Providing Education and Training for At Risk ... - Victoria University

MethodologyConduct of the project has involved the following phases:Phase One: Getting startedThis phase consisted of three parts.(i) The first part involved a preliminary review of literature to inform the development of theinterview proforma to be used in the initial selection of programs for the survey. Thisinitial review involved accessing a range of government and non-government documents,articles, reports, and videos both research-based and policy-based; and identifying relevantdocuments through searches on the Internet, online databases (ERIC, Family, AustralianEducation Index), including publication lists of relevant organisations and personalcontacts.The questions formulated as a consequence of this review, and used for the Stage 1 interviewswere:• Name and location of the program?• How do participants join/select the program?• What activities are taking place? (and how are these established as worthwhile?)• Who works as leadership in the program? (and on what basis: qualified? paid? etc)• How does the program relate to other programs? (homelessness, unemployment, substanceabuse, health, schooling etc)• What makes this program standout/successful, and where does it lead?(ii)The second part of this phase involved pursuing the numerous leads regarding potentialprograms and resources identified by members of the research team through their individualnetworks and through searches of various information databases including the WorldWide Web. An initial contact was generally made to determine whether the program/activity was appropriate for the project, and if so, whether the program leader was preparedto discuss it with a member of the research team. Arrangements were then made for aninterview which was usually conducted by telephone.The principles and practices underpinning the following activities were a major focus forfurther exploration:• curriculum interventions in schools;• school interventions that focussed on school policy and linked to broader communityyouth services;• regional approaches to youth education, training and employment;• community based programs and services that provided links and pathways to educationand training for young people; and• vocational programs and associated specialist services e.g. literacy, numeracy andemployment preparation in the post school sector.(iii) The third aspect involved the structuring of a database for this information. This took theform of a running sheet on which information gathered from the initial interviews wasrecorded.13