The Future of Education

The construct and consolidation of identity; the understanding of self and getting to know ones’ strengths and preferences is both a natural and important aspect of psycho-social adolescence development [2]. Educational identity in adolescence crucially influences education and vocational participation decisions and in turn these can impact life-long choices, opportunities and future success. The construct and interpretation of who we are as a learner, all our learner perceptions and intentions, conscious and unconscious behaviours, all our efforts and actions past and present; are the foundation of our educational identity.

The most significant educational identity characteristic of students who choose not to engage with or participate in education is their deep subjective ambivalence towards education and training [3]. Educational intervention programs aimed at preventing early school leaving must consider participants’ learner identity. Teaching pedagogy focussed on retaining young people in education must be provided in such a way as to respect and take into account learners educational identity at the same time programs must presenting a viable, meaningful and purposeful educational experience[1].  It is through participation in these educational experiences a possible alternate educational identity presents itself as a choice for young people to re-consider[4]. 

Research conducted by the University of Tasmania, Australia took a quasi experimental approach; offering to a group of socio-economically disadvantaged students a short introductory vocational course at a crucial education transition point. The intervention intent was both implicit and explicit.  The implicit intent was to facilitate student’s exploration of their learner identity; the explicit intent was to provide a short course purposely designed to promote future education participation and give an ‘edge of advantage’ to the students when competing for vocational training places offered at senior secondary college.

The research findings contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between adolescent identity, and  broader socio-economic and cultural factors impacting on education participation. The research also contributes to the field of educational research methodology by utilising a new youth specific visual design method.  The method invited participants to construct pre and post visual texts of their identity. 

1. Freire, P. (1990). Education for critical consciousness. New York: Continuum.
2. Garbarino, J. (1985). Adolescent development: An ecological perspective. Columbus, Ohio: C.E. Merrill.
3. Illeris, K. (2006). Lifelong learning and the low-skilled. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 25(1), 15-28. doi: 10.1080/02601370500309451
4. Klimstra, T. A., Hale, W. W., Raaijmakers, Q. A. W., Branje, S. J. T., & Meeus, W. H. J. (2010). Identity formation in adolescence: Change or stability? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(2), 150-162. doi: 10.1007/s10964-009-9401-4