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Many English Examination Boards will make some use of the differentiated paper method of assessment in the new scheme of 16+ examining, but it is not clear whether problems of comparability have been adequately solved. This article presents an analysis based on well-defined assumptions incorporated into a measurement model and utilising regression. Marks on the paper not taken by a group are estimated from their joint marks on the common paper and the paper specific to their group. The marks are then weighted using the measurement model and combined to produce a rank order over both the groups. In an appendix, the weighting method used is related to the more usual method of weighting adopted when combining scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the importance of 'time spent' in understanding the international student experience. Short‐term mobility programmes (involving stays of between 1 week and 2 months) attracting less privileged students, such as the relatively new Turing Scheme in the United Kingdom, have been hailed as a potential 'solution' to the fact that, traditionally, wealthier individuals have been far more likely to engage in study abroad. However, we do not yet know how short‐term and longer duration programmes compare in terms of the value they confer to students (in relation to their experiences and outcomes). How likely is it that short‐term mobility at undergraduate level is as valuable, according to different measures, as mobility lasting 6 months to several years (as with degree mobility)? This paper reviews some of the evidence to date on shorter duration mobility, addressing how value in international study is constructed and conferred and how this relates to 'time spent'. The paper concludes by arguing that the picture is mixed: although short‐term mobility will be beneficial to students, those engaging in longer term exchanges (usually more privileged students) are likely to derive greater benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital data are transforming higher education (HE) to be more student‐focused and metrics‐centred. In the UK, capturing detailed data about students has become a government priority, with an emphasis on using student data to measure, compare and assess university performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the governmental and commercial drivers of current large‐scale technological efforts to collect and analyse student data in UK HE. The result is an expanding data infrastructure which includes large‐scale and longitudinal datasets, learning analytics services, student apps, data dashboards and digital learning platforms powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Education data scientists have built positive pedagogic cases for student data analysis, learning analytics and AI. The politicization and commercialization of the wider HE data infrastructure is translating them into performance metrics in an increasingly market‐driven sector, raising the need for policy frameworks for ethical, pedagogically valuable uses of student data in HE. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic Learning analytics, education data science and artificial intelligence are opening up new ways of collecting and analysing student data in higher education.UK government policies emphasize the use of student data for improvements to teaching and learning.What this paper adds A conceptual framework from "infrastructure studies" demonstrates how political objectives and commercial aims are fused to HE data systems, with data infrastructure becoming a key tool of government reform.A critical infrastructure analysis shows that student data processing technologies are being developed and deployed to measure university performance through student data.Implications for practice and/or policy Educators and managers in universities need to prepare robust institutional frameworks to govern their use of student data.Learning analytics practitioners, data scientists, learning scientists and social science researchers need to collaborate with the policy community and education technology developers on new policy frameworks to challenge narrow uses of student data as performance metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how early reading and mathematics co‐develop is important from both theoretical and pedagogical standpoints. Previous research has provided mixed results. This paper investigates the development of reading and mathematics in a longitudinal sample of N = 355,883 students from the United Kingdom (2005–2019) aged 5 to 12 (49% girls). Results indicate a positive relation between the development of the two domains. In addition, a substantial statistically significant positive association between prior reading scores and subsequent changes in achievement in mathematics was found, whereas changes in reading were smaller for students with a higher prior performance in mathematics. The findings suggest that acquiring good reading skills is highly relevant for developing mathematics skills. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including the health risk of children with Down syndrome, the benefits of regular physical activity, and foot care.

There is international concern over persistent low rates of participation in postcompulsory science-especially the physical sciences-within which there is a notable underrepresentation of girls/women. This paper draws on data collected from a survey of more than 9,000 10/11-year-old pupils and 170 interviews (with 92 children and 78 parents) from a 5-year study of children's science aspirations and career choice in England, to explore how gender interacts with girls' science aspirations. The research found that even though most children aged 10/11 years enjoy science, the majority already see science careers as 'not for me.' Using a feminist poststructuralist theoretical lens, this paper explores the identity work undertaken by the minority of girls who do identify with science and who express science aspirations at this age. It is argued that dominant associations of science with 'cleverness' and masculinity pressurize girls to balance their science aspirations with performances of popular heterofemininity to render them 'thinkable' (and that this occurs only within narrow parameters, through identity performances as either 'feminine scientists' or 'bluestocking scientists'). The paper concludes by discussing potential challenges girls may face in sustaining 'thinkable' identifications with science and