Longitudinal study of student retention and success in high school
('Follow the Dream' project)

Background to the project

The numbers of Aboriginal students achieving 'front door' entry to University is low, and many with the ability to achieve a TER score that will enable them to enter University may not be succeeding because of lack of support with their studies.

'Follow the Dream' is an initiative of the Department of Education and Training that aims to improve the graduation of Aboriginal students from Year 12 in Western Australian schools. 'Follow the Dream' programs, run by an experienced teacher, operate in 24 centres throughout the State, providing high achieving Aboriginal students with support such as:

• access to an after school learning centre where they receive tutoring and an academic enrichment program; and
• personal, career and cultural development activities.

Aims of the research

• To study the implementation of a program to support Indigenous students continuing from Year 8 to Year 12 in Western Australian secondary schools.
• To examine the contribution of strategies in the program that are intended to improve Indigenous student success.
• To produce a policy and program framework to better address interventions to improve school success for Indigenous students.
• To develop theoretical constructs that explain the relationships among the factors contributing to Indigenous student success at school.

Significance of the research

This research addresses the need to lift Indigenous educational achievement so that this group is not over-represented in early school-leaving figures and the flow-on effects this has on the higher rates of Indigenous unemployment and incarceration.

Expected outcomes

The desired outcome of the program on the part of the industry partners is the graduation of more Indigenous students from secondary education. This will also be used as the overall measure of effectiveness by the researchers. The research will contribute to an understanding of the adequacy of the strategies and the conditions for their successful implementation.

Methodology

Secondary schools located in twenty five urban and rural centres in Western Australia are participating in the study. The study commenced in 2004 with Year 8 students and is following the cohort for five years in an intensive longitudinal study. The industry partners identify participating students and supporting personnel such as mentors, employers, and teachers. They organise and implement the strategies designed to improve student academic success, and establish frameworks for the collection of appropriate data from the schools.

As part of the project Longitudinal study of student retention and success in high school, researchers visit 'Follow the Dream' centres regularly to observe the programs in operation, and meet with participants and stakeholders to identify factors that contribute to the success of the program, and any that may be hindering progress. Regular feedback is given to the Department of Education and Training so that modifications can be made to the 'Follow the Dream' initiative where necessary to ensure it continues to contribute positively to improving outcomes for Aboriginal students.

Current research foci include:

• characteristics of effective coordinators
• professional development processes for coordinators
• student selection processes
• measures of success
• barriers to implementing an aspirant program
• student perceptions of the program
• parent/community perceptions of the program
• parent/community involvement in the program
• tutoring (incl. teachers as tutors)
• mentoring
• developing alternative program models for different contexts

For more information about this project, contact Professor Gary Partington or Dr Ann Galloway.