The relationship between A-level subject choice and league table score of university attended: the ‘facilitating’, the ‘less suitable’, and the counter-intuitive

Dilnot, Catherine

doi:10.1080/03054985.2018.1409976

Cited by 35 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This paper does not offer evidence on whether there are particular benefits from particular combinations of subjects choice. It is, however, something considered in other contexts by other articles in this issue, which suggest that subject choices do affect educational transitions (Dilnot, 2018;, and to which we plan to return in future work. As such, our conclusions in this paper offer no judgement on whether we should consider the differences that we document to be positive or negative, only that they exist.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

The role of schools in explaining individuals’ subject choices at age 14

Anders¹,

Henderson²,

Moulton³

et al. 2018

Oxford Review of Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The subjects that young people study from age 14 onwards may have important consequences for their future academic and labour market outcomes. These decisions are shaped by the schools in which they find themselves. Schools also face constraints of their own. This paper explores the extent to which individuals' decisions are affected by the school they attend and to what extent this is affected by the composition of schools in terms of academic attainment, gender, and socioeconomic background. We use multi-level variance decomposition models applied to administrative data on the subjects that young people in mainstream state-funded schools in England study between ages 14 and 16. Our results highlight the important role that constraints on schools play in subject choice decisions. We also note the particular role of attending a non-selective school within a selective schooling district.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

The role of schools in explaining individuals’ subject choices at age 14

Anders¹,

Henderson²,

Moulton³

et al. 2018

Oxford Review of Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Similarly, taking applied subjects reduced the chances of progressing to A-levels more for girls than for boys. For girls, the advantage of following an EBacc-eligible curriculum seems to be greatest in promoting facilitating A-level subjects, which may increase their chances of gaining access to higher education and in particular the Russell Group and higher ranked universities (Dilnot, 2018;Vidal Rodeiro et al, 2013). This may be driven by the fact that girls who did not study an EBacc-eligible curriculum were particularly unlikely to take science A-levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Working-class pupils were less likely to take an EBacc-eligible curriculum, and were also less likely to progress to any of the post-16 educational outcomes. Increasing the proportion of working-class pupils following an EBacc-eligible curriculum could be a potential lever to increase the educational participation of this group (Dilnot, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does what you study at age 14–16 matter for educational transitions post-16?

Moulton¹,

Sullivan²,

Henderson³

et al. 2018

Oxford Review of Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Yet, research evidence shows both nationally and internationally, limited subject choice can be detrimental for young people's prospects of entering HE institutions and finding a good job, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g. Chmielewski, ; Dilnot, ; Iannelli & Duta, ). Limited choice in S4 may also limit subsequent choice at school, for example by restricting the choice of Highers subsequently available.…”

Section: Background and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do schools matter? An exploration of the determinants of lower secondary school subject choices under the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence

Shapira

Priestley

2019

Review of Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper explores school level determinants of curriculum narrowing in the senior phase of secondary education, under the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). It presents findings from an analysis of longitudinal administrative education data (2011–2017), and Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) data on subject enrolments for Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework National 5 level qualifications, undertaken by 14–15‐year‐old students in year 4 of secondary education (S4) in Scotland. The data are aggregated at the level of schools and linked with Scottish School Census data that provide information about school characteristics (in terms of their size, number of qualified teachers, socio‐economic composition, etc.) and school area characteristics. We used descriptive methods of statistical data analysis and multilevel regression modelling, in order to explore the variations between schools in: (a) number of subject choices; and (b) configuration of subject enrolment and to identify factors responsible for these variations. Our findings show that the senior phase curriculum is becoming narrower. There is trend since 2013, the year when new qualifications under CfE were introduced, for fewer subjects to be taken in school year S4 for level 5 National Qualifications. Yet, the size of this reduction has not been uniform, but has varied between schools of different characteristics, between areas with different level of deprivation and between local authorities across Scotland. The findings show that the SES composition of school intake has a strong association with the number and configuration of subject entries. A larger reduction in the number of subject entries for National 5 level qualifications took place in schools in more deprived areas, as well as in schools with a larger number of students from disadvantaged socio‐economic backgrounds, schools where the proportion of pupils with additional learning support needs was higher, and schools with poorer staff–student ratios. We also found that the number of subject entries was smaller in schools where the overall number of subjects offered for National 5 level qualifications was smaller. Furthermore, we found that schools in areas of higher deprivation and schools with larger numbers of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds had smaller proportions of young people enrolled in Sciences and Modern Languages, and a larger proportion of pupils enrolled in Vocational subjects.

show abstract

The relationship between A-level subject choice and league table score of university attended: the ‘facilitating’, the ‘less suitable’, and the counter-intuitive

Cited by 35 publications

References 22 publications

The role of schools in explaining individuals’ subject choices at age 14

The role of schools in explaining individuals’ subject choices at age 14

Does what you study at age 14–16 matter for educational transitions post-16?

Do schools matter? An exploration of the determinants of lower secondary school subject choices under the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About