Longitudinal Study of Australian Children: Annual statistical report 2016
The seventh volume in the LSAC Annual Statistical Report series.
Downloads
Using 6 waves of LSAC data, this report discusses ways in which Australian children’s experiences and environments affect their prospects and progress, from birth to 15 years old. Opportunities and challenges faced by adolescents are addressed in chapters on the employment of young teens, and how child and family characteristics are associated with patterns of employment; their career aspirations and the types of jobs they see themselves doing as adults. Another section of the report investigates the association between parents’ drinking and the drinking of their 14-15 year old children, exploring how this relationship differs by the gender of the parents and their adolescent.
The report also casts light on the prevalence of self-harm and suicidal behaviour among 14–15 year olds, the risk factors associated with these behaviours and the extent to which poor socio-emotional health earlier in life is associated with self-harm and suicide attempts. Involvement of teens in informal care for others and the impact of these caring activities on their academic achievement is also discussed in detail. Family functioning is the focus of a chapter on children’s home experiences over a ten-year time period, according to the age at which their mother had her first child.
For the first time in this series, the report includes a chapter on aspects of school life by examining differences in teaching practices according to the year level of the student and characteristics of the school, teacher and class as reported by teachers’ themselves.