Governments recognise that careers guidance, underpinned by accurate labour market information, can help learners make post-secondary education choices that match their interests, aptitudes and abilities, and lead to rewarding employment. For this reason, they have invested in building linked education/employment information systems and other…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature and significance of flexibility in decisions about education and training options. This is done through an examination of the relevance of real options valuation (ROV) to our understanding of educational and training choices. Through this examination, the paper aims to contribute to the…

The Teachers of Promise study has followed the work histories of 57 primary and secondary teachers who had been identified at the beginning of their third year of teaching as having the potential to make a significant contribution to the profession. Using data from surveys and interviews, this paper reports on what sustained or inhibited their…

In New Zealand there is an increasing trend for people with prior occupational experiences to enter secondary teaching. At a time when the media is continually questioning the status and capability of the teaching profession, we explore what or who motivates people to change their occupational paths and enter the teaching profession. Our sample of…

Examined the relationship of self-rated decision style to vocational decision-making behaviors among school leavers (N=169) before leaving school, and to the implementation of their plans after leaving school. Support was found for the active-passive dimension in decision style and for the advantage of using an active logical style. (Author)

Examined Gottfredson's (1981) theory of circumscription, which states that gender influences occupational preferences from age 6 years, and social background, the prestige level of preferences, from age 9 years. Occupational card sort among 396 New Zealand children confirmed the social background theory though ability greatly influenced…

An academic review of research on the education of women in New Zealand is presented. Available sources of information on this topic are described, focusing soley on published materials. In a discussion of influences on research on women's education, it is pointed out that the major stimulus for this research comes not from the academic world but…

Baseline data were gathered from 316 students in 3-year training programs at 6 New Zealand colleges of education in order to determine why the students chose to go into early childhood education, what early childhood service they expected to work in, and where they would be employed after they completed their training. Of the students who…