Planned Pathways from School to Employment: An Alberta Perspective

Abstract

This exploratory study was designed to investigate a number of factors thought to be influential in helping high school students through the transition process from school to employment and also from school to further education. A review of the relevant research literature showed that no such comprehensive study involving the cluster of variables investigated in this study had been conducted. The variables of interest thought to influence later career and further education decisions included the influence of grades, knowledge of the job situation, and the extent of the student's participation in school and leisure activities. The influence of gender, attitude, significant other, and home conditions and the educational program completed also were considered in the investigation. Subjects of the study consisted of 1,047 Grade 11 public school students in the Province of Alberta. Females and males were 49.7 percent and 47.8 percent respectively. Twenty-seven (2.5%) did not identify their gender. The instrument used in this study was an 89-item questionnaire called "Youth Transition from School to Employment and/or Further Education: An Alberta Perspective" specially designed and validated by the researcher and used to measure the variables of interest in the study. Analysis of the data consisted of two phases. Data from the questionnaire were first analyzed and discussed with reference to percentages. Chi-square analysis was then used to test the significance of observed differences. Results were further discussed relative to the significant impact of the variables. Data analysis revealed that there were significant relationships between the planned pathways and the variables of work knowledge, educational progr