Participant
teachers and students consented to be part of the study. 30 students (19males, 11 female) participated in the interview, representing a participation rate of 70%. The students’ ranger in age from sixteen to twenty-five years, and all lived in regional towns. The average age of student participants was 17 years. None of the students who participated in the research had completed Yare 10 at school.
All 10 members of staff (four male and six female) working in the foundation skills course participated in the interview. Seven of the staff had teaching-only roles. Three of the staff had roles that encompassed teaching as well as leadership, counseling and assessment .
All participants in the study are referred to using pseudonym.