This research project explores the motivations of women's voluntary career transitions at midlife. Participants for this study consisted of 14 women who at the time of their transition were between 40 and 51 years of age. All women had maintained an active career throughout their adult life and were either negotiating or had already experienced a career transition. This voluntary transition was initiated for reasons other than an upward mobility within the same occupation. The data were analysed and reported using the six step phenomenological approach described by Moustakas (1994). Themes important to transition that emerged from the data were: self-actualization, generativity, authenticity, self-care, timing, and the changing role of work.

This study focused on the responses of the main role players in a Work Experience Programme which is offered as a component of Grade 11 Career Education at Hillcrest High School. The aim was to describe, evaluate and optimise the programme. The theory and literature on career development and work experience was reviewed in order to establish what programmes, methods and approaches are currently being used internationally and in South Africa. Issues related to work experience were explored with a view to evaluate whether the programme undertaken could enhance the career decision making of Grade 11 pupils. A qualitative, participatory research method was applied. The action research design chosen enabled the researcher to collect data over a period of eight months while interacting 'with her subjects as their teacher counsellor. The design, application, analysis of findings and limitations of the research study are described and recorded. The findings indicated that the programme was regarded as a positive experience by the majority of pupils. It was possible to make recommendations from the findings for wider application of such a programme. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

Aboriginal peoples are the fastest growing population in Canada. Over half of the Aboriginal population is under the age of 24, yet the voices of Aboriginal young adults are absent within the literature. Aboriginal young adults, between the ages of 18 and 24, are two to three times more likely to be unemployed than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Very little is known about the career-related experiences of Aboriginal young adults, even less is known about how their identity as an Aboriginal person affects these experiences. This study employs a narrative inquiry method to explore the work-life narratives of Aboriginal young adults living in Toronto. Results identified three metathemes that employers have in regards to cultural identity for Aboriginal youth. These themes are: cultural respect in the workplace, racism and oppression in the workplace, and inspiring youth. Limitations, implications and future research directions are discussed.

Although there is a strong body of existing research on women’s career-life development and on women’s entrepreneurship, there is a lack of understanding of the experiences of mother entrepreneurs specifically. This dissertation addresses the question how do self-employed women with children manage their multiple life roles. Context and the rationale for conducting the proposed study is discussed, followed by a literature review, which begins by describing the key career development terms, offering an overview of career theory with a focus on women’s career development and entrepreneurship, followed by a discussion of modes of inquiry considered appropriate for this study. An outline of the research methodology is presented, with further rationale for a qualitative approach, specifically Grounded Theory. This research includes a description of the basic social problem Being a Mother Entrepreneur, as well as proposing a substantive theory to explain how mother entrepreneurs manage their multiple life roles. This process is explained in the core category Keeping Going, which is recursively fueled and affected by seven key properties: feeling supported, making choices, adapting creatively, remembering the push, remembering the pull, envisioning the future, and living my values. The finding of Keeping Going as the basic social process of how mother entrepreneurs manage their multiple life roles, underscores the importance of understanding the role of values on the process of career-life development of self-employed women with children. Finally, implications for further research, including the extension of the proposed substantive theory to other groups, and implications for counselling practice are discussed. / Graduate / 0525 / 0519 / rehb@shaw.ca

Although there is a strong body of existing research on women’s career-life development and on women’s entrepreneurship, there is a lack of understanding of the experiences of mother entrepreneurs specifically. This dissertation addresses the question how do self-employed women with children manage their multiple life roles. Context and the rationale for conducting the proposed study is discussed, followed by a literature review, which begins by describing the key career development terms, offering an overview of career theory with a focus on women’s career development and entrepreneurship, followed by a discussion of modes of inquiry considered appropriate for this study. An outline of the research methodology is presented, with further rationale for a qualitative approach, specifically Grounded Theory. This research includes a description of the basic social problem Being a Mother Entrepreneur, as well as proposing a substantive theory to explain how mother entrepreneurs manage their multiple life roles. This process is explained in the core category Keeping Going, which is recursively fueled and affected by seven key properties: feeling supported, making choices, adapting creatively, remembering the push, remembering the pull, envisioning the future, and living my values. The finding of Keeping Going as the basic social process of how mother entrepreneurs manage their multiple life roles, underscores the importance of understanding the role of values on the process of career-life development of self-employed women with children. Finally, implications for further research, including the extension of the proposed substantive theory to other groups, and implications for counselling practice are discussed. / Graduate / 0525 / 0519 / rehb@shaw.ca

