployment, and jobs in relatively unskilled
occupations. (Source: Blacktown City Council website)
STAR Project Suburbs Table 20: SEIFA Indices for STAR Suburbs
Location SEIFA Indices
(2006 Census) Postcodes
Greater Western Sydney 982.9
Blacktown City LGA 972.8
Marayong 942.7 2148
Blacktown Precinct 980.2 2148
Quakers Hill 1049.2 2763
Focus Group Summaries
36
Pattern of Settlement by Overseas Arrivals
The Year of Arrival data records when the overseas-born population
arrived in Australia. The data shows the degree to which areas are ‘ports’
for new overseas migrants and reveals the role of Blacktown City in
housing the overseas-born. The number of recent arrivals in an area is
often determined by housing affordability, employment opportunities and
pre-existing communities located in the area. (Source: BCC website)
Table 21: Pattern of Arrivals of New Overseas Immigrants – STAR Suburbs
Suburb
Arrivals
2006–9th
August 2011
Arrivals
2001–2005
Number % of total
since 1960 Number
% of total
since 1960
Greater Sydney 20.1 12.2
Blacktown City – Total 21,079 18.6 17,211 15.2
Marayong 518 19.3 354 13.2
Blacktown Precinct 9967 20.8 7091 14.8
Quakers Hill 1559 16.2 1726 18 Note: All increased from 2001–05 to 2006–11 except Quakers Hill
Source: BCC website
Economic
Family income
Table 22: % High–Low Income Earners, STAR Suburbs
Location
High income:
$2,500 + per
week
Low Income:
> $600 per
week
Greater Sydney 23.6% 18.3%
Blacktown City 17.7% 18.%
Marayong 12.8% 23.8%
Blacktown Precinct 15.6% 19.9%
Quakers Hill 24.5% 11.4% Source: BCC website
Focus Group Summaries
37
Employment
Status Table 23: Employment Status, STAR Suburbs
Location Employed
full time
Employed
part time
Employed
hours not
stated
Total
employed
Un-
employe
d
Greater Sydney 62% 30.1 2.1% 94.3% 5.7%
Blacktown City 63.6% 26.7% 2.5% 92.8% 7.2%
Marayong 62.1% 25% 2.7% 89.9% 10.1%
Blacktown Precinct 62.7% 27% 3% 92.7% 7.3%
Quakers Hill 65% 27.2% 2.2% 94.3% 5.7% Source: BCC website
Occupations for those employed
Table 24: Occupations, STAR Suburbs
Location Manager Professional
Tech.
and
Trade
Workers
Commun
and
Personal
Service
Clerical and
Administrative
Workers
Sales
workers
Machinery
Operators
and
Drivers
Labourers N/A
Greater
Sydney
13.3 25.5 12.2 8.8 16.2 9 5.7 7.3 2
Blacktown
City
9 17.4 13.5 8.9 18.3 9.3 10.9 10.5 2.1
Marayong 6.6 14.7 15.8 10.1 18.8 8.4 11.1 11.2 3.2
Blacktown
Precinct
8.4 17.5 14.3 9.1 18.7 9 10.3 10.3 2.4
Quakers
Hill
10.4 20.2 13.4 8.6 19.5 9.8 7.9 8.2 2
Source: BCC website
Educational
Highest qualification
Table 25: Highest Educational Qualification, STAR Suburbs
Location Bachelor or
higher
Advanced Dip
or Dip Vocational
No
qualification
Not
stated
Greater Sydney 24.1% 9.0% 15.1% 40.5% 11.3%
Blacktown City 17.2% 7.7% 17.1% 47.6% 10.5%
Marayong 12.6% 6.1% 17.1% 51.1% 13.1%%
Blacktown
Precinct
17.2% 8.1% 17.4% 46.6% 10.6%
Quakers Hill 22.6% 9.4% 18.5% 41.8% 7.6% Source: 2011Census-BCC website
Appendices
38
APPENDIX 2: Educational Requirements for Career Choices: Primary Schools
Table 26: Educational Requirements for Career Choice:
Kindergarten at Schools 1 and 2
Educational Requirements for Career
Choice
Kinder
School 1
N=54
N (%)
Kinder
School 2
