On Comparing Transition Rate Gains

Reuterberg, S.‐E. 1985. On Comparing Transition Rate Gains. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 29, 175‐190. Making transition rate gains comparable is a problem because it is much more difficult to change a very high or very low transition rate than to change a rate near the proportion 0.50. It is shown that measures based on the proportions themselves — i.e. the difference between proportions, the proportion ratio and the residual gain ratio — do not make the gains comparable. Instead a non‐linear transformation has to be done. Two such transformations are discussed: probits and logits. As shown in the report, they both make the transition gains comparable.

A problem more important than the choice of transformation is that of sample error. Therefore, a statistical test is to be recommended. It is shown that log‐linear models are an appropriate test for this purpose.     

I: The Effects of Background Variables on Transition to Higher Education

Abstract: Reuterberg, S.‐E. & Svensson, A. 1987. Student Financial Aid and Participation in Swedish Higher Education. I: The Effects of Background Variables pn Transition to Higher Education. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 31, 139‐150. The effects of social background, sex and achievement on transition rate to higher education are studied in three nationally representative samples of the Swedish population (born in 1948, 1953 and 1963, respectively). Social background and achievement are shown to have about the same effect on transition rate within the oldest cohort, while sex has relatively little effect. During the period of the study, achievement was seen to become progressively more important and therefore to exert greatest influence on the transition rate of the youngest cohort. Sex, too, becomes progressively more important but at the same time its effect changes. For the 1953 cohort, sex is reflected in a higher transition rate among men than among women, but for the youngest cohort the transition rate of women is higher than that of men. Part II of the study describes how these effects are influenced by student financial aid.     

The importance of financial aid: The case of higher education in Sweden

This is the first in a series of investigations planned with a view to studying the effects of the financial aid reform which was introduced in Sweden in the mid-1960s. The group studied is a nationally representative sample of those born in 1948. It is shown that social background is a strongly influential factor in the selection for higher education. However, this class bias would have been far greater if it had not been for the national financial aid system. The aid is not only important for recruitment but also to enable the students to complete a degree program and this is particularly true for those from lower socio-economic strata.