This aim of this thesis was to examine student satisfaction with post- compulsory school subjects. Understandings were gained through the development of a theoretical model of student satisfaction using a sample survey questionnaire and focus group interviews. Nine hundred and twenty-seven Year 11 and 12 students from five government co- educational secondary schools within the Riverina area of New South Wales were surveyed, with a response rate of 63.8%. A factor analysis of fifteen dependent variables relating to fulfilment of expectations, by subjects, resulted in the development of four measures of satisfaction, namely, Intrinsic Value, Utilitarian Worth. Commitment, and Anxiety. Since the simple statements as presented on the survey questionnaire did not indicate the complex and often disparate meanings which different individuals attach to each statement, focus group interviews were established to collect additional data. Six focus group interviews, each involving one female and one male student, of similar academic ability, selected from the same year-level from one of the sampled schools, were undertaken. The qualitative data collected from these participants aided the interpretation, as well as the amplification, of the quantitative data. A study of satisfaction differences between those students dissatisfied enough with a subject to indicate that they wished that they had discontinued its study and the remaining students, was undertaken. This involved both logit and discriminant analyses. Further, various demographic factors including school, gender and year-level, were tested using factorial MANOVAs. By means of structural equation modelling, satisfaction component invariance across eight subject groups, and gender groups, within English and Mathematics, were also examined. Overall, satisfaction was found to be a multidimensional construct that varied with subject and student gender. Partial measurement invariance across eight subject groups demonstrated that Intrinsic Value, Utilitarian Worth, and Anxiety were common components of subject group satisfaction. The fulfilment of the intrinsic value expectation was of greater importance to students' subject satisfaction than either the fulfilment of utilitarian worth or anxiety expectations. An examination of the items which constituted the Intrinsic Value measure revealed that this measure relates to enjoyment and interest, as well as learning and involvement. It is manifest that even at this level of study students expect their selected subjects to be enjoyable, this enjoyment being contributed to by a sense of involvement as well as achievement, and when students are disappointed they wish to discontinue their study of particular subjects. The satisfaction construct was found to be associated with various vocational interest dimensions and appeared to represent indirect measures of learning style. This result is consistent with findings from other studies. Further, the differing contributions of the variables in both English and Mathematics and across gender groups revealed much about the approaches adopted by males and females. The thesis concluded by considering the implications for syllabus designers, teacher educators, and school personnel. In particular, it was noted that teachers need to be aware that different subjects attract students with differing vocational expectations, and that these expectations need to be fulfilled if students are to remain satisfied with the subjects they have selected.