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Recent Data on Patterns of Educational Achievement: An Assignment based upon the 2010 Youth Cohort Survey of 18Year Olds

Page last edited:06/08/2011

On the 22nd July 2010 the DFE published The Youth Cohort Study and Longitudinal Study of Young People in England : The Activities and Experiences of 18 Year Olds: in England which you can access here

This is a 75 page document but you can nevertheless gain a useful overview of patterns of educational achievement  by analysing  a small number of the tables and charts published in the document. I have outlined some of the findings in some of the early tables in the document and then invite students to answer some questions about some of the subsequent tables and charts. Once you have completed these questions you should have a fairly comprehensive knowledge of patterns of educational achievement which should be easily sufficient to provide the basis for the actual explanation of these patterns of educational achievement.  Of course you may study then report in more detail if you wish !

 Table 2.1.1 [Page 6] provides information on the main activity at age 18 by the characteristics of respondents.

  1. These data indicate that females are more likely than males to be in fulltime education and that participation rated in fulltime education are the lowest for white 18 year olds but that participation rated in employment the highest for white 18 year olds.
  2. Participation rates in Full Time Education are shown to be related to parental social class, parental education, eligibility for Free School Meals in Year 11, disability, Year 11 GCSE Qualifications and family living arrangements.
  3. Question: Which social groupings are most likely to contain 18 year olds who are NEETS [not in education, employment or training}?
  4. Question : What are the relationships between parental occupation and parental education and the likelihood of 18 year olds being in employment at age 18?

Table 2.2 1 [Page 10]provides information on Level 2 Achievements [equivalent to 5 or more GCSE passes at grades A*-C ]by age 18 by characteristics of respondents

  1. Females out -perform Males at Level 2.
  2. Relationships between ethnicity and educational achievement must be interpreted with care because differences in the relative likelihood that members of different ethnic minority groups will achieve further GCSE passes after the age of 16 means that patterns of ethnic achievement change significantly between the ages of 16 and 18.
  3. Attainment of Level 2 qualifications is predictably related to parental occupation, parental education, free school meal eligibility, school exclusion and family living arrangements . [Note however that the data on family living arrangements must be interpreted with care: children from lone parent families may be more likely to be at an educational disadvantage because they are more likely to be poor not as a result of their actual family situations.]

 

Table 2.2.2 [Page 12] provides information on Level 3 Achievement [ Equivalent to 2 A levels] by the age of 18 by characteristics of respondents

  1. The student may make a summary of the main conclusions to be found in this table.
  2. How similar are the patterns of achievement at Levels 2 and 3?

Table 3.1. 3 [Page 19 ]provides information on Participation in Further Education by the age of 18 by characteristics of respondents

  1. The student may make a summary of the information in this table.
  2. How would you explain the relationships between participation in further education and parental occupation and parental education?

Charts 3.2.3, 3.3.1 and 3.3.2  [pages22-24] provide information on attitudes to work of 18 year olds in paid employment and following apprenticeships.

  1. Are the attitudes to work of these 18 year olds favourable or unfavourable on balance?

 

Table 4.1.1 {Page25 ] Y provides information on Participation In higher Education at age 18 by the characteristics of respondents

  1. How is  the status of 18 year olds' HE applications related to  gender, parental occupation, free school meal eligibility, Year 11 GCSE qualifications, school exclusion and family living arrangements

Table 4.1.2 [Page 26] Status of HE Application by Parental Education

  1. How is the status of respondents' HE application related to parental education?

Chart 4.1.3 [Page 27] Status of He Application by Ethnic group

  1. Which 3 ethnic groups' members are most likely to apply for HE Courses?
  2. Which ethnic group members are least likely to apply for HE Courses?
  3. Which ethnic group accounts for the largest proportion of HE students?

Tables 4.2.1 and 4.2.4 [Pages 28 and 31]

  1. What main conclusions do you draw from these two tables?
  2. How could you use Bourdieu's concepts of cultural capital, economic capital and social capital to explain relationships between parental occupation, parental education and attendance at Oxbridge and Russell Universities?