Who takes a gap year and why?

Description

Taking a break between high school and university is becoming increasingly popular for Australian students. Many use this time to work, undertake other study, travel and have a rest from formal learning. This paper discusses how a 'gap-taker' can be defined, noting that gap-taking is not the same as deferral. Using Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth data, the paper goes on to quantify the extent of gap-taking and examines the characteristics of gap-takers and non-gap takers.