Indigenous students : the reality of their educational and career aspirations

Indigenous students are the most disadvantaged Australian students on all socio-economic indicators. Indigenous students do not achieve schooling, further education and employment outcomes commensurate with their non-Indigenous peers. A major issue facing Indigenous students in their school years is obtaining appropriate career advice to assist them to set and attain their aspirations by identifying appropriate pathways. This paper reports findings based on a qualitative component of a large-scale study commissioned by the Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Education, Science and Training designed to elucidate the self-concept and aspirations of Indigenous students. Interviews and open-ended written responses were administered to a large national sample of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students from urban and rural communities. Findings include elucidating: Indigenous students’ aspirations in regard to further education and career paths; Indigenous students’ ability to differentiate between desirable and attainable goals; sources and quality of career advice received, Indigenous students’ preferences for further education and employment, and Indigenous students’ self-concept