Hearing the Community Voice in Relation to Student Retention in Rural, Regional and Disadvantaged Areas

Author(s):

Jeanne Maree Allen(presenting / submitting)Jane Watson Suzie Wright Ian Hay Neil Cranston Kim Beswick

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research

Format:

Paper (Copy for Joint Session)

Session Information

14 SES 02 C JS, Geographies of Opportunities, Participation and Mobility

Joint Paper Session NW 14 and NW 19

Time:

2016-08-23

15:15-16:45

Room:

NM-G215

Chair:

Sofia Marques da Silva

Contribution

This paper draws from a longitudinal study investigating student retention beyond the compulsory years of schooling (taken as Year 10) in rural, regional and disadvantaged areas of the Australian State of Tasmania. In 2013, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported Tasmania’s retention rate from Years 7/8 to Year 12 as 67.8%, compared with the national rate of 81.6%. Given that Tasmania is classified as a regional and rural State, this type of indicative data reflects what is happening across rural and regional Australia, and our study, funded by a competitive research grant from the federal government across three years, has implications at national and international levels.

The over-arching research question for the study was: What is best educational practice to enhance student retention in schooling beyond the compulsory years, especially for students in rural, regional, and disadvantaged areas? This question arose from the aims of the study, which were to:

Investigate factors that influence students’ decisions to continue their schooling beyond Year 10
Examine organisational issues, such as leadership and organisational culture, that contribute to an ethos and commitment among staff to pursuing student retention beyond current levels

Identify and document

key interventions at elementary, secondary and post-Year 10 school levels that enhance student retention
school, community and home practices that enhance student retention
specific practices related to the use of new technologies to enhance student retention

Provide recommendations to relevant stakeholders for implementing, developing and monitoring these interventions across local, national and international contexts.

The study focuses on progress from the elementary school years, especially of students of low socio-economic and rural backgrounds because, although evidence shows that post-compulsory participation has increased across all target equity groups in Australia (Marks, 2008), these groups remain under-represented in higher education, and their share has not changed over the last decade (Bradley, Noonan, Nugent, & Scales, 2008; Centre for the Study of Higher Education, 2008). Early school leaving plays a significant part in this pattern (Lamb, Walstab, Teese, Vickers, & Rumberger, 2004). As a result, addressing retention issues beyond the compulsory years must occur well before the students are in the later stage of their education and, as such, action needs to be an integrated aspect of a student’s ongoing educational program (Winn & Hay, 2009).

As researchers such as Gonski (2011) note, there is “an unacceptable link between low levels of achievement and educational disadvantage, particularly among students from low socioeconomic, from regional and rural locations, and from Indigenous backgrounds” (p. XIII). Concerns about students exiting early from school are longstanding and this study confirms earlier findings such as socioeconomic status influencing aspirations, and attitudes about the value of schooling starting early (in elementary school).

The influences and factors shaping student engagement and retention are manifold. In this paper, we give voice to a commonly-overlooked set of potentially influential stakeholders, namely those in the community. Although many studies report on students’ and teachers’ opinions of the influence of the community on student engagement and retention, there is less reported about the attitudes and perceived influence of the community members themselves. This paper provides an analysis of 26 in-depth interviews carried out with members of the community during the larger mixed-methods study. Of the themes that emerged, the most salient was that of the provision of educational pathways for students. Other themes included job opportunities, both as a positive and negative influence on student retention, the responsibilities of the community from the perspectives of community members themselves, and their views of the importance of parents and teachers in relation to retention.

Method

Sample The source of data for this paper was targeted interviews with 35 people, which were held as part of the larger longitudinal study. The interviews began with key members of the Tasmanian Department of Education, and a snowball technique was used to select other people considered to have views or experiences on student retention relevant to the aims of the project. Participants included local councillors or people employed by councils, consultants, local board or authority members, state and federal government regional education and employment officers, and people representing non-profit and not-for-profit organisations. Instrument An interview protocol, consisting of five questions and a number of sub-questions, was supplied to the participants before the interview. Interviews were led by one of the project’s chief investigators with notes taken by a research assistant. Interviews took place at a time and location that suited the participant, and took between 35 minutes and 1.5 hours (average 57 minutes). All interviews were audio-taped with participant consent and subsequently transcribed for detailed analysis. Participants were provided with a copy of the transcript and given the opportunity to amend it. Analysis The interview transcripts were analysed consecutively by two research assistants with comments classified according to 20 themes. Salient quotes from participants will be presented with respect to their views in relation to the interview questions, providing insight into the community’s position on student retention and associated issues. This approach was designed to help identify perspectives and provide some benchmarks for future research into the opinions and beliefs of the members of the community as they relate to student retention beyond the compulsory years.

Expected Outcomes

Data analysis resulted in the generation of twenty themes, of which the following were the most salient: Employment Opportunities and Attainment; National Broadband Network; Family and Generational Factors; Teachers, Principals, Relationships, and School Support; Literacy and Numeracy; Alternative Programs; Transport; and Community. A number of interventions, innovations and initiatives were discussed, some noted for their seeming sustainability and scalability. Participants, perhaps not surprisingly given the nature of the sample, were strongly supportive of students staying on at, and engaging in schooling. In light of evidence that community networks can mitigate some of the effects of socio-economic disadvantage (see, e.g., Semo, 2011), the extremely positive response of the community members who participated in this study augurs well for the rural and regional students within the local community.

References

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