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

Chapter Seven
CONCLUSIONS
7.1 Introduction
The Post-Primary Longitudinal Study has followed a cohort of young
people since their entry to second-level education. This part of the study
has explored the experiences of students in their final year of school, focusing
in particular on their preparation for the Leaving Certificate exam
and their plans for the future. The analyses have drawn on both surveys
and focus group interviews conducted with sixth year students in twelve
case-study schools selected to capture key dimensions of variation in
school organisation and process. The longitudinal nature of the study has
allowed us to explore the way young people change and develop as they
move through the schooling system. It also facilitates a more comprehensive
analysis of sixth year experiences by placing them in the context
of experiences earlier in junior and senior cycle. Together with a companion
volume on the transition to senior cycle (Smyth and Calvert,
2011), the book provides a rich evidence base for current debate about
senior cycle reform, allowing us to assess the impact of the Leaving Certificate
exam on young people’s learning and skill development. This
chapter presents a summary of the main findings of the study and discusses
some implications of these findings for policy development.
7.2 Main Findings of the Study
The study provides rich insights into the experiences of sixth year students
and the way in which these are framed by the school they attend. In
this section, we focus on a smaller subset of topics to highlight the main
themes emerging from the study findings, specifically, the curriculum in