Erasing Rurality: On the Need to Disaggregate Statistical Data

Roberts, Philip; Thier, Michael; Beach, Paul

doi:10.1007/978-981-16-0131-6_8

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Although it is commonly assumed that SES is one of the main influences on the achievement levels of students, this research shows that SES does not explain all of the variability in achievement in core subjects, and that other factors independent of SES are impacting achievement across inner and outer regional areas as well as remote areas (Roberts et al, 2021). Although not directly tested in this study, it is likely that students’ differential opportunities to learn (Chmielewski, 2014; Reeves, 2012; Schmidt et al, 2015) form part of the range of structural inequalities that exist both between and within schools in rural settings that mediate factors leading to differences in students’ results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In doing this research, we acknowledge that it is impossible to operationalise concepts like rurality and SES without defining them, and that these concepts are never value neutral, especially if they are applied to people and communities. In this sense, the current research encapsulates a paradox in that it operationalises rurality in ways that may hold unintended and unexplored assumptions about people’s educational experiences and outcomes (Greenough & Nelson, 2015; Koziol et al, 2015; Roberts et al, 2021). Similarly, we are necessarily bound by the definitions, conceptualisation and measurement of SES and its attendant assumptions and biases (Hobbs, 2016; Marks & O'Connell, 2021).…”

Section: The Spatial Implications Of Student Achievementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The spatial implications of academic achievement in Year 12: Rethinking discourses of disadvantage in rural locations

Dean

Roberts

Downes

et al. 2023

Australian Journal of Education

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Rurality is an identified point of disadvantage in measures such as the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) and school resourcing models. However, socioeconomic disadvantage is commonly used as an explanation for lower average student achievement in rural locations. Thus, policies are often directed towards reducing disadvantage associated with socioeconomic status, and rurality is overlooked. This research tests the validity of these assumptions using a matched study approach. We examine data on New South Wales (NSW) students, schools and courses to investigate how the English and Mathematics achievement levels of students in their final year of secondary school are associated with family and school characteristics across locations. The findings show that socioeconomic variation does not fully account for differences in achievement in rural locations. Instead, rurality appears to mediate other effects on student achievement in a complex interplay of factors contributing to lower average results. This highlights the need to consider the specificities of rurality in schooling, particularly the role of rural knowledges and perspectives in schooling and student achievement.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Spatial Implications Of Student Achievementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The spatial implications of academic achievement in Year 12: Rethinking discourses of disadvantage in rural locations

Dean

Roberts

Downes

et al. 2023

Australian Journal of Education

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It fails to highlight the specificities of rural areas and contributes to the stereotype of problematic rural environments, such as the difficulties to recruit teachers or medics, the chronic shortage of housing, or the lack of opportunities for young people. This dichotomy is particularly detrimental for remote or rural communities in educational policy-making and can be mitigated by disaggregating rural in school data (Thier et al, 2020;Roberts & Thier, 2021). This growing literature also challenges the use of national deprivation national indexes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depicting Rural Deprivation in a Higher Education Context: A Scottish Case Study

Lasselle¹

2021

AIJRE

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This paper addresses educational inequality of access to higher education for Scottish rural communities. Inequality results from the sole use of a national socio-economic index in order to meet a key milestone for higher education goal. I show (1) how the use of this index can have adverse effects on these communities and (2) how contextual considerations of rural education research could mitigate these effects and enrich policy-making.

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Environmental and Educational Systems for Gifted Students: Rural and Central Contexts

Grinshtain,

Miedijensky,

Zibenberg

2024

Rural Special Education Quarterly

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Drawing on the bioecological theory developed by Bronfenbrenner, the researchers of this study examined four environmental systems—microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem—for gifted children in Israel as perceived by their parents, focusing on a comparison between rural and central contexts. The rural context comprises peripheral areas that are located in distant areas and characterized by small settlements. The central context refers to settlements that are located in the center of the country, characterized by large urban municipalities. The researchers developed a questionnaire that was taken by 284 Israeli parents of gifted students. Results indicated that parents perceived the macrosystem as less contributory to the development of gifted students in rural areas. Parents in rural areas also believed the governance system was less supportive of the needs of gifted students and offered fewer practical and educational and learning resources. The microsystem, in contrast, was seen as contributory in rural areas: Community, friends, and home/family were significantly stronger in the rural context. Thus, the contribution of the microsystem seems to balance the weaknesses or shortcomings of the macrosystem. This study identifies the best systems for gifted students in rural areas by highlighting the importance of the community while also pointing out the lack of support from government.

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Erasing Rurality: On the Need to Disaggregate Statistical Data

Cited by 4 publications

References 10 publications

The spatial implications of academic achievement in Year 12: Rethinking discourses of disadvantage in rural locations

The spatial implications of academic achievement in Year 12: Rethinking discourses of disadvantage in rural locations

Depicting Rural Deprivation in a Higher Education Context: A Scottish Case Study

Environmental and Educational Systems for Gifted Students: Rural and Central Contexts

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