Research Proposal

Do students consider taking a gap year after high school beneficial for their wellbeing?

 

Times Up! 6 Years of high school finally completed, numerous late nights cramming study in the night before, and the constant thought of what the future may bring all comes to reality real fast. For some year twelve students taking the leap into university straight after school seems to be the more formal transition path, but in more recent times a new trend has been set which involves a years break after their HSC studies.

A South African University Journal Article defines this trend ‘Gap Year’ as a period of time between three and 24 months in which an individual takes time out from formal education, training or the workplace, resulting in a longer career trajectory (Rabie, S, & Naidoo, AV 2016, The value of the Gap Year, South African Journal Of Higher Education). From this definition it identifies that a gap year ultimately extends the path to the final destination of ones career, so within university is this really beneficial? Does it enhance or decrease a student’s ability to study? Is it good for their wellbeing to add more years onto their degree before graduating? These are all questions that will be answered within my research study, with the end goal to identify if this new pathway into university is truly beneficial for the students of UOW.

The way a student enrols these days has become much more vast and now accommodates to meet each individuals needs and priorities. These significances can be dependent on a person’s capability to tackle stress due to the aftermath of HSC and their need for a break, or their desire for cultural exploration, and also ones ability to identify when their ready to make imperative decisions about their future careers. All these reasons behind why a student would take a gap year are extremely relevant and reasonable; therefore make a great case to demonstrate if it’s beneficial in the long run.

For years it has been noted that there has been a major emphasis on maintaining good marks to receive offers off universities, which then means a greater chance of gaining a superior career path. This level of academic pressure is made evident in a newspaper source on the ‘Higher Stress Certificate’. It identifies that about 70,000 people sit the HSC every year in NSW ultimately dominating those students to feel that it will make or break their future, which can lead to fear of failure (Editorial By LIAM, C 2011, ‘ Doing the Higher ‘Stress’ Certificate’, Newcastle Herald). This Let alone can be the sole reason for students to initiate a gap year after school, other reasons can be explained through societies ever growing drive for adolescents to make decisions about their life before they’re even ready too. This awareness has been explored in a TEDx Youth talk that discusses how beneficial taking a gap year after school is, in the ‘discovery of students passions and desires’. This benefit discussed in the TEDx highlighted how a students capacity to make imperative decisions like the choice of a degree is almost as hard as going on a blind date. Being thrown into the unknown can be quite daunting and can limit ones ability to make the right choices. Through just these two examples behind why gap years can be beneficial a broad range of sources were found, this to me indicates that this topic is relevant and significant to todays society and will further strengthen my research.

University students of today identify this shift in trends, whether or not they believe that it’s beneficial is something that I plan to answer within this research task. This topic is relevant and significant in understanding the detrimental affects of taking a gap year to a student’s wellbeing and success within university. As this is a common trend it will be highly achievable in sourcing information form a large sample size of UOW students who have experienced themselves the effects of a gap year.

References

• Donatus Marcellino, ‘Gap Year the Greatest Decision you could make’, TEDx Talks, 25th March 2015, 2:34 min, Viewed 14th March 2018.

• Editorial By LIAM, C 2011, ‘ Doing the Higher ‘Stress’ Certificate’, Newcastle Herald, The (Includes the central coast herald), 30 August, Newspaper source plus, EBSCOhost, Viewed 16th March 2018.

• Rabie, S, & Naidoo, AV 2016, The value of the Gap Year in the facilitation of a career adaptability’, South African Journal Of Higher Education, 30, 3, pp.140, Education Research complete, EBSCOhost, Viewed 12th March 2018.