Digital capital and socio-economic disadvantage : an examination of the digital practices and online career information seeking of year 11 students in new south wales government schools

This study examines the online career information seeking practices of Year 11 students within five New South Wales (NSW) state secondary schools of different socio-economic status (SES). The broader context of this study is the ongoing inequality within the Australian education system, particularly the continued underrepresentation of students from low SES backgrounds in tertiary education. With the large-scale adoption of information and communications technologies (ICTs) within Australian secondary schools, the study shows the powerful ways in which ICTs can inform and influence students' post-secondary school career transitions and opportunities. A growing body of literature over the last three decades indicates the interconnected nature of these phenomena, particularly among low-SES students; however, little research has been conducted from an Australian perspective. Indeed, an examination of the career information needs that motivate young people, how they resolve these needs online, the sources and channels they use and how these practices differ within this large heterogeneous group is lacking globally. This study adopts a mixed methods approach, drawing together insights from survey, interview and observational data from a range of participants: students, teachers, university admissions and marketing directors and a former NSW Department of Education (DoE) information technologies (IT) director. It develops Ignatow and Robinson’s (2017) concept of digital capital to highlight the relationships between young people’s digital practices and the structural constraints of their social environment which mediate them. It also builds on the work of Park, (2017a) which uses the notion of digital capital to examine new forms of digital inequalities across Australia. By further developing the notion of digital capital, this thesis progresses research on digital divides away from simplistic binary analyses of haves and have-nots, skilled and unskilled, to include potential real world outcomes from varied levels of digital capital and differential OISPs, thereby creating a more nuanced account of young people’s digital practices. It also highlights the connections between young people’s SES, digital capital and their position concerning on-going digital divides. The study proposes a typology of four distinct groups of students based on their differing online information seeking practices (OISPs) to illuminate how young people in Australia seek and use online information to inform their post-high school career choices. These are the Traditional Job Seekers, the Social Networkers, the Future Professionals and the Creative Dreamers. Each category represents students’ future career aspirations and digital practices, highlighting their differing stores of objectified and embodied digital capital and the opportunities and constraints of each. Except for the Social Networkers, this research shows that young people largely underinvest in online career information seeking, preferring traditional sources of information, particularly parents, older siblings and careers advisors, along with serendipitous factors such as accumulated self-knowledge to inform their post-school career and educational options. In a hyper-digitalised world, digital inequities have the potential to shape key life chances of young people in multiple ways, including their educational and career outcomes. This study suggests that the widespread proliferation and adoption of ICTs within secondary schools and the everyday lives of young people have done little to promote equal opportunities for all. It therefore suggests that teachers, parents, researchers and education policymakers need to move beyond the current one-size-fits-all approach to secondary school ICT initiatives, to instead develop flexible, school-based programs that more accurately reflect the highly differentiated digital contexts in which young people now find themselves

A Postmodern Approach to Career Education: What does it look like?

Changes in our concepts of work and career reflect a move from an industrial era to what has been termed a postindustrial, information or postmodern era, an era wherein our concepts of career guidance also need to change. A number of authors have commented on aspects of career guidance practice which need to incorporate changes, such as career education and career counselling (Guichard, 2001; McMahon & Patton, 2000; Watts, 2001). This paper will add to the call for greater application of constructivist approaches to career education. It will critique current practices and present strategies which reflect such approaches

Tourism curriculum in the University Sector: Does it meet future requirements? Evidence from Australia

In the contemporary competitive and globally connected marketplace, factors that guaranteed business success in the past may be of limited relevance in the future. Within the paradigms of today’s business, many successful operators continually introduce new products and services to maintain their market leadership position. Whilst firms in the tourism industry seek to maintain competitive position through policy planning, strategic marketing, budgeting and R&D, tourism education providers occupy a key position by seeking to enhance the skill levels of management and employees, both present and future. This paper reviews some Australian tourism and hospitality education programmes and course curriculum and briefly compares them with some trends in other English-speaking countries. The research explores tourism industry demand, trainees’ expectations and additionally identifies gaps and opportunities for the future curriculum content. The findings may, therefore, assist tourism programme providers with a broader perspective with which to shape future tourism courses