wider implications for encouraging greater female participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96: 967-989, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people leaving local authority care are frequently discussed in terms of being socially excluded and having ‘poor life outcomes’. In terms of educational achievement, employment and involvement in the criminal justice system, those with an experience of the care system fare the worst. Within the context of these poor outcomes, the Government Green Paper ‘Care Matters’ has emerged. However, the Green Paper’s outcomes framework for looked after children’s well-being risks simplifying the complex nature of children’s experiences and needs. It is children’s experiences of care, both before entering the care system and whilst growing up within the care system that shapes their well-being and their life outcomes. The basis of improving children’s outcomes should include listening to and understanding what children need from the care system. This knowledge helps to develop an understanding of how failings within the care system are experienced by children in care and how these experiences are subsequently translated into negative outcomes for young care leavers. Drawing upon qualitative, empirical data, this study aims to explore young care leavers’ experiences of care. Through this, the extent to which feelings of care shape self esteem and a sense of self will be explored. Finally, this study will outline themes of trust and stability in the provision of care services and how these can shape positive outcomes for care leavers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools in England and Wales since the late 1980s have been compared in terms of their performances in public examinations and standardised test scores in the form of 'school league tables', with Wales ceasing to produce these after 2001. One of the factors related to performance in examinations is the choice of the examination board, with five main boards currently active in England and Wales. In this paper, we study differences in student uptake and performance among boards and how this has changed over time. By contrasting the experiences of England and Wales the results of our analyses provide a commentary on recent attempts to understand the effects of league tables on school performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an established literature that suggests teacher perceptions of pupils affect how they interact with them, how they teach them and how they rate their ability and behaviour. Evidence also indicates that a teacher's perception of a child is often based on ascriptive characteristics such as gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background independent of a child's ability. This paper builds on the literature by examining whether teacher ratings of a child's ability and behaviour are associated with their perception of a particular ascriptive characteristic of the children they teach - their attractiveness. Using data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) results show that not only do teachers rate the academic ability of students they perceive to be attractive more highly than less attractive students both in terms of their performance across different areas of learning (general knowledge, numbers, books and oral ability) and whether they show any outstanding potential, but they are also more likely to overrate and less likely to underrate their ability than other students. This is true even after controlling for a wide range of other factors related to the child, their family, their teacher and their school that could influence the relationship, many of which are shown to be independently related to teacher ratings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the international problem of 'early school leaving', this paper explores the issue of sustained participation in upper secondary education in England. It focuses in particular on the position of middle attainers, who constitute a large proportion of the cohort and whose progress will be vital in realising the government's goal of 'Raising the Participation Age' to 18 by 2015. The paper draws on evidence from national research undertaken as part of the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training in England and Wales and analysis of New Labour and Coalition policy between 2000-2012. It uses a three-year local study of 2400 14- and 16-year-olds in an established school/college consortium to illustrate the effects of policy and practice on middle attainers. We argue that this important group of young people was 'half-served' by New Labour, because of its incomplete and contradictory 14-19 reforms, and is now being 'overlooked' by Coalition policy because of its emphasis on high attainers. We conclude by suggesting a range of measures to support the 14+ participation, progression and transition of middle attainers in the English education and training system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a driving force within current UK child welfare policies which promotes a strengths led approach to both assessment and care planning for children in need. Social policy emphasizes the importance of tangible outcomes such as education achievement, which have been enshrined in statute. However, other developmental outcomes, such as identity, are subordinated. Notwithstanding the relevance of these more concrete indicators, this paper suggests that this focus has left a gap at theoretical, strategic and operational levels relating to more psychosocial aspects of human growth and development, such as identity. This paper seeks to redress that gap by considering identity as both a process and an outcome. Following a review of the literature on identity development, it presents an analysis of semi-structured interviews with 13 young people and their social workers. The findings show how young people's identity is shaped by their relationships, can be a protective mechanism, and deferred or put on standby. In the concluding discussion the implications for social work practice are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Given the absence of a common passing standard for students at UK medical schools, this paper compares independently set standards for common 'one from five' single-best-answer (multiple-choice) items used in graduation-level applied knowledge examinations and explores potential reasons for any differences. Methods A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted. Participating schools were sent a common