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

Abstract

English students from less privileged backgrounds and state, rather than private, schools remain significantly under-represented at high-status universities. There has been little work to date on the role of A-level subject choice, as opposed to attainment, in access to university. Using linked administrative data for three recent cohorts of English entrants to UK universities, I examine the relationship between league table score of university attended and A-level subject choices, using a taxonomy of A-levels categorised according to their published efficacy for Russell Group university admission as ‘facilitating’, ‘useful’, or ‘less suitable’. I further examine the relationship of three ‘less suitable’ A-levels with league table score of university for related degree courses commonly leading to professional business careers (accountancy, business, and law). Holding more facilitating A-levels is associated with attending a higher ranked university overall, even controlling for degree subject, and the converse is true for ‘less suitable’ subjects. The heterogeneous relationships of professionally-related A-level subjects with university ranking make decision-making for aspirational 16-year-olds problematic: an apparently sensible subject choice for students wishing to prepare for a professional career may, in fact, put them at a disadvantage.     

Students’ writing ‘in transition’ from A-levels to university: how assessment drives students’ understandings,practices and discourses

The lament that ‘students can’t write’ remains loud and defiant, even after years of research pointing to the myriad factors that make students’ writing challenging, particularly when they move into university. This paper reports on a longitudinal, ethnographic study which explored students’ writing ‘in transition’, from A-levels to university in the UK, through the critical lens offered by the academic literacies conceptual framing. This paper offers critical analysis of the ways that students, teachers and institutions position writing at A-level and university, exploring the assumptions and beliefs that underpin their understandings and practices using Ivani?’s framework of discourses of writing. The analysis proposes that the centrality of assessment in the treatment of language at both levels creates an ‘assessment discourse of writing’, which originates in school, and becomes a defining and restrictive frame for students’ writing as they move into higher education. The analysis further suggests that assessment is the principal cause for the students’ challenges with adapting to the writing requirements of university. Moreover, assessment is used as a metalanguage for discussing writing at A-levels, and can become an unhelpful ‘anchor of continuance’ for students as they move into university.     

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

Abstract

This paper considers whether subject choice at 14–16 influences post-16 transitions, taking into account prior academic attainment and school characteristics, and if so, whether this accounts for socioeconomic, gender, and ethnic differences in access to post-16 education. We consider post-16 progression to full-time education, A-levels, and studying two or more facilitating subjects at A-level. We use ‘Next Steps’, a study of 16,000 people born in England in 1989–1990, linked to administrative education records (the National Pupil Database). We find that students pursuing an EBacc-eligible curriculum at 14–16 had a greater probability of progression to all post-16 educational outcomes, while the reverse was true for students taking an applied GCSE subject. Curriculum differences did not explain the social class differences in post-16 progression, but an academic curriculum was equally valuable for working-class as for middle-class pupils. Pursuing an EBacc-eligible curriculum particularly strongly increased the chances of girls and white young people staying in the educational pipeline, whereas applied subjects were particularly detrimental for girls. An EBacc-eligible curriculum at age 14–16 increased the chances of studying subjects preferred by Russell Group universities at A-level.     

Adding value to students in higher education: a 5-year analysis of student attainment of National Governing Body Awards in a UK Outdoor Education Degree Programme