N=90
N (%)
Tertiary Education 9 (17%) 25 (28%)
Scientist
Doctor 1 (2%) 8 (8%)
Vet 1 (2%)
Lawyer
Engineer
Politics (Prime Minister)
IT Program Design
Teacher 6 (11%) 12 (13%)
Nurse 4 (4%)
Artist (Creative Arts) 1 (2%) 1 (1%)
Further Education TAFE – Diploma,
Apprenticeship, Training Colleges 20 (37%) 29 (33%)
Secretary
Child Care
Hairdresser 2 (2%)
Chef 1 (2%) 1 (1%)
Construction Trade (Builder, Painter,
Crane Driver) 4 (7%)
Police 8 (15%) 15 (17%)
Armed Forces (Soldier, General,
Fighter Pilot, Spy) 2 (4%) 2 (2%)
Pilot 3 (3%)
Entertainer (Singers, Dancers,
Actors) 5 (11%) 6 (7%)
On the Job Training 11 (20%) 24 (26%)
Firefighter 1 (2%) 4 (4%)
Transport Drivers 1 (2%) 4 (4%)
Make-up Artist
Professional Sportsperson (football,
netball, soccer, gymnastics,
Olympic swimming, basketball,
athletics, boxing, wrestling,
cricket)
5 (9%) 10 (11%)
Extreme Sports (motocross)
Cheerleader 1 (2%)
Retail 2 (2%)
Personal/ Family Caring Role 1 (2%) 1 (1%)
Zookeeper/Animal Keeper 2 (4%) 3 (3%)
Fantasy (Princess, Queen, Robot,
Superhero) 14 (26%) 12 (13%)
Totals 54 (100%) 90 (100%)
Appendices
39
Table 27: Educational Requirements for Career Choice:
Year 5 at Schools 1 and 2
Educational Requirements for Career
Choice
Year 5
School 1
N=45
Year 5
School 2
N=42
Tertiary Education 18 (40%) 32 (76%)
Scientist 6 (14%)
Doctor 5 (11%) 4 (10%)
Vet 5 (10%) 3 (7%)
Lawyer 1 (2%) 1 (2%)
Engineer 3 (4%) 2 (5%)
Politics (Prime Minister) 1 (2%)
IT Program Design 1 (2%) 6 (14%)
Teacher 1 (2%) 5 (12%)
Nurse 1 (2%)
Artist (Creative Arts) 2 (2%) 3 (7%)
Further Education TAFE – Diploma,
Apprenticeship, Training College 11 (24%) 4 (9%)
Secretary 1 (2%)
Child Care 1 (2%)
Hairdresser
Chef
Construction Trade (Builder, Painter,
Crane Driver) 2 (4%)
Police 4 (10%) 2 (5%)
Armed Forces (Soldier, General,
Fighter Pilot, Spy) 1 (2%) 1 (2%)
Pilot
Entertainer (Singers, Dancers,
Actors) 3 (9%)
On the Job Training 16 (36%) 5 (12%)
Firefighter
Transport Drivers
Make-up Artist 1 (2%)
Professional Sportsperson (football,
netball, soccer, gymnastics,
Olympic swimming, basketball,
athletics, boxing, wrestling,
cricket)
10 (22%) 2 (5%)
Extreme Sports (motocross) 2 (4%)
Cheerleader
Retail 1 (2%) 1 (2%)
Personal/ Family Caring Role
Zookeeper/Animal Keeper 2 (4%) 2 (5%)
Fantasy (Princess, Queen, Robot,
Superhero) 1 (2%)
Total 45 (100%) 42 (100%)
Appendices
40
Table 28: Educational Requirements, Career Choice and Gender
Educational Requirements and Career
Choice Year 5 Kinder
M F M F
Tertiary Education 27 18 5 29
Scientist 6
Doctor 6 3 3 6
Vet 1 6 1
Lawyer 1
Engineer 4 1
Politics (Prime Minister)
IT Program Design 7
Teacher 1 5 2 16
Nurse 4
Artist (Creative Arts) 2 2 2
+2 participants gender
unidentified Lawyers School 2
Further Education TAFE – (Diploma,
Apprenticeship) or Training College 12 4 32 17
Secretary 1
Child Care 1
Hairdresser 2
Chef 1 1
Construction Trade (Builder,
Painter, Crane Driver) 2 4
Police 6 1 19 4
Armed Forces (Soldier, General,
Fighter Pilot, Spy) 2 4
Pilot 3
Entertainer (Singers, Dancers,
Actors) 2 1 1 10
On the Job Training 12 9 23 12
Firefighter 5
Transport Drivers 2 3
Make-up Artist 1
Professional Sportsperson
(football, netball, soccer,
gymnastics, Olympic
