Presentation delivered at The University of Nottingham Postgraduate Research Conference, October 2014.

1. Choice and control in transition at 16: findings of a two year study into post 16 student decision making
Graham Garforth ttxgg7@nottingham.ac.uk
Supervisors: Prof. S. McGrath & Dr. M. Giovanelli
Monday, October 13, 2014
School of Education Postgraduate Research Conference, University of Nottingham
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Today
•Aims & Research Questions
•Information & Guidance; Decision Making
•Methods
•Importance
•Findings
•Contribution

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Aim
•The study explored Year 11 – Year 12 student choice, constraints and decision making; in transition from schools to post-16 opportunities in schools, colleges and apprenticeships in England.
–RQ1: What influences the transition of this group of students?
–RQ2: What is the influence of schools on the transition of these students?
–RQ3: How does this group of students understand and negotiate their transition at 14, 16 & 18?
–RQ4: What information and guidance does this group of students use?

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Information, Advice & Guidance (IAG) in England
Education Act (2011) gave schools the statutory duty to provide impartial, independent careers advice and guidance to years 9- 11. Previously local authorities, no funding transfer.
Competitive pressure for schools to maximise sixth form enrolment, especially using their own year 11 students.
11-18 schools could be tempted to influence students in order to strengthen their school sixth form position. This may not be in the best interests of students.

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Information, Advice & Guidance (IAG) in England
Ofsted 75% schools are not providing adequate IAG (Ofsted, 2013).
Conflict of interest between school and students. Schools anxious to retain student numbers in post- 16 provision, it may not be in their interest to advise students to study elsewhere. The main reason for this was competition for pupil funding (HoC, 2013).

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Decision Making
Role of parents, siblings and schools in supporting decision making at 16 due to the number of options available.
Pragmatic rational decisions are made by
students (Hodkinson & Sparkes, 1997), these
decisions are bounded by constraints e.g. socio economic factors, location & IAG.

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“Students wants do not emerge in a completely voluntary fashion, but as a consequence of structural dispositions, … their concerns and ambitions… So students' want formation is neither reducible to individual emotion-cognitive processes, nor previous socialization or structural processes, instead it emerges in relation to, and between these processes and contexts.”
Daoud & Puaca (2011), p. 615.

9. Macro factors (socio-economic, gender, race, location…)

10. Information and Guidance
Macro factors

11. Information and Guidance
Student Decision Making
Macro factors

12. Information and Guidance
Student Decision Making
Macro factors
Should some doors still be open to students, but students are unaware of their existence?
Would these routes be more appropriate for them?

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Importance
•Criticism of school lead IAG (HoC, 2013; Ofsted, 2013)
•Increasing student numbers due to the raising of the compulsory leaving age to 18
•Increasing number of choices at 16 – subjects, course types & institution types
•Rising credentialism in job market (norm pressure)

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Methods
•Two year qualitative study, not snapshot.
•Semi-structured interviews in two academic years with 23 vocational & academic students, 11 members of staff & documentary evidence collected.
•11-18 schools: 2 in Nottinghamshire & 1 in Lancashire.
•Various post 16 institutions included.

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Findings: choice at 16
•Majority of academic students remain in their school sixth form, vocational students move for specialist provision.
•Students portray choices as their ‘own’
•Choices are delayed until the last moment possible
•Futures are not planned, disconnected at 14/16/18
•Fuzzy understanding of future employment

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Findings: IAG at 16 to ‘control’ and support the school
•Year 11 automatic options process for own school sixth form
•Normalise staying on in own school sixth form
•Powerful trust of teachers
–They make big decisions manageable (no. options & amount of information available)
–Vocational students selected out (proactive IAG)
•Block access – visits, information, speakers
•Timing of options process, makes it too late to apply for alternatives (e.g. apprenticeships)
•Restrict options available e.g. routes/subjects based on grades
•Control at 14 more powerful

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Contribution
•Re-application of work of Bloomer; Hodkinson; Ball; Foskett & Hemsley-Brown in 1990s+
•Paucity of IAG research detailing school IAG practices
•2 year in depth study, not snapshot
•Can it be improved? Collaboration between providers, not competition. For the best interests of the students.
•Difficult as IAG based on trust, control of student agency by school is ‘hidden’ because it is ‘being helpful’.

18. Thank you
Any questions?
Comments?
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Graham Garforth ttxgg7@nottingham.ac.uk

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References
Daoud, A. & Puaca, G. (2011) ‘An organic view of students’ want formation: pragmatic rationality, habitus and reflexivity.’ British Journal of Sociology of Education. Vol. 32(4), pp. 603-622. Education Act (2011) London: The Stationery Office.
Hodkinson, P., & Sparkes, A. C. (1997). Careership: a sociological theory of career decision making. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 18(1), 29–44.
House of Commons Education Committee. (2013). Careers guidance for young people: The impact of the new duty on schools. London: Stationery Office.
Ofsted. (2013). Going in the right direction? London: Ofsted.