The Goal Map activity utilised a projective technique and was based on a method used by Sirin (2003). The objective of this activity was to gain an understanding of how young people thought about their near future and more specifically the role of employment and education. In particular I was interested in the school to work transition time frame which for most of the students would occur during the next five years.
Each young person was given a blank A3 piece of paper with a line drawn down the middle of the page. They were each asked to draw or write who they are now on the left side of the page. They were asked to provide as much detail as they wanted and could incorporate anything they felt represented who they are at present, what they do in their day-to-day lives, what’s important to them and so on. Each young person was then asked to think about themselves in five years time and using the right hand side of the page to explain how they imagined themselves and their lives in five
53 years time, what they would be doing and had done in that time. In the case that images alone were used, a verbal explanation of the meaning of the image was also sought. In addition, any discussions had during the activity by the group were recorded by taking written notes. The activity was
completed in groups and was led by myself and the program staff, with one staff member allocated on each occasion to take notes of any associated discussions. This was completed by myself and the youth workers. Figure 1 provides an example of a Goal Map completed by a female student from Farming Town.
Figure 2.1 A Goal Map completed by a female student from Farming Town
Youth workers and school staff were available to support the young people, as some individuals needed a more scaffolded approach to the activity to understand and complete it. This could be viewed as either a strength or limitation of the research. Whilst it is acknowledged that there was an opportunity for those assisting to influence responses once additional instructions had been given, the benefits of this approach were seen to outweigh this limitation, as each young person was given the opportunity to participate at their own pace and have any potential support needs
54 Limiting Bias
Procedures were put in place to limit any bias. The Goal Map session was delivered within the first day of the camp and usually followed up by a role model presentation by an athlete who talked about their own viewed future at that age, their own goals and the path they followed. I was concerned that the young people would feel the need to complete the Goal Maps and respond with what they thought would be the most appropriate or expected response, such as attending school or getting a job. In addition I was aware that they were attending an education and careers program and therefore would be receiving as part of the program presentations and information which specifically promoted the importance of staying on in school and getting a job or establishing a career. In most cases the young people attending the camp had limited information about the camp due to unclear communication between the youth workers and school staff. The first session normally held during the camp was a drama session, which was utilised as an icebreaker as well as an assumed way to build confidence in the young people attending. I delivered the Goal Maps session directly after this first session. I also ensured I did not use any terms referencing education, employment or careers to avoid as much as possible influencing their responses.
In total, 94 Goal Maps were completed by both male and female students from Farming Town, Ocean Town, Mining Town and Dusty Town. The Goal Map activity was not conducted with the second group from the Northern Territory19. Table 2.1 gives an outline of the respondents by location, gender and age.
Table 2.1 Goal Maps Respondents
Locations F M <15 15-16 >16 Farming Town 26%(11) 31%(16) 52%(11) 18%(11) 50%(4)+ Ocean Town 17%(7) 17%(9) 0%(0) 25%(15) 13%(1) Mining Town 29%(12) 35%(18) 33%(7) 30%(18) 38%(3)+ Dusty Town 29%(12) 17%(9) 14%(3) 28%(17) 0%(0)+ Total 100% (42) 100%(52) 100%(21) 100%(61) 100%(8) +
Age for respondents missing (1 – Farming Town; 1 – Dusty Town; 2 – Mining Town)
19
Due to a last minute change in program dates the Goal Map activity was delivered by the youth workers without me being present to explain that the Goal Maps would be used as part of a research project and therefore adhere to ethical guidelines. Therefore it was not possible or realistic to run the same session again.
55 Categories were developed to try and group responses from the Goal Maps activity. Content
analysis was completed by transferring all responses from each of the Goal Maps into a category. For example education goals included in a Goal Map could be communicated through a quote, word or image reflecting the completion of a Higher School Certificate, or attendance at university or the undertaking of a course. In some instances it included a number of these examples. Therefore all this detail would be interpreted as that individual having educational aspirations. Table 2.2 outlines the themes that were developed as well as an example of the types of quotes or themes which make up each theme. The category headings used have been drawn from and therefore are similar to those found in Chang et al. (2006). In addition to the Goal Maps being analysed by content analysis, descriptive analysis was also completed on the Goal Maps drawing on observation and interview data as well to provide further interpretation of the Goal Maps.
Table 2.2 Coding Scheme for Self-Articulated Goals
Category Examples
1. Educational Goals “Finish YR 12” “Finish School” “Get a good education” “Stay at school and finish YR 12” “Get an apprenticeship” “going to uni” “Medicine at QCU” “I want to finish school”
2. Occupational Goals “get a job” “Have a good job” “full- time work” “Diesel fitter” “Playing NRL” “good paying Job” “I wanna be a beautician”
3. Family-related Goals “married or in a relationship” “have my own family” “girlfriend”
4. Material/Financial Goals “earning good money”, “buy my own new car” “be rich” “nice car” “buy a house” “Buy stuff for the house” 5. Self-Actualisation Goals “wanna be healthy and fit” “having
fun” “better” “good life ahead of me” 6. Travel and Leisure Goals “move to a bigger city” “travel around
the world” “travelling around Australia”
56 7. Other Goals “help kids around the world” “hang
out with friends”