Jean Mangan , Amanda Hughes, Peter Davies and Kim Slack
39
Jean Mangan, Amanda Hughes, Peter Davies and Kim Slack Fair Access. Achievement and Geography: explaining the association between social class and students’ choice of university
description
Fair Access. Achievement and Geography: explaining the association between social class and students’ choice of university . Jean Mangan , Amanda Hughes, Peter Davies and Kim Slack. Fair Access and social stratification through choice of university in England. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Jean Mangan , Amanda Hughes, Peter Davies and Kim Slack
Jean Mangan, Amanda Hughes, Peter Davies and Kim Slack
Fair Access. Achievement and Geography: explaining the
association between social class and students’ choice of university
Fair Access and social stratification through choice of university in England
Undergraduates in the UK choose between universities throughout the country (276
HEIs)
Choice
Fair Access and social stratification through choice of university in England
Undergraduates in the UK choose between universities throughout the country (276
HEIs)
Choice is first based on subject and school exit
examinations
Choice
Fair Access and social stratification through choice of university in England
Undergraduates in the UK choose between universities throughout the country (276
HEIs)
Choice is first based on subject and school exit
examinations
A national system of applications (UCAS) through which choices are mediated
Choice
Fair Access and social stratification through choice of university in England
Undergraduates in the UK choose between universities throughout the country (276
HEIs)
Choice is first based on subject and school exit
examinations
A national system of applications (UCAS) through which choices are mediated
A strongly stratified hierarchy of institutions by
status
Choice
Undergraduate stratification by social class
Bourdieu: Field and Habitus: ‘Fish out of Water’
Working class students believe they will get higher graduate premium from non-elite HEIs
Working Class students believe they would not fit in
at elite HEis
Undergraduate stratification by social class
Working Class students believe they would not fit in at elite HEis
Leathwood and O’Connell
2003
Read et al. 2003
Undergraduate stratification by social class
Working class students believe they would not fit in at elite HEis
Leathwood and O’Connell
2003
Read et al. 2003
Even though working class students believe they will get higher graduate
premium from elite HEIs
Reay et al. 2001
Forsyth & Furlong 2003
Undergraduate stratification by social class
Working class students believe they would not fit in at elite HEis
Leathwood and O’Connell
2003
Read et al. 2003
Even though working class students believe they will get higher graduate
premium from elite HEIs
Reay et al. 2001
Forsyth & Furlong 2003
Bourdieu – Habitus and Field
But…quantitative evidence tells a different story…
Chowdry et al. 2008.Found little effect of material deprivation,
parental education and ethnicity on likelihood of attending an elite university
But…quantitative evidence tells a different story…
Chowdry et al. 2008.Found little effect of material deprivation,
parental education and ethnicity on likelihood of attending an elite university
Once school exit examination grades had been taken into
account.
A complication: choosing a local university and living at home
Working class students place want to maintain existing social networks
Living at home reduces financial cost of
undergraduate study
Reay et al..2005, Forsyth and Furlong 2005
A complication: choosing a local university and living at home
Students with lower
grades more
likely to go local
Working class
students place
want to maintain existing social
networksLiving at
home reduces financial cost
of undergraduat
e study
Working class
students get lower
grades
Callender and Jackson 2008
Research Question: To what extent is social
stratification between universities a reflection of
grades, social class and geography?
Method
In-depth questionnair
e survey
Method
In-depth questionnair
e survey
Just after students had completed their university applications
Method
In-depth questionnair
e survey
Just after students had completed their university applications
Two urban areas, one with elite university and one without
Method
In-depth questionnair
e survey
Just after students had completed their university applications
Two urban areas, one with elite university and one without
1272 students from 20 schools and colleges
Method
In-depth questionnair
e survey
Just after students had completed their university applications
Two urban areas, one with elite university and one without
1272 students from 20 schools and colleges
Random stratified selection to include different types of pre-university schooling
VariablesVariable Measured byElite University ‘Russell Group’ of top 18 universities (excl.
Oxbridge)School grades GCSE Maths and English (at age 16)School type State Comprehensive/State Selective/
Private/College (aged 16+ only)Ethnicity Black/Asian/WhiteFamily income Low (below £17500)/Mid/High (above £35000)Parent with degree?