set of graduation-level items (55 in 2013-2014; 60 in 2014-2015). Items were selected against a blueprint and subjected to a quality review process. Each school employed its own standard-setting process for the common items. The primary outcome was the passing standard for the common items by each medical school set using the Angoff or Ebel methods. Results Of 31 invited medical schools, 22 participated in 2013-2014 (71%) and 30 (97%) in 2014-2015. Schools used a mean of 49 and 53 common items in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, respectively, representing around one-third of the items in the examinations in which they were embedded. Data from 19 (61%) and 26 (84%) schools, respectively, met the inclusion criteria for comparison of standards. There were statistically significant differences in the passing standards set by schools in both years (effect sizes ( f2): 0.041 in 2013-2014 and 0.218 in 2014-2015; both p < 0.001). The interquartile range of standards was 5.7 percentage points in 2013-2014 and 6.5 percentage points in 2014-2015. There was a positive correlation between the relative standards set by schools in the 2 years (Pearson's r = 0.57, n = 18, p = 0.014). Time allowed per item, method of standard setting and timing of examination in the curriculum did not have a statistically significant impact on standards. Conclusions Independently set standards for common single-best-answer items used in graduation-level examinations vary across UK medical schools. Further work to examine standard-setting processes in more detail is needed to help explain this variability and develop methods to reduce it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with special educational needs ( SEN) are known to experience lower average educational attainment than other children during their school years. But we have less insight into how far their poorer educational outcomes stem from their original starting points or from failure to progress during school. The extent to which early identification with SEN delivers support that enables children who are struggling academically to make appropriate progress is subject to debate. This is complicated by the fact that children with SEN are more likely to be growing up in disadvantaged families and face greater levels of behavioural and peer problems, factors which themselves impact attainment and progress through school. In this paper, we evaluate the academic progress of children with SEN in England, drawing on a large-scale nationally representative longitudinal UK study, the Millennium Cohort Study, linked to administrative records of pupil attainment. Controlling for key child, family and environmental factors, and using the SEN categories employed at the time of data collection, we first establish that children identified with SEN in 2008, when they were age 7, had been assessed with lower academic competence when they started school. We evaluate their progress between ages 5-7 and 7-11. We found that children identified with SEN at age 7 tended to be those who had made less progress between ages 5 and 7 than their comparable peers. However, children with SEN continued to make less progress than their similarly able peers between ages 7 and 11. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to increased public interest in the question of the comparability of the various examining boards' grading standards in the same subjects, the boards have in recent years published numerous reports on their own inter-board comparability studies. The results of these studies have, in general, been disappointing in terms of the tentativeness of their conclusions about relative standards. This paper discusses the problems involved in attempting to compare grading standards across different examining boards, suggests reasons for the inevitable inconclusiveness of recently conducted cross-moderation exercises, and, finally, suggests a strategy which would increase the future effectiveness of the cross-moderation approach to comparability. The strategy involves the application of generalizability theory to the cross- moderation method, leading to a programme of carefully designed subject-studies from which the relative effects of some of the known influences on grade variation can be quantified. The results of such studies would then be available for the informed planning of future routine cost-effective cross-moderation exercises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to articulate our dissatisfaction with current thinking about attainment, in the hope that this may help us to see more clearly what ways of conceptualising attainment would be more useful. Thus most of the paper is devoted to demonstrating the inadequacy of psychometric and taxonomic ways of thinking about attainment, but towards the end we shall very much more tentatively suggest an alternative approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proportion of 16-year-olds in Britain who stay on at school is low by OECD standards. This paper examines the probability of completing education at the minimum legal age using micro data on individuals. Parameter estimates of a reduced-form logit model of the leaving probability are obtained for both boys and girls. The rich data set used allows the separate effects of family, school and ability to be assessed. Family background in the form of class and parental education is shown to have a large effect even when ability and school type are controlled for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key purpose of educational welfare officers in England is to support students and parents to maximise educational opportunities for young people. However more is known about their role in relation to school attendance than in relation to pupils' educational outcomes. Using the Longitudinal Survey of Young People in England ( LSYPE), this paper investigates the characteristics of teenagers who received educational welfare contact because of their behaviour between 2004 and 2006. With observational data it is often difficult to isolate respondents exposed to a particular intervention or 'treatment', because of non-random allocation. We address this using inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment ( IPWRA) to estimate more accurately the effect of educational welfare contact on outcomes of educational achievement and aspiration. Our findings indicate that young people who had educational welfare contact because of their behaviour were less likely to apply to university, less confident in university acceptance if they