swimming, basketball,
athletics, boxing, wrestling,
cricket)
7 5 12 3
Extreme Sports (motocross) 2
Cheerleader 1
Retail 1 2
Retail Manager 1
Personal/ Family Caring Role 1 1
Zookeeper/Animal Keeper 1 3 3 2
Fantasy (Princess, Queen, Robot,
Superhero) 1 12 14
Total 52 31 72 72
Gender unidentified – 4
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Table 29: Frequency of Reasons for Career Aspirations
Year 5 Schools 1 and 2
Theme and Sub-theme Subtotal Total
Job satisfaction
Love of the job – people/animals involved
Receiving praise or rewards
Travel
Being famous
Equipment (perks) of the job
Job suited to personality
Power
51
1
5
1
9
7
2
76 (38%)
Contributing to the Community
Helping animals, people, Australia
55 55 (28%)
Experienced with, and/or confidence to do the job 23 23 (11%)
Remuneration 22 22 (11%)
Inventions 11 11 (6%)
Family influence
Parental influence
Family responsibility
Being different
6
5
1
12 (6%)
Total 199
(100%)
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APPENDIX 3: Full Tables: Data from Teacher Focus Groups
Table 30: Themes – Teacher Focus Groups Primary: Schools 1 and 2
Theme Quotes from Teacher Focus Group Data
Family/
parental
background
There are two strands of … parents that value education – high end that push children too
much and those that don’t seem to really value the effect of an education on what you can
do with the rest of your life and how you can improve your life. There are some very low
socio-economic families where welfare’s a big issue and that sort of tends to become their
priority. The need of sort of day to day life becomes their focus and their vision sort of
comes into a very short term basis and so then any sort of projection into their child’s future
is not even on the table.
Those parents [Indian families] aspire better for their children because maybe they didn’t
get that when they were younger, they want better for their children.
Culturally, education is more valued [by some families] … a lot of migrant children of
migrant parents, those children have had to go through a huge process to actually plan to
come to this country in whatever form it is. They’ve all had to make that decision to come
and having made that decision usually a big part of that drive is to make things better for
my kids and the first way to do that is to give them the aspirations to be better than we are.
So I think that’s why a lot of that … but the other part of it, is how much teachers and
education are valued in other cultures.
What are the major factors to affect aspiration? Is family and education; is that care factor.
It’s care factor for family. It’s care factor from education so that’s the dominating principle
really.
See a lot of the parents that we’re dealing with, in that low area, in that group, didn’t
succeed at school themselves and their experiences of school, their memories of school,
taint how they then talk to their children. Supportive parents that will sit down with you and
say, ‘Okay what can I do? Help me help this child?’ You can actually sort of pull those
families through a whole lot better than you can with the parents that sit there and go
‘whatever’.
