Active Living Programme

Current Research Projects

Decreasing Number of SEC applicants.

This research aims to investigate why some students choose not to sit for SEC examinations. Based on the results published by the MATSEC Board, it seems that each year, the number of students within a given cohort who do not apply for these exams is increasing, particularly for male students (See Table Below).

The results obtained from this research will give insight into what is keeping students back from applying. The Gender Issues Committee feels that this information is relevant in helping us better understand the experience of the student, and what possible measures could be taken to reduce these figures.

The next phase of this project is to start in October-November, when a questionnaire will be sent out to all Area Secondary Fifth Form students. Copies of the questionnaire will also be sent to other schools based on the number of students who are not applying for SEC.  The questionnaire is based on information gathered from a focus group carried out with students and feedback from a questionnaire sent to all Guidance teachers during this academic year (2007-2008).

Table 1: Percentage of cohort registering for examinations at SEC level

Table 1 shows the percentage of sixteen-year olds registering for the SEC level examinations during the sessions held between 2001 and 2007. While the percentage registrations in all categories show a tendency to increase, there is a significantly lower percentage for male registrations.