The Power of Recognising More in Education: Youth Perspectives for systems change

Our Vision

The current Australian school system fails to adequately recognise and appreciate the broad skills and passions students develop. Instead, it largely focuses on the “Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank” (ATAR). This project is a youth-led, action-research study looking at young people’s experiences of broader learning recognition. It is the second ‘cycle’ of a systems-change initiative, led by Learning Creates Australia, to create a more equitable education system that meets the needs and aspirations of young people, communities and the nation in the 21^st

century.

Specifically, the project aims to identify and explain:

• How young people experience having a broader range of interests and skills recognised through learning both inside and outside school (e.g. critical analysis, teamwork and collaboration, communication, problem-solving, creativity, capacity for resilience and self-care, and intercultural capability).
• How knowing more about themselves impacts the decisions and choices students make as they approach the end of school, or once they have left school.
• The role forms of broader recognition can play in overcoming disadvantage.
• The role of more broadly recognising learning and capabilities for student pathways.

Our Project Plan

Through training and collaboration with four young research associates we will design, conduct, analyse and share research findings. Specifically, we will use qualitative workshops, interviews and crowdsourcing to explore the experiences and perspective of at least 120 young people (aged 16 to 21) in Victoria, NSW and online.

Project History

The project is being conducted as part of the broader The Power of Recognising More project run by Learning Creates Australia, designed to develop an understanding of broader recognition. It explores the relationship between schools and community, the systemic barriers and facilitators for broader learning recognition as well as the perspectives of young people themselves.

What Impact will this research have?

The findings of this research will inform the Learning Creates Australia strategy and network, encompassing student organisations, schools, education departments, not-for-profits and academics around Australia.

Outcomes

The outcomes of this research will add to the emerging evidence addressing the connection between the way young people's skills are recognised (beyond just academic measures), their experience in school, and what they choose to do after school. The outcomes will inform how broader recognition impacts future experiences of education and work, understandings of the ways students meaningfully engage in the broader recognition processes and the specific challenges that broader recognition poses.

Collaboration team

Internal collaborators:

• Professor Philippa Collin.
• Dr Michael Hartup.
• Dr Andrew Kellett.

Research Associates:

• Linh Dang.
• Charlie Connell-Tobin.
• Mietta Symmons-Joyce.

External collaborators/partners:

• Annette Cairnduff (Learning Creates Australia).
• Lauren Langley (Learning Creates Australia).
• Lorraine Roberts (YLab).

Funding

This project has been funded by Learning Creates.

Streams

Learning and Work.

Realising Participation and Engagement.

Enhancing Health and Wellbeing.

Activating Places and Platforms.

Period

November 2023 – December 2024

Contact

If you would like more information please email p.collin@westernsydney.edu.au.