The Research Programme

The EEL Research Programme is built around the 'individual career management' paradigm that has emerged as the new standard of international best practice in this field. This paradigm places the individual choice-maker at the centre of career management systems, and aims to understand how these systems can best help young people in their education employment choices. The research will also make a significant contribution internationally, because of its originality in integrating cultural, economic, educational and sociological perspectives into every phase of the programme.

The Research Programme is comprised of four integrated objectives and five phases. See Table 1.



Each objective is headed by a research leader, who is maintaining an individual webpage describing outcomes from the research as it proceeds.

Phase 1. International Literature Review

The research begins with an integrated cross-disciplinary literature review drawing on economics, education, indigenous studies and sociology. Each objective leader will review the literature in their own discipline, and the results will then be integrated into a single paper. Validity will be achieved by adopting the five-stage approach of the 'systematic review' method: searching, screening, data-extraction, synthesis, and reporting/dissemination. The research team will identify and follow up key differences discovered in the cross-disciplinary discussions after the individual reviews.

Phase 2. Mapping Research

The mapping research is designed to answer what is happening in current education employment systems in the four primary sites of engagement.

In Objective 1, Dr Vaughan will use a population survey of all schools not already being surveyed under the CPaBL programme by the Education Review Office to create a typology of approaches taken to careers education in secondary schools.

In Objective 2, Dr Higgins will use a web-based and paper questionnaire requesting respondents to describe and explain community initiatives for education employment linkages in order to identify patterns in education employment initiatives across regions.

In Objective 3, a series of semi-structured interviews and focus groups with key individuals and groups working in Māori and Pacific communities will allow Dr Phillips to create a map of the terrain showing the diversity of initiatives to improve education employment linkages among young people.

In Objective 4, interviews by Professor Dalziel with senior managers of relevant organisations will be used to trace out the architecture of current employer-led channels of information to young people in transition.

Phase 3. Key Informant Research

The key informant research is designed to answer why the current education employment systems are operating as they are. In depth data will be gathered and analysed using knowledge gained from the literature review and mapping research.

In each objective, research will take place in 10 sites. Choice of sites will be informed by the mapping research, in consultation with the external reference group, to provide a purposive sample. In each case, the validity of the results and interpretations of the research team will be addressed by taking them back to participants for further discussion.

Phase 4. Case Studies

The case studies research is designed to answer how changes can transform what is happening in current education employment systems. Each case study will analyse the operation of the system as it unfolds in practice. The cases will be chosen using the analysis in Phase 3 to focus on exemplars with strategic importance to education employment linkages that allow the research team to explore relationships identified as critical to effective practice. Specific research questions will be determined collaboratively using the team's four disciplines.

Each objective leader will be involved in at least three case studies. Data collection will be multi-method, including document analysis, interviews, hui, focus groups and participant observation. Analysis will focus on understanding how each case 'works' in terms of successful education employment linkages across sites.

Phase 5. Pilot Projects

Phase 5 involves two pilots. In each, new knowledge gained from the previous phases will be integrated to create or improve formal systems to help young people make good education employment linkages.

All four objective leaders will collaborate in the design and trial of the systems in these pilots, which will include specific components for assisting Māori students and whānau. The research will test key aspects such as information management by school communities, teaching and guidance processes used by career educators, and channels of communication between key institutions.