Recent interest in ways of assessing the performance and ‘value-added’ aspects of higher education and how universities can enhance graduate employability skills has prompted this study into the acquisition of National Governing Body Award (NGBA) qualifications by students on a UK outdoor education degree programme. Students' age, gender, academic and NGBA qualifications, short-term and long-term goals on entry and after each year of study were compiled for students on the BSc (Hons) Outdoor and Environmental Education course at Liverpool John Moores University (n?=?151 students from five cohorts, 1998–2002). Some 78% of entrants held at least one NGBA with 36%, 9% and 2% holding ≥5, ≥10 and ≥15 NGBAs, respectively, and 100% of graduates held at least one NGBA with 57%, 35% and 8% holding ≥5, ≥10 and ≥15 NGBAs, respectively. Students with non-A-level entry held more NGBAs than students who entered with A-levels but A-level entry students gained NGBAs at a faster rate than those without A-levels. There was no clear relationship between students' age and either the number of NGBAs held on entry, or the number gained during the programme. There was a weak inverse relationship between the number of NGBAs that students held on entry and the number gained while on the programme. The data offer virtually no evidence that the pursuit and acquisition of NGBAs' impacts on students' academic achievement as measured by the class of degree that they are awarded. Comparisons of A-level entry points with final degree class showed surprisingly similar distributions in all classes except for first class awards, where students with A-level entry performed twice as well. Males held a significantly greater number of NGBAs on entry than females (mean of 4.8 compared to 2.9) but once on the programme, the achievements of males and females are equal. Analysis of 57 students' short-term and long-term goals showed that 74% and 72% of students specifically stated their intention to achieve NGBAs in their short-term and long-term goals, respectively, with 50% fully achieving their short-term goals by the end of the programme. Students who are good at setting achievable goals and have well-developed time management and study skills are more likely to be successful in courses such as this, which are demanding, require a lot of hours outside the formal class contact time, and require high level decision-making skills to be able to manage successfully conflicts in time and resources.     

Using British school examinations as a predictor of university performance in a pharmacy course: A correlative study

The investigation reported in this paper studied the relationship between 31 variables from 80 subjects graduated in pharmacy. Variables included in the study were average grades taken from the examination held at age 16 (Ordinary O level), predicted and actual Advanced level scores usually 3 subjects taken at around age 18 and the complete pattern of university examinations. The average of O-level scores was not a useful predictor but the teachers' estimates of performance at A-level were. A-levels themselves correlated particularly well with early parts of the course and the average grade still showed a small but significant correlation through to the end. Undergraduate examinations throughout the 3 years were generally intercorrelated. It is argued that given the appropriate circumstances both teachers' estimates of A-level performance and actual A-level scores remain useful in selection and forecasting.     

What Factors Determine the Uptake of A-level Physics?

There has been much concern recently in the UK about the decline in the number of students studying physics beyond age 16. To investigate why this might be we used data from a national database of student qualifications and a multilevel modelling technique to investigate which factors had the greatest impact on the uptake of physics at Advanced Level (A-level) in a particular year. Each factor of interest was entered into a separate model, while accounting for prior attainment and gender (both well-known predictors of A-level uptake). We found that factors associated with greater probability of uptake included better attainment in physics (or combined science) and maths qualifications at age 16 in comparison to other subjects, and (for girls only) attending an independent or grammar school. While it is difficult to address these factors directly, the results imply that more needs to be done to improve relative performance at General Certificate of Secondary Education, perhaps by increasing the supply of specialist physics teachers at this level and to overcome the perception (especially among girls) that physics is a particularly difficult subject.     

Is there an impact of household computer ownership on children's educational attainment in Britain?

If personal computers (PCs) are used to facilitate learning, then a home computer might be considered a potential input in an educational production function. Using data on British youths from the British Household Panel Survey between 1991 and 2001, this paper explores the link between ownership of a home computer at ages 15 and 17 and subsequent educational attainment in the principal British school examinations taken at ages 16 (GCSEs) and 18 (A-levels). The data show a significant positive association between PC ownership and the number of GCSEs obtained and with the probability of passing five or more GCSEs. These results survive a set of robustness tests, including using other household durables and “future” PC ownership as proxies for household wealth and other unobservable household level effects. Home computer ownership is also associated with a significant increase in the probability of passing at least one A-level and with an increase in the probability of successfully completing three or more A-levels, conditional on having passed at least one A-level.     

Student perceptions of learning environment: disciplinary program versus general education classrooms

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine student perceptions of the learning environment in their program major and general education classrooms. The participants were 870 undergraduate students majoring in engineering, fine arts, education, economics and nursing programs at a university in Thailand. We found significant differences in the perceptions of the classroom learning environment across various disciplines. Engineering and economics students perceived the learning environment in general education classrooms as more cooperative than the learning environment in program major classrooms. Fine arts and nursing students perceived greater involvement among students in the program major classrooms than in the general education classrooms. Our findings contribute to the body of research on inter-disciplinary differences in classroom learning environments in universities and the ways in which these differences may impact student learning outcomes.     

