How to Teenage Mothers Reengage in Alternative Learning Space in the Australian Context - Literature review Example

How to teenage mothers reengage in alternative learning space in Australian Context Name Institution Context Early parenthood is a major causal factor for high rate of school dropout among teenage girls (Shacklock, n.d.). Still, there appears to be an agreement among scholars that schools still play a fundamental role providing retention intervention and mechanisms to restructure the life chance implications of dropping out among teenage parents (Shacklock, n.d; Watts et al., 2015). Both expectant and parenting teenage girls are usually not found in conventional educational pathway in schools as they tend to dropout because of fears of being shamed by others. According to Shacklock (n.d.), the United States has the highest number of policies intended to protect teenage parents to ensure they complete their education, as well as take their responsibilities for the implications of their actions. The same cannot be said for Canada, where tensions have prevailed in policymaking to ensure inclusion in educational programmes. This also extends to the educational and welfare programmes that teachers and administrators attempt to leverage to support and teach the expectant and parenting teenage girls more effectively In the case of Australia, although birth rates for teenage mother are relatively on the decline, they are still likely to surpass the average in certain locations. A case in point is parts of Victoria, such as Corio, where the birth rates are said to have surpassed 92 births per 1,000 for young mothers of ages 15 to 24 years in 2001 (Shacklock, n.d.). This represents up to 5 times the national average. As a suburb in Geelong, Corio is recognised for having one of the highest numbers of disadvantaged people in Victoria, in the areas of low educational attainment, low income, and high rate of employment. Therefore, under such circumstances, teenage mothers in the areas are predisposed to contend with significant challenges. In addition to facing similar tasks to that other teenagers have to face in schools, they also have to contend with the threats of transitioning to adulthood in their state of being first-time parents facing profound social and economic hardships (Shacklock, n.d.). It is based on such a backdrop that Young Parents Access Project (YPAP), which is available at Corio Bay Senior College was initiated to help teenage mothers to respond to complex challenge by retaining, re-attracting and supporting young parents to fully embrace the education system, as well as to improve their educational attainment (Shacklock, n.d.). Various policies have also been established with focus on the retention, re-attraction, and supporting young parents to enable them to completely embrace the education system, as well as to improve their educational attainment. In Victoria, for instance, the state government introduces policy reforms and reorganised departments to find an interagency approach to help find local solutions, which can be applied to the local problems (Watts et al., 2015). In such a policy climate that facilitates partnering between intercommunity agencies and schools, an important project that has been established as part of policy framework is the Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs). It seeks to link many stakeholders like, training and education providers and local government and community. How VCAL curriculum enables teenage mothers to reengage into learning As a learning programme, the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) has to integrate curriculum from personal development skills, work-related skills, and strands of numeracy and literacy. At the centre of this learning programme is the emphasis on learning across many such areas of curriculum. A VCAL curriculum can help teenage mothers to reengage into learning, as its key principle is the emphasis on the advantage of ensuring that learning become highly relevant to the students’ interests and needs, as well as their future goals (VCAA, 2014a; 2014b). Hence, a VCAL programme can facilitate a process of ensuring that teenage mothers are engaged into learning. It provides teenage mothers with a context for learning new skills that are unique from the conventional curriculum divisions, yet reflects how they can apply such skills in the community, or personal life. An example includes effective breast-feeding and its significance (VCAA, 2014a; 2014b). It also relies on careful planning, which ensures that teenage mothers have an opportunity to showcase their skills in many curriculum that are identified, yet also seek to address additional tasks that need to be designed and to fulfil requirements of the curriculum. It also improved the motivation of teenage mothers, as well as encourages them to stay committed to achieving positive educational outcomes. The reason for this is that VCAL has a potential of improving student’s confidence and self-esteem (VCAA2014b; 2014c). The VCAL also provided context for teenage mothers to learn the general skills that are valued in parenting, including how to work effectively with others when within teams and learning to take personal responsibility while learning (VCAA 2014c). Additionally, it can provide an effective transition for teenage mothers from school to parenting. Hence, the teenage mothers would not go into motherhood. Additionally, the VCAL seeks to offer teenage mothers with the right attitude to pursue their education while simultaneously taking care of the child, and to make them commited to attaining further education (VCAA 2014d). 