applied and had lower odds of achieving five General Certificate of Secondary Education at grades A*-C, the government benchmark for education achievement at age 16. We discuss the limitations we face and implications of these findings for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper brings together two areas of considerable interest to researchers, practitioners and policy makers: young children's developing self-regulation and metacognition, and the impact of adult (practitioner) presence or absence on their behaviour and learning. One hundred and twenty-eight observations of 29 children aged 4-5 years in a reception class were analysed using a behavioural coding scheme. While the data show that adult presence and absence were both supportive, children were often significantly more likely to show evidence of self-regulation and metacognition when adults were absent. When present, adults were a focus for the children's attention, and children appeared to cede some responsibility to them, more frequently looking to adults to set goals, allocate roles, check and correct progress and resolve disputes. At the same time, adults played a crucial role in supporting children's procedural knowledge when they were present. Children were keen to display their knowledge to these significant people and often chose to direct their comments to adults. It is suggested that the question of how adults can supportively become involved in young children's activity deserves closer attention, particularly in the context of the development and display of young children's self-regulation and metacognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era of neoliberal reforms, academics in UK universities have become increasingly enmeshed in audit, particularly of research 'outputs'. Using the data of performance management and training documents, this paper analyses the role of discourse in redefining the meaning of research, and in colonizing a new kind of entrepreneurial, corporate academic. The new regime in universities is characterized by slippage between the audit and disciplinary functions of performance management. We conclude that academic freedom is unlikely to emerge from a system which demands compliance with a regime of unattainable targets and constant surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the issue of parental employment and hours of work and their impact on children's educational outcomes at the age of 16. I contribute to existing research by applying more accurate measures of parental time spent outside the household-using direct measures of hours spent at work and commuting, and by examining the independent effect of mothers' and fathers' work involvement, as well as their joint effect. Additionally, I use longitudinal datasets that allow for the examination of the impact of parental hours of work in the preceding year on the child's exam results in the following year. In contrast to previous studies, which focus on the early development of the child, I examine the parental employment while the child is preparing for a final secondary school certificate. My results show that there is a statistically significant and positive association between parental engagement in the labour market and number of final secondary school exams taken by the child. In contrast, I found that children whose parents work very long hours perform worse at the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) level. This result holds even if unobservable family characteristics are taken into account in family-fixed effects' and siblings' estimations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the empirical evidence on participation and attainment in higher education by reviewing the patterns of entry and success of undergraduate students. It examines the characteristics of entrants to different subjects and considers the role that subject studied plays in determining the likelihood of graduating with a 'good' degree. The data used were drawn from the administrative records of over 38,000 UK-domiciled undergraduate students from one 'elite' British university. Despite considerable between-subject variation in degree outcomes, multivariate analysis of the relationship between students' social and academic characteristics and achievement at university revealed that once social background and prior attainment had been controlled for, the subject students studied added little explanatory power to models predicting final degree classifications. Differences in degree outcome were most strongly related to attainment on entry to higher education, sex and ethnicity. In contrast with attainment during the earlier phases of education, the relationship with occupational class was relatively weak. Disparities between the proportion of higher level classifications awarded in different subjects can be largely explained by the background characteristics of the students who choose (and are accepted) to study on these degrees. This finding has particular implications for policies aimed at increasing both the number and quality of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ( STEM) graduates in what is often argued to be a 'shortage' or 'priority' area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides doubly robust estimators for treatment effect parameters which are defined in a multivalued treatment effect framework. We apply this method to the unique dataset of the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) to estimate returns to various levels of schooling. The analysis is carried out for female and male samples separately to capture possible gender differences. Average returns are estimated for the entire population, as well as conditional on having a specific educational achievement. For males, relative to no qualification, we find an average return to O-levels of 6.3%, to A-levels of 7.9% and to higher education of 25.4%. The estimated average returns to O-level and A-level relative to no qualification are insignificant for females, whereas the return to higher education is 19.9%.Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Goal-setting theory continues to be among the most popular and influential theories of motivation and performance, although there have been limited academic applications relative to applications in other domains, such as organizational psychology. Aims This paper summarizes existing quantitative research and then employs a qualitative approach to exploring academic growth via an in-depth reflective growth goal-setting methodology. Sample The study focuses on 92 UK final-year students enrolled in an elective advanced interpersonal skills and personal development module, with self-reflection and growth goal setting at its core. Method Qualitative data in the form of regular reflective written diary entries and qualitative questionnaires were collected from students during, on completion of, and 6 months following the personal growth goal-setting programme. Results About 20% of students' self-set growth goals directly related to academic growth and performance; students reported that these had a strong impact on their achievement both during and following the reflective programme. Growth goals that were indirectly related to achievement (e.g., stress management) appeared to positively impact academic growth and other outcomes (e.g., well-being). A follow-up survey revealed that growth goal setting continued to impact academic growth factors (e.g., self-efficacy, academic performance) beyond the reflective programme itself. Conclusions Academic growth can result from both academically direct and indirect growth goals, and growth goal setting appears to be aided by the process of simultaneous growth reflection. The implications for promoting academic growth via this unique learning and development approach are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research suggests that Muslim boys have become the ‘New Folk Devils’ of British education, who are characterised by resistance to formal education, especially at secondary level, and under-achievement. Since the 1990s, British Muslim boys would appear to have become increasingly alienated from compulsory schooling, especially in the humanities subjects which lack obvious instrumental value. This mixed-methods study of the performance of 295 secondary school British Muslim boys in their compulsory school history provides evidence which interrupts this narrative of the academic under-achievement and educational dis-engagement of Muslim boys, especially in the humanities subjects. When viewed through the prism of a laminated, non-reductive model of educational success, this indicative sample of British Muslim boys could be considered to have had significant success at a traditional humanities subject such as history intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, instrumentally and civically. This paper therefore proposes that history can provide a vital meaning-making tool to generate the success of Muslim boys in a variety of significant dimensions both in and out of school. It suggests how history can be more fully and effectively harnessed by teachers, parents and policy-planners to encourage internal integration and external social engagement in British Muslim pupils. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study builds on and contributes to work on assessment of children in primary school, particularly in science. Previous research has examined primary science assessment from different standpoints, but no studies have specifically addressed children's perspectives. This article provides additional insight into issues surrounding children's assessment in primary school and how the assessment of science might develop in England after the science SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) were abolished in 2009. Some research suggests that primary science assessment via SATs is a major reason for the observed decline in children's engagement with science in upper primary and lower secondary school. The analytic focus on engaging children as coresearchers to assist in the process of gathering informed views and interpreting findings from a large sample of children's views enables another contribution. The study, based on a survey of 1000 children in primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, reveals that despite being assessed under two different regimes (high-stakes national tests in England and moderated teacher assessment in Wales), children's views of science assessment are remarkably consistent. Most appreciate the usefulness of science assessment and value frequent, non- SATs testing for monitoring/improving science progress. There was a largely negative impact, however, of science assessment on children's well-being, particularly due to stress. The paper demonstrates that children provide an important perspective on assessment and that including their views can improve policy-making in relation to primary science assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper uses data from a single School of a UK university to estimate the impact of a switch from end-of-semester to end-of-year final exams on student performance. The identification strategy exploits the fact that while the timing of final exams changed, the timing of mid-term exams remained the same. Estimates are based on a difference-in-differences methodology that compares final and mid-term exam scores after the switch, with final and mid-term exam scores before the switch. The empirical findings suggest that the shift of final exams to the end of the academic year had a negative effect on student achievement. Many changes in higher education are often done on the basis of financial, administrative or ideological considerations, underestimating the magnitude of their effect on student learning and student performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report on our use of a participatory research methodology to consult with children in the UK on how to improve pupil well-being in secondary schools, framed within the wider social policy context of healthy schools. We worked with children on the selection of our research methods and sought to voice the views of children to a local education authority to improve the design of school environments. The consultation process ultimately failed not because the children were unforthcoming with their views on either methods or on well-being in schools, but because of difficulties in how their views were received by adults. We show how the socio-economic, cultural and political context in which those difficulties were set might have led to the eventual break down of the consultation process, and we draw out a number of possible implications for consultative and participatory work with children in school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of departments has been largely neglected in previous studies of subject choice in secondary schools. This is a significant omission because analysis at departmental level enables a fuller assessment of the effects of competition and specialisation on pupil performance. This paper examines relationships between both absolute and value-added measures of departmental performance and the likelihood of students being entered for examination in a subject. It examines these relationships with reference to four option subjects: French, German, Geography and History. It utilises data from an Economic and Social Research Council-funded study which examined trends and patterns in departmental effectiveness using a sample of 664 schools which participated in the Yellis monitoring system for a minimum of five years during the period 1995-2002. