Blog post
The gap year for social, emotional and vocational learning in Irish secondary education
The Irish education system includes a quasi-gap year, known as transition year (TY), midway through secondary school. Students may choose to complete six years of secondary education (including TY as the fourth year, aged about 15) or five years (without TY). TY was introduced on a pilot basis in 1974, becoming more widely available in the 1990s. Participation rates have since increased consistently, with two-thirds of eligible students now participating ().
The aim of TY is to allow students a chance to step back from the pressure of high-stakes examinations, to provide a space for personal and social development, and to prepare students for life beyond school. TY students are generally given more freedom and more opportunities for self-directed learning. Cultural activities, subject sampling, entrepreneurial and artistic projects, community involvement and trips away from school are common. TY also contains a strong vocational component, with students engaging in work experience placements that can provide insights into real working environments and possible careers.
A similar experiment was carried out on a small scale in England in the 鈥庘1920s and 1930s. Harold Dent, a headmaster (and editor 鈥巓f the Times Education Supplement), offered his students the opportunity to have a 鈥榶ear out鈥 from their normal structured curriculum. For 12 months,
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鈥榝ormal instruction [for these students was] cut to the minimum, and pupils [were] left largely to 鈥巘heir own devices in an environment calculated to develop the creative and 鈥巌nquisitive instincts so that both inclinations and aptitudes may demonstrate 鈥巘hemselves.鈥 Dent 1939; cited in )鈥 |
He reported that
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鈥樷any of the boys were utterly 鈥巇ifferent creatures by the end of the term; they had developed poise, self-confidence and skill, 鈥巃nd there was little difficulty in fitting them into courses which were calculated to give them 鈥巔resent satisfaction and a sure basis for the future.鈥 (ibid) |
Although Rudduck and Flutter (2004) go on to note how 鈥榳astefully subversive鈥 this idea 鈥巜ould likely sound to many present-day readers, Dent鈥檚 vision does resonate with the rationale for, and experience of, TY in Ireland. Internationally, there is now increasing recognition of the importance of social and emotional 鈥巆haracteristics in learning, in transitions from one environment to another (from 鈥巔rimary to secondary education, for example, or from education to work), in workplaces, and in supporting wellbeing.
Although TY is not well-known 鈥巓utside Ireland, it has recently served as a model for the introduction of the 鈥榝ree learning semester鈥 in South 鈥嶬orea, which was piloted in 2013 and has expanded to most South Korean middle schools. The gradual growth of TY over almost 50 years offers lessons to policymakers in South Korea and other jurisdictions who 鈥巑ay wish to introduce similar initiatives or programmes. For example, one important factor in making 鈥嶵Y more widely available in Ireland was the establishment of a professional development 鈥榮upport service鈥, comprising teachers who had been successful early adopters of TY in their own schools and could offer practical support and guidance. The creation of this support 鈥巗ervice helped to facilitate a large increase 鈥巌n provision and uptake in the 1990s ().鈥
A review 鈥巓f Irish senior cycle education began in February 2018. This provides an opportunity to review the theoretical assumptions and perspectives underpinning TY and its implementation in schools. Two new papers (Clerkin and ) aim to:
- clarify some aspects of adolescent development that are particularly relevant to TY, providing a more explicit framework for future 鈥巔ractice and research, and
- introduce TY to 鈥巖eaders who may be interested in learning from the Irish experience of 鈥巌ntegrating a 鈥榞ap year鈥 within secondary education, students鈥 experiences of TY and the reported outcomes, and some persistent challenges that remain to be addressed.鈥
Both papers are now available to read on an open-access basis from .
References
Clerkin A (2013) 鈥楪rowth of the 鈥淭ransition Year鈥 programme, nationally and in schools 鈥巗erving disadvantaged students, 1992鈥2011鈥, Irish Educational Studies 32(2): 197鈥215.鈥
Clerkin A (2018a) 鈥楩illing in the gaps: A theoretical grounding for an education programme for adolescent socioemotional and vocational development in Ireland鈥, Review of Education, 26 April 2018.
Clerkin A (2018b) 鈥楥ontext and Implications document for: Filling in the gaps: A theoretical grounding for an education programme for adolescent socioemotional and vocational development in Ireland鈥, Review of Education, 26 April 2018.
Dent H (1939) 鈥楾he adolescent鈥檚 way of life鈥, The Hibbert Journal: A Quarterly Review of Religion, Theology, and Philosophy 37: 387鈥395
Rudduck J and Flutter J (2004) How to improve your school: Giving pupils a voice, London: Continuum