Dummy
Single Parent? DummyGender DummyArea A or BDebt Aversion Dummy
Bivariate associations between variables and choice of type of institution (Chi squared tests)
pGCSE Score .000Independent or state school .000Ethnicity .114Family Income .000Single Parent Family .022Second Generation .000Debt concerns .000Importance of career .301Information on universities .000Male .002Area B .000
Possible patterns of cause and effect
Examination grades
Type of school
Location
Social Factors Which
university?
Possible patterns of cause and effect
Examination grades
Type of school
Location
Social Factors Which
university?
Possible patterns of cause and effect
Examination grades
Type of school
Location
Social Factors Which
university?
Possible patterns of cause and effect
Examination grades
Type of school
Location
Social Factors Which
university?
Possible patterns of cause and effect
Examination grades
Type of school
Location
Social Factors Which
university?
Factors affecting likelihood of choosing Oxbridge, Russell group or Other HEI (Ordered Logit) (Other HEI as base case)
Robust p>Z Robust clustered
p>ZGCSE Score .000 .000Independent school .006 .009Sixth form college .102 .021Male .663 .733Mid income .423 .516High income .880 .914Parent with degree .615 .623No debt concerns .001 .001Important for career .148 .018Area B .000 .000
(other variables omitted non-significant)
Factors affecting likelihood of choosing Oxbridge, Russell group or Other HEI (Ordered Logit) (Other HEI as base case)
Robust p>Z Robust clustered
p>ZGCSE Score .000 .000Independent school .006 .009Sixth form college .102 .021Male .663 .733Mid income .423 .516High income .880 .914Parent with degree .615 .623No debt concerns .001 .001Important for career .148 .018Area B .000 .000
(other variables omitted non-significant)
Factors affecting likelihood of choosing Oxbridge, Russell group or Other HEI (Ordered Logit) (Other HEI as base case)
Robust p>Z Robust clustered
p>ZGCSE Score .000 .000Independent school .006 .009Sixth form college .102 .021Male .663 .733Mid income .423 .516High income .880 .914Parent with degree .615 .623No debt concerns .001 .001Important for career .148 .018Area B .000 .000
(other variables omitted non-significant)
Effect sizes: median values of exam performance
Other HEI
P>Z Russell Group
P>Z Ox-bridg
e
P>Z
GCSE Score -0.12 .000 0.11 .000 0.00 0.008
Independent School
-0.18 .009 0.15 .007 0.02 0.065
No debt concerns
-0.14 .002 0.12 .001 0.01 0.032
Area B -0.13 .002 0.12 .002 0.02 0.026
Effect sizes: high values of exam performance
Other HEI
P>Z Russell Group
P>Z Ox-bridg
e
P>Z
GCSE Score -0.12 .000 0.06 .086 0.06 .007
Independent School
-0.13 .015 0.03 .583 0.10 .029
No debt concerns
-0.11 .007 0.03 .467 0.07 .012
Area B -0.18 .000 0.12 .008 0.06 .019
Effect sizes: low values of exam performance
Other HEI
P>Z Russell Group
P>Z Ox-bridg
e
P>Z
GCSE Score -0.06 .000 0.06 .000 0.00 .011
Independent School
-0.10 .043 0.09 .041 0.01 .092
No debt concerns
-0.08 .018 0.07 .017 0.01 .054
Area B -0.06 .014 0.05 .014 0.00 .038
At high examination performance, attending an independent school raises the probability of applying to Oxbridge by more, 10 percentage points, compared to state school pupils (6 percentage points); at median examination performance, going to a ‘high-ranking’ university is substantially increased (15 percentage points) by attending an independent school.
The debt concerns of students who have chosen to study at university had more effect on the decisions of median and higher achieving students. Not being concerned about debt increased the probability of a median student applying to a ‘high-ranking’ university by 12 percentage points; for high achievers it increased the probability of applying to Oxbridge by 7 percentage points. This concern about debt might suggest that students who have attainments which broaden their choice of institution perceive elite institutions as more expensive to attend (for instance, because of travelling/residence costs).
The area of living had a large impact for students with median or above examination performance: living in Area B increased the probability of applying to a ‘high-ranking’ university by 12 percentage points at both median and high examination performance.
Conclusions
Possible patterns of cause and effect
Examination grades
Type of school
Location
Social Factors Which
university?
Fear of Debt
Possible patterns of cause and effect
Examination grades
Type of school
Location
Social Factors Which
university?
Fear of Debt
Peter [email protected]
