Ambitions Revised

Tables and figures
Series preface
Project preface
Acknowledgements
Acronyms and abbreviations
Executive summary

1. Introduction
Organisation of the report

2. Review of the literature
Student choice behaviour, learner aspirations and learner pathways Teacher recruitment and retention

3. The research problem
Research questions
Research hypotheses

4. The research design
Questionnaire design
Sampling
Response rates
Data analysis

5. Learners’ destinations
Present study and work situation
Factors affecting student enrolment in a specified higher education institution

7. Students in further education and training
Students enrolled in an FET college
Students enrolled in a private FET institution
Factors affecting enrolment in an FET institution

8. Learners still at school

9. Professional aspiration
Factors affecting preference for a specified profession

10. Enrolment in education programmes in higher education

11. Learners not studying

12. Employment
Profile of the employed
Profile of the unemployed

13. Experiences of 2006
First-year students’ experiences of 2006
All learners’ experiences of 2006

14. Interpretation of key findings
Translation of aspiration into enrolment
The school-to-labour market transition
Testing the hypotheses

15. Conclusion
Assessing the aspirations gap
Enhancing teacher recruitment

Appendix 1: Grade 12 learner destination questionnaire

References

Michael Cosser is a chief research specialist in the Education, Science and Skills Development research programme at the HSRC. Prior to joining the HSRC, he was head of the Division of Standards Setting at the South African Qualifications Authority (1998–2000), lecturer in the Academic Development Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) (1993–1997), and junior lecturer in the Department of English, Wits (1988–1992).

Sekinah Sehlola was until recently a research trainee in the Education, Science and Skills Development research programme at the HSRC.