From Leaving CertiFiCate to Leaving SChooL a Longitudinal Study ...

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From Leaving Certificate to Leaving School
and students, including a more positive disciplinary policy, should
therefore enhance student outcomes.
2. The Role of Guidance
• The findings of this study show that subjects and subject levels selected
at junior cycle have longer term consequences for the options
open to young people on leaving school. This points to the need for
targeting guidance at an earlier stage, that of junior cycle, and providing
a whole-school approach to guidance, which incorporates the
specialist knowledge of subject teachers.
• The findings also indicate the importance of the provision of information
and advice on a broad range of options to all young people so
that their expected pathways are not limited by their social background.
• Given the important role of parents in student decision-making in
sixth year, the targeting of user-friendly information towards, and
school contact with, parents would enhance the ability of parents to
support their children’s pathways and potentially help to reduce social
class variations in expectations.
3. The Impact of the Leaving Certificate Exam on Teaching and Learning
• The presence of the Leaving Certificate exam has a significant impact
on the nature of teaching and learning in sixth year, and even in
earlier years. LCE and LCVP students report teacher-centred classes,
which focus on practising previous exam papers, and a very heavy
workload. Many students contrast this approach with the kinds of active
learning which engage them and are critical of the excessive reliance
on the terminal exam as the main form of assessment. Others,
especially those with high aspirations, become more instrumental,
focusing on what is likely to ‘come up’ on the exam paper, and expressing
frustration with teachers who deviate from the curriculum
and try to provide broader educational experiences.
• The study clearly indicates that, as currently structured, the Leaving
Certificate tends to narrow the range of student learning experiences
and to focus both teachers and students on ‘covering the course’.