Young people’s views on choice and fairness through their experiences of curriculum as examination specifications at GCSE

Abstract

This paper presents data that considers ways in which young people experience the curriculum through the lens of subject examination syllabuses (for GCSEs), their associated assessment techniques and structures and educational policies at national and school level concerning subject choice. Drawing upon an original qualitative dataset from a mixed-methods study of students' views and experiences of GCSE from Northern Ireland (NI) and Wales, the paper explores students' perceptions of choice and fairness in relation to studying various subjects at GCSE. Factors of importance are the subjects available to them through subject option selections at the school level and the ways in which GCSE courses are then administered. In relation to notions of choice and fairness, the paper considers how students see access to the curriculum moderated by national and school level decisions regarding the assessment of GCSEs; the extent to which assessment techniques such as tiering, controlled assessment and modularity, as well as school-level policy decisions about timing of entry to GCSEs (known as early entry) all combine to restrict students' access to the full range of subjects and influence the ways in which they experience these subjects as curricula within their particular school settings.

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

“…The negative association between being in a local authority in which a significant proportion of pupils attend selective schools and the academic selectivity of subjects that individuals study raises the possibility that local education markets (for pupils and teachers) also impose constraints on the subjects that schools may viably offer. Qualitative evidence presented elsewhere in this special issue provides insights into the ways in which the social class composition of the school can influence school practices (Barrance & Elwood, 2018;Smyth, 2018).…”

Tiering in the GCSE: A children’s rights perspective

“…This is not a minor issue, as an assessment system should be designed in children's best interests, and should not have a negative impact on their welfare (Elwood & Lundy, 2010). It also raises questions about fairness and validity, given that students perceive stress as a factor that can hinder their performance (Barrance & Elwood, 2018b).…”

“…Three studies (Gillborn & Youdell, 2000; Baird et al , 2001; Barrance & Elwood, 2018a,b) have investigated the extent to which students knew about tiering and their own tiering allocations, all using focus groups in case study schools. Baird et al (2001) found that there was a relatively good understanding of tiering amongst pupils in the schools they studied.…”

Inequalities in school leavers’ labour market outcomes: do school subject choices matter?

“…In line with this perspective, the curriculum reform recently introduced in Scotland (the Curriculum for Excellence) stresses the importance of individualised educational programmes which build on pupils' interests and prior learning (Education Scotland, 2012). However, this individualisation of learning and the flexibility of curriculum which is used to achieve this purpose is not unproblematic because it overlooks the fact that pupils' learning experiences and their educational choices are never free from the influence of the family, school, and the wider context which surrounds them and tends to reinforce existing societal inequalities or gender stereotypes, as illustrated by other papers in this special issue Barrance & Elwood, 2018;Smyth, 2018). Thus, pupils may make curricular choices with different degrees of knowledge and understanding of the consequences that those choices may lead to.…”