Exploring Learners’ Conceptual Resources: Singapore A Level Students’ Explanations in the Topic of Ionisation Energy

This paper describes findings from a study to explore Singapore A-level (Grades 11 and 12, 16–19 yr old) students' understanding of ionisation energy, an abstract and complex topic that is featured in school chemistry courses. Previous research had reported that students in the United Kingdom commonly use alternative notions based on the perceived stability of full shells and the ‘sharing out’ of nuclear force, but that such ideas tend to be applied inconsistently. This paper describes results from the administration of a two-tier multiple-choice instrument, the ionisation energy diagnostic instrument, to find (1) whether A-level students in Singapore have similar ways of thinking about the factors influencing ionisation energy as reported from their A-level counterparts in the UK; and (2) how Singapore A-level students explain the trend of ionisation energy across different elements in Period 3. The results indicate that students in Singapore use the same alternative ideas as those in the UK, and also a related alternative notion. The study also demonstrates considerable inconsistency in the way students responded to related items. The potential significance of the findings to student understanding of complex topics across the sciences is considered.     

Learning styles and retention and achievement on a two-year A-level programme in a Further Education College

This article reports on a longitudinal study of the relationship between teaching and learning styles and retention and achievement on an A-level programme in a college of further education. Honey and Mumford's (1986) learning styles questionnaire was completed by A-level students at the beginning of their programme of study and their scores as activists, pragmatists, reflectors and theorists were recorded. The A-level tutors completed a teaching styles questionnaire and their scores were also recorded. The majority of A-level students and tutors were reflectors. Students who withdrew within their first year and between the first and second years of study were interviewed about their reasons for withdrawal. The findings were that a larger number of activists withdrew in the early stages of their study than would be expected by their representation in the overall cohort. The students' final results, in terms of high raw scores and results above what would be expected based on GCSE performance, were compared with their learning styles. In this cohort of students it was found that having a high theorist tendency is beneficial to this type of academic study.     

Hard and soft choices? Subject selection by schools and students

We present an analysis of A-level subject choices at around age 16 for a cohort of students in English schools who completed their studies in 2014. We examined both the National Pupil Database and a unique rich dataset on the subject preferences and subsequent choices between the ages of 16 and 18 (i.e. GCSE and A-level). We found substantive differences between students’ preferences and actual choices of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ post-16 subjects (i.e. A-level). These differences were strongly associated with falsification of students’ expectations of examination grades taken at age 16 (i.e. GCSE) in the core subjects of English and mathematics. The sizes of these falsification effects were much larger than other significant associations such as gender, ethnicity, and social class. This suggests that subject choices are not rigidly framed by stable individual preferences and they are therefore open to influence from new information, persuasion, and opportunities.     

Choosing teaching as a career: perspectives of male and female Malaysian student teachers in training

This paper is motivated by concern about the decline in the numbers of males entering the teaching profession in Malaysia. It seeks to explore first year student teachers’ views of teaching as a career choice and to determine the factors that influenced their decision to enter the teaching profession. A total of 425 student teachers completed a questionnaire in which they were asked to rate factors that influenced their decision to become teachers following which a comparison by gender was made. The findings of the study reveal that male and female student teachers have similar motives in selecting teaching as a career. Generally, both groups emphasise altruistic and extrinsic factors. This paper discusses the findings in relation to wider issues concerning gender, and draws conclusions which may be helpful to policy-makers and institutions in the recruitment of students into pre-service teacher training.     

Student performance–university preference model: a framework for helping students choose the right A‐level subjects

Every year, many students in the UK fail to achieve a place at their preferred university because they take the wrong A‐level subjects. This study aims to suggest a framework for helping students choose the right subjects. Data on student achievement in A‐level examinations were obtained from a UK sixth form college over a four‐year period. Statistical techniques were employed to support our hypothesis that a student’s choice of A‐level subjects should be based on both the student’s ability and a university’s preference for particular subjects and grades. Despite the limitation of small sample size, a model has been created that will maximise a student’s chance of achieving a place at his/her university of choice. The model presented could easily be extended in future to incorporate more levels in each of the attributes considered, and in this way it could provide the optimal choice of subjects for each individual student given his/her particular aspirations.     

