Abstract:
In 2006, the Queensland Government introduced the SET (Senior Education and Training) Plan, requiring all Year 10 students to outline their post-secondary goals and study paths. The Plan’s success depends on thorough creation and execution by a skilled professional, and inconsistencies in preparing and delivering SET Plans can disadvantage some students’ post-secondary pathways. For example, despite strong secondary school performance, the proportion of Pāsifika students pursuing tertiary education is significantly lower than the Australian average. Research demonstrates this is partly due to a lack of understanding about the pathways required to access tertiary education rather than a lack of ability. This underscores the urgent need for the SET Plan to meet the needs of Pāsifika students.
This study offers new knowledge about how Pāsifika students experience career mentoring in Queensland secondary schools, a crucial aspect of their educational pathways. It also considers the possibility of inequitable outcomes within processes such as the SET Plan and factors that could contribute to this. By responding to calls for more research on Pāsifika learners in Australia, this study explores their experiences at a crucial educational juncture. The potential for improved SET Plan experiences, informed by the study’s findings, holds promise for ensuring that Pāsifika students’ post-secondary aspirations are met with appropriate and culturally sensitive pathways. Additionally, the findings will offer valuable insights for educators, aiding in developing tools to improve the equitable delivery of the SET Plan.
This exploratory study utilises a critical paradigm viewed through a transformative lens, which aligns with the principles of social justice. The study’s commitment to disrupting the status quo informed the choice of talanoa as a culturally relevant data collection method. Talanoa is an open dialogue between the researcher and participant that allows for an empathic understanding of the participant’s position. There were three concurrent streams of data collection: artefacts related to the SET Plan process, interviews with career mentors, and talanoa with students. Reflexive Thematic Analysis is being used to analyse the data, first inductively and then deductively using Bourdieusian theory. Preliminary data analysis has identified crucial insights, uncovering patterns that could significantly influence our understanding and strategies. This study is focused on students’ perceptions of the SET Plan process; parental perspectives and longitudinal research are important directions for future research.
This study offers new knowledge about how Pāsifika students experience career mentoring in Queensland secondary schools, a crucial aspect of their educational pathways. It also considers the possibility of inequitable outcomes within processes such as the SET Plan and factors that could contribute to this. By responding to calls for more research on Pāsifika learners in Australia, this study explores their experiences at a crucial educational juncture. The potential for improved SET Plan experiences, informed by the study’s findings, holds promise for ensuring that Pāsifika students’ post-secondary aspirations are met with appropriate and culturally sensitive pathways. Additionally, the findings will offer valuable insights for educators, aiding in developing tools to improve the equitable delivery of the SET Plan.
This exploratory study utilises a critical paradigm viewed through a transformative lens, which aligns with the principles of social justice. The study’s commitment to disrupting the status quo informed the choice of talanoa as a culturally relevant data collection method. Talanoa is an open dialogue between the researcher and participant that allows for an empathic understanding of the participant’s position. There were three concurrent streams of data collection: artefacts related to the SET Plan process, interviews with career mentors, and talanoa with students. Reflexive Thematic Analysis is being used to analyse the data, first inductively and then deductively using Bourdieusian theory. Preliminary data analysis has identified crucial insights, uncovering patterns that could significantly influence our understanding and strategies. This study is focused on students’ perceptions of the SET Plan process; parental perspectives and longitudinal research are important directions for future research.