2. How low SES and being a young mother impact/limits on teenage mothers to reengage into learning with children -300 words As established by Shacklock (n.d.), young mothers are rare to find in mainstream educational settings, despite not having been excluded from the educational pathways that would have enabled them to finish schooling. In such cases, the young mother may be discouraged from reengaging in learning because of the impacts of their low self-esteem and new state of mother hood. In rare circumstances when they have to go on with their schooling, such a circumstance is often called “an individualised story of triumph against the odds.” Self-esteem or public image problem may consistently affect their feelings at school, as they would be afraid to be ridiculed for being mothers. This may trigger feelings of animosity towards the school system. Under such circumstances, the young mother may opt to abandon schooling to protect their image in the eyes of other students. According to Shacklock (n.d.), teenage mother may face complex challenges like having to negotiate school completion and to transit from their schools in order to pursue an effective learning. The other new state of motherhood may come with huge responsibilities that take most of the mother’s time. Therefore, a teenage mother may consider abandoning schooling to concentrate on bringing up the child (Shacklock n.d.). At this rate, an important question to consider is what can make the learning attractive for teachers into reengaging into alternative learning space. Shacklock (n.d.) also presented a review of literature and revealed that teenage mothers are exposed to picky and menacing naming and shaming, as well as engaging in practices that limit their sense of self, their potential of attending school and getting higher educational outcomes. During this time, the teenage mothers’ may fail in school. Unexpected failures may prevent the teenage mothers from reengaging in alternative learning space in Australia. Conclusion Early parenthood prevails as a causal factor for increased rate of school dropout among teenage girls. One elemental means to re-engaging the teenage mother is by tailoring the curriculum and its delivery to meet the needs of teenage mothers. In Australia, the situation appears to be easing because of the policy frameworks intend to tailor the curriculum and its delivery to meet the unique demands of teenage mothers. Although birth rates for teenage mother in Australia are, by comparison, decreasing, they are still likely to surpass the average in certain regions in the country. Therefore, in such situations, teenage mothers in some Australian regions are still exposed to significant challenges. In addition to facing similar tasks to that other teenagers have to face in schools, they also have to contend with the threats of transitioning to adulthood in their state of being first-time parents facing profound social and economic hardships. Fortunately, several policies and facilitative government programmes have been set to address the issues of teenage motherhood and to re-engage the teenage mothers into engaging in alternative learning space in Australian context. An example of facilitative government programs is the YPAP, which has helped teenage mothers to respond to complex challenges, such as low self-esteem and shaming, which discourage them from engaging in constructive learning. In Australia, a number of policies are also in use where focus is placed on retention, re-attraction, and supporting of teenage mothers to enable them to wholly embrace the education system, as well as to improve their educational attainment. A policy that has been instrumental in achieving this is the Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs), which seeks to link stakeholders like, training and education providers and local government and community. The VCAL curriculum appears to have played an important role by helping teenage mothers to reengage into learning. It also integrates curriculum from personal development skills, work-related skills, and strands of numeracy and literacy. Additionally, it has enabled teenage mothers to reengage into learning by ensuring that learning becomes highly relevant to the students’ interests and needs, as well as their future goals. Hence, A VCAL programme can facilitate a process of ensuring that teenage mothers are engaged into learning. It provides teenage mothers with a context for learning new skills that are unique from the conventional curriculum divisions, yet reflects how they can apply such skills in the community, or personal life. An example includes effective breast-feeding and its significance. What this implies is that the VCAL curriculum can help re-engage the teenage mother by tailoring the curriculum and delivery to meet the needs of teenage mothers. References Harrison, L., Angwin, J. & Shacklock, G. (2002). Having a baby and being in school: researching pregnant and parenting young people and their educational transitions, in AARE 2002 : Problematic futures : educational research in an era of uncertainty. AARE 2002 conference papers, Australian Association for Research in Education, Coldstream, Vic., pp. 1-15 Harrison, L., Shacklock, G., Angwin, J. and Kamp, A. (2004). “At school I am just like everyone else”: Teenage pregnancy, schooling and educational outcomes. Paper prepared for the Learning from the Margins Conference, July 2004, Melbourne. Published on-line by the Quality Learning Research Priority Area, Deakin University, Geelong.Retrieved from http://www.deakin.edu.au/education/quality_learning Shacklock, G. (n.d.). Parenting students in secondary school settings: the challenge of the ‘dilemma of difference. RMIT University School of Education VCAA (2014a). VCAL Information Sheet: Offering an integrated program. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority VCAA(2014b). VCAL Information Sheet: Applied learning. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority VCAA. (2014c). VCAL Information Sheet: An introduction to VCAL. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority VCAL. (2014d). VCAL Information Sheet: VCAL Skills for Further Study. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority Watts, M., Liamputtong, P. McMichael, C. (2015). Early motherhood: a qualitative study exploring the experiences of African Australian teenage mothers in greater Melbourne, Australia. BMC Public Health,15, 873-885 Read More