英国"高校招生分数转换系统"及其借鉴意义

英国社会历来"重学轻术",高校招生录取的主要依据是被称为英国教育"黄金标准"的普通教育证书高级水平(A-levels)考试成绩,职业教育并没有得到应有地位。为了改变这种状况,英国政府鼓励高校在招生录取时使用"高校招生分数转换系统",逐步代替之前只涵盖普通教育证书补充水平(AS)和普通教育证书高级水平的计分体系,现已成为整个高校招生录取的重要一环。它以总分的形式综合反映学生的学业成绩,从而更加客观、有效地评价各类学生的学业成绩,使学生获得的不同证书成为可比的学业分值。该转换系统有利于高等院校在招生录取时平等地对待各类学生的入学申请。这对我国高校招生录取制度改革有一定的借鉴意义。     

远程开放教育英语专业学习者辍学现象调查(一)——来自电大系统14个省级电大样本观测点的实证研究

高辍学率是远程开放教育不可回避的一个问题。本研究对广播电视大学辍学率较高的英语专业展开实证研究,研究首先选择英语专业招生较集中的广播电视大学系统14个省级电大作为样本观测点,进而确定各观测点2010年春入学的2237名学生进入研究与学业观察范围,研究计划连续跟踪该届学生3个学期,记录每学期发生的辍学现象。到2010年秋季,研究得到了入学半年后首批辍学者名单共204人,研究者邀请到其中的118人填写了调查问卷,并对其中98名辍学者进行了面对面访谈或者电话、网络访谈。研究同时得到了195名辍学者在校学习成绩记录。研究还对辍学者身边的40名英语专业教师以及班主任进行了面对面访谈。基于以上数据,研究揭示了远程开放教育英语专业学生学习半年后发生的辍学现象及其影响因素,并提出了远程教育机构作为方向的思考。     

School tutoring and academic performance: A too close relationship?

In Spain, each student class is assigned a tutor teacher who is also responsible for individually following their tutoring students’ performance, guiding them in personal issues and regularly meeting their families. Although tutors may suppose an important support for students during their school life, their close personal relationship may also influence the teaching and learning process in additional ways. This research analyses whether the fact that the tutor teaches a particular subject makes any difference in students’ academic achievement in that subject and if this differential achievement is conditioned by tutor-student/family relationship or not (being a possible over/under-marking). With this objective we employ a rich administrative census database from the most populated region of Spain (Andalusia), using student fixed-effects within-students between-school subjects. Our main results show that tutors seem to be only slightly inclined to over-mark their tutoring students, being this small bias conditioned by their relationship with the student.     

Threshold concepts and the troublesome transition from GCSE to A-level: exploring students’ experiences in secondary school biology

Abstract

This paper draws on doctoral research exploring the lived experiences of secondary school students during their first year of A-level study, through the theoretical lens of the Threshold Concept Framework. A longitudinal design frame based on Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis is employed, thus providing an original use of this methodology in education research to address the paucity of inquiry exploring the difficulties experienced by students as they transition from the General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSE) to A-level. In this context, I argue that students’ encounters with threshold concepts (TCs) are significant for them, posing a degree of cognitive and affective challenge which serves to exacerbate the difficulty of transition already caused by increased workload and pressure. The findings offer insights into students’ struggles adjusting to shifting identity and membership of communities further intensified by the integrative, discursive and transformative nature of TC acquisition. The longitudinal research design also surfaces positive aspects of growing awareness of the integrative power of TCs. Recommendations are made for further research involving students, teachers and academics to explore TCs in a range of other subjects and settings in secondary schools in the context of recent and significant changes to GCSE and A-level curricula.     

The Use of Seven Simulation Games in a College Economics Course

This study investigated the impact of four student characteristics and the instructors on the relative abilities of a simulation-gaming method and the lecture-discussion method to increase the economic knowledge, retention of economic knowledge, and interest toward economics of college students enrolled in an introductory economics course. The study indicated that the relative effectiveness of the methods of instruction was influenced by the students’ pre-course economic knowledge, previous economic training, and scholastic abilities. While the limitations of the study should be considered, it was suggested that a student’s economic knowledge, previous training, and scholastic ability could be used to place the student in the appropriate introductory economics course section.