Career guidance, school experiences and the university participation of equity students

University participation is a strong predictor of labour market success, personal health and wellbeing, and positive familial and social outcomes. However, in contemporary Australia there remain large differences in university participation rates between young people from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds. This presentation discusses the results from a recent study using a representative sample of students tracked in the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Youth (LSAY) and employing event-history regression models to examine the associations between equity-group membership (coming from a low socio-economic background, non-English-speaking background or a regional/remote area), career guidance and school experiences, and students’ likelihood to enrol into university. We find evidence that equity-group membership reduces the likelihood of university participation (except for non-English-speaking background), whereas receipt of career advice and positive school experiences increase such likelihood.

About the presenter

Dr Wojtek Tomaszewski is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Social Science Research affiliated with the ARC Centre of Excellence on Families and Children over the Life Course. Wojtek has a strong research interest in the impact of disadvantage on educational and labour market outcomes in young people. He has undertaken a number of research projects for various departments in the British government, as well as for both State and Commonwealth Government in Australia. He has published in a number of high-profile academic journals, including Journal of Youth Studies, Social Indicators Research, Journal of Sociology and Social Service Review.

Authors

• Wojtek Tomaszewski, ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland
• Francisco Perales, ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland
• Ning Xiang, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland

For more information contact: w.tomaszewski@uq.edu.au