I think there are a lot of families here too that do not have money but that doesn’t stop them
from nurturing their children and motivating their children.
As a person who actually grew up in Mount Druitt I’ve also got another perspective where
my family were quite obviously a very well together family, a very close-knit family, very
supportive but I also went to school with peers they were not from those families and to see
that kind of difference towards education …
Parents urged … requested a meeting straight away because they were concerned that all their
child wanted to do, when they come home, is play and he wanted him to read novels because
he’s reading like a level 29 which is equivalent to like about year three.
Some of the families come from these hard countries and they know how important education
is and they see that significance so they push their kids in as the way out. Whereas kids that are
born in this country they’ve got everything.
Indian parents and our Chinese parents particularly, very driven.
I had one girl, from the beginning of the year, the first thing she ever said to me is, ‘I’m going
to be a surgeon when I grow up because that’s what my mum’s dad said I have to be’.
[Comes down] to their family. Like I know, my kids last year and we were talking about what
their parents do and one kid ‘oh my dad lives above a pub and doesn’t work’. That kid has no
aspiration to education. He’s like, I don’t want to achieve anything, I just want to – why should
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I? I can get money for doing nothing … I don’t know. It comes back to what’s happening at
home with the parents.
SES status Those kids in low socio-economic homes they have no money … so if you don’t have the
money you need to then work hard.
There are so many educational and social and emotional experiences that they need, to be
able to widen their horizons … but we’re also always being told, ‘be careful, be mindful of
how much you’re expecting the parents to pay, we’ve got to make sure that we’re keeping
costs to a minimum’. You’ve got to space excursions out so that they’re not all bunched
together because you’ve got parents who have multiple children and may all have them due
at the one time. We’ve got to be careful of that hardship factor and things and so while
we’re trying to and being aware of all these experiences that some of the children will only
experience through school and usually only through primary school. If you inject money
into some of these families it doesn’t mean that they’re going to value education or have
greater aspirations for their children. It’s just unfortunately, it’s kind of a mindset and it’s
something that it’s a cycle that keeps repeating itself and it’s ingrained and how do you
break through that when as you said before, when they get to us, they’ve already got that
influence.
And I think for children in low socio-economic areas that reality hits a lot sooner because
it’s been so much harder … Maybe kids in those families never get a chance to do that
dreaming or that creative play. They just don’t.
There’s low economic who can cope and deal with it and there’s the low economic who just
don’t have any skills, life skills.
Really it’s not socio-economic that influence us it’s cultural background that are influencing
the drive to succeed and to go some way.
Values
students
possess
I think their own self-belief a lot of the time. If they set the bar and go for themselves then
there’s probably not much that we can do but I think if we just continue to encourage them we
have an important role in what they want to become.
I’ve got a lot of kids in my class who have really low self-confidence and they say, ‘I can’t do
this, I’m dumb’. ‘I can’t do this, I can’t write’ and I’ll say to them, ‘no, everybody is good at
something’. I put a sign on my wall actually because I saw a quote from Albert Einstein, saying
... if you judge a fish by its ability trying to climb a tree it will spend its whole life believing that
it’s stupid.
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Table 31: Themes – Teacher Focus Groups Secondary: Schools 3, 4 and 5
Theme Quotes from Teacher Focus Group Data
Family/
parental
background
... generally the kids, don’t you think, the ones that play up in class, the ones that have issues,
and they’re the ones that come from actually probably the more violent families and the abused
backgrounds and they’re the ones that actually don’t get the [unclear] support or whatever.
I think that also impacts when you have parents wanting the wrong things for their kids, more
about their family status than what’s actually there for the kids.
A lot of them [refugee students] are quite aspirant, they do have dreams and a lot do want to go
to university, but they come to us lacking the basic skills and their family background, there’s
not a lot of education within their family most of the time. So they don’t have that help at
home.
It [family background] has an impact on their schooling, their attitude to whether school is
important, finishing tasks is important, working hard, but then also for their future even going
to university and other things, other jobs that they might do.