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Typescript. / Bibliography: leaves 294-301. / Microfilm. / xvii, 301 leaves, bound 29 cm

The expectations of schools are changing and significant problems are being experienced in attracting and retaining teachers in the profession. Teachers are expected to provide programs to enable a wider range of students to complete their schooling in preparation for work and further study, as well as supporting the social and emotional development of these young people. Accountability requirements for improved student learning outcomes in terms of literacy and numeracy are also increasing. While resourcing and class size are issues, teacher quality has been determined as the most significant aspect in student learning, with support for beginning teachers and ongoing professional development being essential to upgrade teacher skills and knowledge throughout their careers. Decentralisation of education through local school management means that profession development opportunities are being provided at the local level and are linked to school improvement. / Given the importance of career-long professional development in ensuring teacher quality and accountability for limited educational expenditure, it is essential that professional development models support teacher learning and educational change. The effectiveness of traditional professional development approaches consisting of one-off workshops based on behaviourist learning notions of expert input or individual cognition models has been challenged regarding their impact on changing teaching practices. The transfer of knowledge from external courses to school sites has been questioned. Teachers have indicated little confidence in establishing new ideas at the local level unless there is time and support for follow up and connection to classroom practice. / This research which was conducted locally, interstate and overseas supports previous studies regarding the importance of ongoing professional development being connected to school and individual needs and reflecting a situated theory of learning or situativity theory. Situativity theory is concerned with the situated nature of people and artefacts, focusing on the potential for deep learning occurring with a particular group of people who have shared beliefs and practices and who collaborate using relevant practical artefacts over an extended timeframe. This research indicates that in professional development, more intensive and practical activities among like groups of teachers are involved. Follow-up support from members for trialling of new ideas can occur, thereby resulting in transformational educational practices and benefits to student learning. Rethinking schedules, staffing patterns and grouping arrangements to create blocks of time for teachers to work and learn together occurs. / This research is significant in linking professional development to a career continuum, with specific professional development approaches being highlighted as effective at particular stages. A systematic induction process including mentoring and portfolios for beginning teachers, with schools restructuring to support ongoing collegial learning within learning communities is emphasised. Leadership succession planning, coaching, study groups and online programs are also important, with these models all highlighting the relevance of situativity theory. / Thesis (PhDEducation)--University of South Australia, 2005.

This thesis presents a gendered analysis of factors that shape adolescent attitudes to Information Technology (IT) at key stages in their education. It draws on career decision-making literature, psychological self-efficacy literature and some of the more salient feminist literature. Results of interviews with students in junior, middle and senior secondary-schools in Australia are presented alongside those from students studying IT at two universities. This research provides relevant and current insight into reasons why females are not choosing IT courses to the same extent as males, that is not captured in the existing literature. The study found that many young women and men, while being almost equal in IT use and computer literacy, do not consider IT as a valid and independent discipline for future study or as a career. It found that IT rarely entered students’ schematic repertoire of possible future careers, a schematic repertoire strongly influenced by parental opinion at all stages of education. / It found a surprising proportion of the university students interviewed currently studying IT, did not consider this degree as their first choice and were often not convinced that they would continue in the career after graduation. This thesis concluded that while IT is a varied discipline that is unique in its many applications, to many students the discipline is predominately aligned to hardware and associated objects. It found that there is a deficit in student knowledge of what an IT career involves beyond that of the most stereotypical portrayal of a programmer, and that this deficit of knowledge is evident in both genders. It is apparent from this study that the lack of women in IT is not necessarily a gender issue, but an issue embedded in the image of the IT discipline, an image that lacks the status of a professional career.