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents and discusses the key findings from a study funded by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) that explored the relationship between achievement and inclusion in mainstream schools in England. Overall the results indicate that, although there is a small statistical relationship between inclusion and academic achievement, this is unlikely to impact on a school's overall performance. This is partly because of the large degree of variation among schools, suggesting that there are other factors within a school's make up rather than its degree of inclusivity which impact on the average achievements of its pupils. This was confirmed by the findings from a number of case study visits. The overall conclusion from the study is that mainstream schools need not be concerned about the potentially negative impact on the overall academic achievements of their pupils through including pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in their schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims. There is uncertainty about the extent or even existence of sex differences in the mean and variability of reasoning test scores ( Jensen, 1998; Lynn, 1994, 1998; Mackintosh, 1996). This paper analyses the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT) scores of a large and representative sample of UK pupils to determine the extent of any sex differences. Sample. A nationally representative UK sample of over 320,000 school pupils aged 11-12 years was assessed on the CAT (third edition) between September 2001 and August 2003. The CAT includes separate nationally standardized tests for verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal reasoning. The size and recency of the sample is unprecedented in research on this issue. Methods. The sheer size of the sample ensures that any sex difference will achieve statistical significance. Therefore, effect sizes (d) and variance ratios (VR) are employed to evaluate the magnitude of sex differences in mean scores and in score variability, respectively. Results. The mean verbal reasoning score for girls was 2.2 standard score points higher than the mean for boys, but only 0.3 standard points in favour of girls for nonverbal reasoning (NVR), and 0.7 points in favour of boys for quantitative reasoning (QR). However, for all three tests there were substantial sex differences in the standard deviation of scores, with greater variance among boys. Boys were over represented relative to girls at both the top and the bottom extremes for all tests, with the exception of the top 10% in verbal reasoning. Conclusions. Given the small differences in means, explanations for sex differences in wider domains such examination attainment at age 16 need to look beyond conceptions of ‘ability’. Boys tend to be both the lowest and the highest performers in terms of their reasoning abilities, which warns against the danger of stereotyping boys as low achievers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the determinants of gender differences in educational attainment using data for all university graduates. We find that, although women students perform better on average than their male counterparts, they are significantly less likely to obtain a first class degree. There is no evidence that this is because of differences in the types of subject male and female students study or in the institutions they attend, nor does it reflect differences in personal attributes, such as academic ability. Rather, it is differences in the way these factors affect academic achievement that give rise to gender differences in performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings from the first two years of a four-year longitudinal study into the ways that students' attitudes towards, and achievement in, mathematics are influenced by ability-grouping practices in six schools. Through the use of questionnaires administered to the whole cohort of 943 students, interviews with 72 students and approximately 120 hours of classroom observation, the relative achievement in, and the changes in attitudes towards, mathematics are traced as the students move from year 8 to year 9, with students in four of the six schools moving from mixed-ability grouping to homogenous ability groups or 'sets'. Ability-grouping was associated with curriculum polarisation. This was enacted through restriction of opportunity to learn for students in lower sets, and students in top sets being required to learn at a pace which was, for many students, incompatible with understanding. The same teachers employed a more restricted range of teaching approaches with 'homogeneous' groups than with mixed-ability groups which impacted upon the students' experiences in profound and largely negative ways. Almost all of the students interviewed from 'setted groups' were unhappy with their placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inequity in assessment can lead to differential attainment. Degree classifications, such as 'Honours', are an assessment outcome used to differentiate students after graduation. However, there are no standardised criteria used to determine what constitutes these awards. Methods: We contacted all medical schools in the UK and collected data relating to classifications awarded, criteria used and percentage of students receiving classifications across the 5‐year period prior to the 2019/2020 academic year. Results: All 42 UK medical schools responded, and 36 universities provided usable data. Of these 36 universities, 30 (83%) awarded classifications above a 'Pass'. We identified four classifications above a 'Pass', and these were 'Commendation', 'Merit', 'Distinction' and 'Honours'. Sixteen (44%) universities awarded a single additional classification, and 14 (39%) universities awarded two or more. There was considerable variation in the criteria used by each university to award classifications. For example, 30 (67%) out of 45 classifications were dependent on all examined years, 