Selective kids very much reflecting their parents’ drive and aspirations … push coming from
parents and their expectations.
Unrealistic expectations of parents. Insisting that they do subjects that they really –
Huge gap between the selective classes and our low ability classes in regards of the kids from
the low ability class do not have that reflection giving at home from their parents for wanting
to go to uni.
SES status I think that the students don’t really have the support at home and I think that reflects in their
work and whether they’ve got finances to buy text books.
I actually think that a lot of our students, their parents are from low socio-economic areas and
background. Their parents aren’t working. The students are forced to go and work from the
moment they can work and then the kids often realise that they can get money and it’s instant.
Once they have that money they think well I don’t need to go to university ’cause I’m earning
money. But they don’t see the potential of what they could be earning with a career. So
obviously they get a job at Kentucky, the manager at Kentucky offers them a little management
role which is supervising on a Friday night or something, and they get a step up in money, but
they don’t actually see any potential for going any further and they give up on the uni idea.
I know some of the students that I taught in year 12, or in year 11, they work up to 20 hours per
week and I think really that is a major factor that when they’re 14 and 15 they start out working
and they have one shift a week and they rely on the money that they get, and work more and
more, and that just takes up all their time.
A lot of students have parents that are on unemployment benefits and they don’t really see any
way that it can be different. They don’t see how, and it’s those small steps between. Well first
of all there’s getting the marks and working hard enough at school, but even if they did, and a
lot of students do have potential to do that, but they don’t make that step or that transition from
high school to university because of those small barriers. I don’t think they see how to fix those
problems.
A lot of the refugees and the immigrants and the migrants that we’ve got coming now into the
selective stream and things like that, they’re brought up that it’s go to school, finish school,
then go to university or tertiary education.
Values
students
possess
To me that shows the kids are working on a short list. They are young and going through that
process which is a good thing. They may change their mind a dozen times. But that is much
better than kids who in my experience don’t know where they are heading and don’t do
anything to get there. If I don’t know, I won’t aspire to get there.
I just read a list of the kids in my class who brought the forms back and what they want to be
and I think they’re very focused on the goals whereas I think the other kids in the other year 5
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classes are probably going to change what they want to be a million times before they get to
the end of high school whereas these kids, they’ll likely say they want to be a surgeon or a
physicist or whatever are probably going to aim towards that thing ...
Corey was talking about going into the military and he has done a lot of research – and I think
he knows in a finite way what he needs to do to get there, in terms of his grades, the course he
will choose, so that he has the most potential to matriculate.
I think as well they [students] haven’t had a taste of success at all throughout their school life,
so they’re lacking the confidence in their own abilities. That affects their outlook on the future
as well.
A lot of them [refugee students] are quite aspirant. They do have dreams and a lot do want to
go to university, but they come to us lacking the basic skills and their family background,
there’s not a lot of education within their family most of the time. So they don’t have that help
at home. Not to stereotype, but generally the African refugees have had more of a limited
educational background.
Realistic view of what further education is. What their choices are, what options are available
to them, what kind of back door options are available to them if they don’t quite get the mark
or if they don’t see themselves as being able to aspire to a university entrance.
A lot of our boys in our mainstream particularly, are just basically straight up scared of failure.
They don’t extend themselves past the bare minimum because they’ve taken the mentality that
if they say I didn’t try my best and I fail, it’s because I didn’t try my best. They’re so scared of
failing that they refuse to do their best … It’s like beating your head up against a wall. They
would rather put a half effort in and just not achieve.
Selective kids are very inquisitive … they want to find out where does this subject lead you to?
What are the things I can do after I study this subject and at what level? So I think that will get
them to the uni because they will create a path for themselves, where they want to get to.
A student’s ability to have a focus and a goal, and to work consistently towards achieving that
goal. Where they might have an idea, they just don’t have the skills to get there?