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Distance travelled : Outcomes and evidence in flexible learning options
Thomas, Joseph McGinty, Sue te Riele, Kitty Wilson, Kimberley
Thomas, Joseph
McGinty, Sue
te Riele, Kitty
Wilson, Kimberley
Abstract
Flexible learning options (FLOs) provide individualised learning pathways for disengaged young people with strong emphasis on inclusivity and wellbeing support. Amidst a rapid expansion of Australia’s flexible learning sector, service providers are under increasing pressure to substantiate participant outcomes. This paper stems from a national study of the value of FLOs to young people and the broader Australian community. The study enumerates the outcomes valued by flexible learning practitioners, as well as the various evidence forms they cite to substantiate participant outcomes. Framing success as ‘distance travelled’ (i.e. an individual’s progress relative to his or her own starting point), practitioners demonstrate critical awareness of the social and structural mechanisms by which young people are marginalised from mainstream schooling. Holistic assessment practices also reveal practitioners’ efforts to expand the terms of reference by which educational outcomes may be validated in alternative education settings.
Keywords
alternative education, educational outcomes, accountability, evidence, distance travelled
Date
2017
Type
Journal article
Journal
The Australian Educational Researcher
Book
Volume
44
Issue
43224
Page Range
443-460
Article Number
ACU Department
School of Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as green open access
License
File Access
Open
Controlled
Controlled