The motivations of youth work students in formal education: implications for instructional design and teacher/student support

Master of EducationEach year within Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions across Victoria, individuals apply to study a myriad of Community Services courses. Anecdotally, educational facilitators have suggested that many individuals undertake these courses of study for personal reasons rather than for vocational outcomes. This project explored the reasons why individuals seek enrolment into Certificate IV in Youth Work or equivalent courses, and whether these courses meet the expectations of students. Two Victorian Technical and Further Education institutions agreed to participate in the research, and students enrolled in the Certificate IV in Youth Work were invited to take part. Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology was used to explore why individuals chose to study the Certificate IV in Youth Work. Questionnaires, interviews, and follow up questionnaires were used to engage with two groups of students throughout their year of training. At the beginning of the year 64 novice youth work students were asked to complete a questionnaire that explored their reasons for enrolling in the course, their understanding of youth issues and their perception of youth work as a career. Later in the year four students participated in follow up interviews and another seven individuals who had been unable to participate in interviews, completed open ended questionnaires to explore themes that emerged out of the initial questionnaires more deeply