All publications

This technical paper outlines the methodology used to adjust the original Program of International… Show more

This technical paper outlines the methodology used to adjust the original Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) weights to ensure that each Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) wave represents the original population. The author also provides guidance to researchers in applying the weights to their analysis of LSAY data. Show less

This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave… Show more

This report investigates attrition in the trades by comparing the rate at which tradespeople leave their occupation with that of professionals. It also determines whether attrition is influenced by economic conditions, and if a trade can provide a good start to a career in the professions. The report concludes that attrition in the trades is no higher than in the professions; the rate of Show less

Research in the social sciences is routinely affected by missing data. Not addressing missing data… Show more

Research in the social sciences is routinely affected by missing data. Not addressing missing data appropriately may yield research findings that are either 'slightly off' or 'plain wrong'. This study demonstrates why and how frequently used simple remedies for missing data can impact on research results. The authors provide the target audience (i.e. producers and consumers of social science Show less

This paper investigates what might be the vocational equivalent to completing senior secondary… Show more

This paper investigates what might be the vocational equivalent to completing senior secondary school. Three dimensions are considered: volume of learning, educational complexity and labour market, and other outcomes at age 25 (the last based on the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth). The report finds that no vocational pathway can be considered to be equivalent to Year 12 in a literal Show less

In this report the authors seek to answer the question of whether combining school and work is… Show more

In this report the authors seek to answer the question of whether combining school and work is detrimental or beneficial to a student's school educational performance and labour market outcomes. They find that young people who combine school and work are distributed right across the school population. Results show that individuals can combine school and work with minimal impact on their study if Show less

When measuring the socioeconomic status of young people, the authors find that the SocioEconomic… Show more

When measuring the socioeconomic status of young people, the authors find that the SocioEconomic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) works well when reporting participation in higher education at aggregate levels, but performs very poorly when classifying individuals. This has policy implications because it means that programs directing resources to increase educational participation for those with low Show less