One the last documents issued by the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation was a report titled “An Examination of Barriers to pursuing PSE and Potential Solutions.” Put together by Ekos Research in 2009, the report discusses the concerns expressed by high school students who had decided not to pursue further studies. It’s a fascinating analysis, and is available in full here, but practicioners who are specifically concerned with access issues, and especially for those who are concerned with CPSAP’s kind of programming, here are some of the most pertinent findings…
There is a tendency to think of PSE as a black box, making it very difficult for some students to envision it as a tangible option. Findings suggest that there is a strong need to present information about PSE alongside information about careers. Not only would this clarify how both are linked, but it would also help students to think more constructively about PSE and potential careers for the future (page 2).
The decisions made by students about PSE appeared to be largely impacted by their exposure to information about PSE (e.g., the kind of information they received and the point in time when they received it), the amount of time they spent contemplating PSE options, pressure felt from parents to pursue PSE, as well as specific events or situations that prompted students to change their minds about PSE. Students were of the views that their friends had very little impact on their decision-making process (page 10).
Many students seemed to question their parents’ credibility on the subject of PSE. They were not confident that their parents were knowledgeable sources of information when it came to PSE, either because they did not have a firm grasp of the different possible options or because they did not have a fresh perspective when it comes to PSE. Many of the parents that participated in the research corroborated this view. Quite a few felt that they lacked the experience and information to speak knowledgeably to their children about PSE options (page 18).
Many students (and parents) had difficulty envisioning PSE, particularly university life. At the same time, students and parents had limited knowledge of apprenticeship programs… It was clear that both students and parents were unaware of the range of possibilities related to PSE, and, even more so with respect to possible careers (page 19).
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