Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

1. THE POLICYBACKGROUND TO THELEAVING CERTIFICATEAPPLIED PROGRAMME1.1IntroductionWhether to incorporate all young people into a comprehensive schoolsystem or to divide them into different educational ‘tracks’ has been acrucial issue for educational policy internationally. The Leaving CertificateApplied (LCA) programme was introduced in Ireland in 1995 in order toprovide an alternative qualification to the established Leaving Certificate atsenior cycle level. However, little is known about the development andprogress of the programme over time. Dramatic changes in the economicconditions and educational opportunities facing young people during theperiod since its inception makes the need for systematic research on theprogramme even more relevant today. Previous research in Ireland on theLCA has focused on school context and the impact of school cultural andorganisational factors on the LCA (Gleeson et al., 2002). Relatively little isknown, however, about the characteristics of young people who participatein LCA, their learning experiences and post-school pathways into furtherstudy and/or labour market integration. Moreover, there is a lack ofinformation about the profile of the schools offering LCA and the take-upof LCA in these schools.This report provides a unique insight into LCA student experiences byanalysing their entry into, participation in, and progression from the LCAprogramme. It investigates the LCA’s mix of general and vocationalcurriculum, including work experience and other aspects, intended toprepare young people for adult and working life. In addition, it analyses thepractical task-oriented nature of the programme and alternative teachingapproaches used to establish whether students, who have experiencedacademic and/or social difficulties during the junior cycle, re-engage withschool and whether the programme plays a role in student retention.In doing so, the project adopted a mixed methods research approach,using nationally representative data sources such as the School Leavers’Surveys and other key longitudinal sources such as the Post-PrimaryLongitudinal Study (PPLS) as well as qualitative interviews with youngpeople who had participated in the LCA programme.1