Accommodating Perceptions, Searching for Authenticity and Decolonising Methodology: The Case of the Australia / Papua New Guinea Secondary School Student's project

This paper discusses the development process of a research methodology for accommodating the exploration of recipients’ perceptions of a foreign educational project. The search for authenticity in methodology remains an issue for qualitative inquiry which has its origins in a constructive epistemology. Theoretically positioned within a postcolonial framework, the search for authenticity in methodology presented a challenge for the researcher. Specifically, this paper will focus on the research problem, issues relating to evaluation of aid programs, decolonising methodology and the search for authenticity. The paper concludes with some findings of the research project, demonstrating that decolonising methodologies create new possibilities in educational research with specific reference to educational assistance and postcolonial societies. It reveals the complexities of cultural politics and its influences on foreign financial assistance. These findings include the concepts of cultural identity, ethnicity, hegemony and ambivalence which characterises the nature of Papua New Guinea education and society

Quality modeling in electronic healthcare: a study of mHealth Service

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have the potential to radically transform health services in developing countries. Among various ICT driven health platforms, mobile health is the most promising one because of its widespread penetration and cost effective services. This paper aims to examine Quality Modeling in Electronic Healthcare by using PLS based SEM

ePortfolios: Mediating the minefield of inherent risks and tensions

The ePortfolio Project at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) exemplifies an innovative and flexible harnessing of current portfolio thinking and design that has achieved substantial buy-in across the institution with over 23000 active portfolios. Robust infrastructure support, curriculum integration and training have facilitated widespread take-up, while QUT’s early adoption of ePortfolio technology has enabled the concomitant development of a strong policy and systems approach to deal explicitly with legal and design responsibilities. In the light of that experience, this paper will highlight the risks and tensions inherent in ePortfolio policy, design and implementation. In many ways, both the strengths and weaknesses of ePortfolios lie in their ability to be accessed by a wider, less secure audience – either internally (e.g. other students and staff) or externally (e.g. potential employees and referees). How do we balance the obvious requirement to safeguard students from the potential for institutionally-facilitated cyber-harm and privacy breaches, with this generation’s instinctive personal and professional desires for reflections, private details, information and intellectual property to be available freely and with minimal restriction? How can we promote collaboration and freeform expression in the blog and wiki world but also manage the institutional risk that unauthorised use of student information and work so palpably carries with it? For ePortfolios to flourish and to develop and for students to remain engaged in current reflective processes, holistic guidelines and sensible boundaries are required to help safeguard personal details and journaling without overly restricting students’ emotional, collaborative and creative engagement with the ePortfolio experience. This paper will discuss such issues and suggest possible ways forward

The expatriate library director

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide library managers with information about what to expect if they are considering a post in another country. It challenges a suggestion that a senior manager's major value is their local network. Rather, the skills, experience, culture and attitude, as well as networks, can contribute to a successful career in another country. Design/methodology/approach - The paper provides an example of an Australian expatriate senior library manager who took up a post in the United Kingdom. It draws upon literature on cultural differences and knowledge transfer across international borders. Findings - The paper provides an example of a successful transfer of management knowledge to a new country, highlighting actions taken to form a new management team. Also provides practical advice on personal and social matters that have to be addressed for the relocation to be successful. Practical implications - Leadership, good management, and an awareness of, and sensitivity to, cultural differences are required for a successful transfer of management knowledge. At a senior level, it is not so much about expertise in librarianship, but management and leadership that are important. Originality/value - The paper provides a positive example of an expatriate senior library manager moving to a new country. It will be of interest to anyone contemplating an international professional relocatio