9 (20%) for a combination of years and 6 (13%) for final year alone. Twenty‐five of 30 universities that awarded classifications provided data on the percentage of students awarded a classification, and a median of 15% of students received any type of classification from their university (range 5.3% to 38%). There was a wide range in the percentage of students awarded each classification type across the universities (e.g. Honours, range = 3.1%–24%). Conclusions: We demonstrate considerable variation in the way UK medical degree classifications are awarded—regarding terminology, criteria and percentage of students awarded classifications. We highlight that classifications are another form of inequity in medical education. There is a need to fully evaluate the value of hierarchical degree awards internationally as the consequential validity of these awards is understudied. Degree classifications may be another form of inequity in medical education given variation in terminology, criteria, and percentage of students awarded. Byrne et al. argue a need to better understand the consequential validity of these awards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Successful completion of clinical education experiences is a graduation requirement for students in occupational therapy and physical therapy programmes. A scoping review was conducted to determine what is known about possible clinical experience performance predictors and to find associated research gaps. Methods: The search included one hand‐searched journal and seven databases, which were used to identify related relevant studies: CINAHL, Education Database, Education Source, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PubMed, REHABDATA, and Web of Science. A research librarian guided the search process, and the review's reporting is structured by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR) Checklist. Studies were included if they contained predictors of clinical experience success indicated by validated performance evaluation tools that were scored by clinical instructors. A multidisciplinary team reviewed the title, abstract, and full text for inclusion and conducted thematic data synthesis to categorise findings. Findings: Twenty‐six articles met the inclusion criteria. The majority of articles were of correlational design and included single institutions. Seventeen articles included occupational therapy, eight included physical therapy, with only one article including both programmes. Four categories of predictors of clinical experience success were identified: pre‐admission variables, academic preparation, learner characteristics, and demographics. Each of the main categories included three to six subcategories. Key findings included the following: (a) The most common cited predictors in clinical experiences are academic preparation and learner characteristics, (b) more experimental design studies are needed to determine the causal relationship between predictors and clinical experience success, and (c) future research is needed on ethnic disparities and clinical experience success. Conclusion: Findings from this review show that possible predictors of clinical experience success include a wide range of factors when correlating success with a standardised tool. Academic preparation and learner characteristics were the most investigated predictors. There were only a small number of studies that found a correlation with pre‐admission variables. The findings of this study suggest that students' academic achievement may be a critical element of clinical experience preparation. Future research using experimental designs and across institutions is needed to determine the main predictors for student success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to Higher Education (HE) is based on the idea that all students should have the same opportunities, and that merit and hard work, regardless of students' backgrounds, will lead to success. However, inequalities remain despite efforts to provide equal access to HE, raising questions about the validity of such a meritocratic approach. Using qualitative analysis, we interviewed UK university students to understand students' perceptions of meritocracy in HE, and if and how students associated these perceptions with their gender and subjective socioeconomic status identity experiences. Students' perceptions could be described in two main ideas: (a) the perceived commitment of their universities to meritocracy, and (b) their endorsement and rejection of meritocracy as an identity enhancement strategy. Hence, both support and lack of support for meritocracy are strategies used by disadvantaged groups to navigate and cope with the lack of opportunities and socioeconomic disadvantages in HE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports research into the relationship between the apparent variety of standards applied to different GCE Ordindary level subjects and school- children's avowed preferences for subjects. The ordering of subjects by grades awarded agrees closely with those derived in similar research in England and elsewhere and is shown to be comparatively stable across time. This ranking is also shown to agree closely with expressed preferences of subjects by 14-year-olds, and reasonably closely with those of 16-year-olds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theory of language is outlined which emphasises the interactive nature of linguistic communication, and it is hypothesised that such interaction forms the basis for the child's acquisition of control of the language system. It is further suggested that differences in quality and quantity of interaction, in which meaning is negotiated in the shared construction of social reality, may be largely responsible for the 'linguistic disadvantage' which is the putative cause of the educational under-achievement of many children. The paper describes the way in which these questions are being investigated in a longitudinal study of the language development of a representative sample of children, based on regular observations of the children's spontaneous linguistic interaction at home and at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on an analysis of the role of external examiners and a discussion of the various aspects of the role. Fifteen facets of the role have been identified and each facet is discussed with reference to the relevant literature. Among the issues discussed are the powers of external examiners in the decision making process; their role as the custodians of standards; and the significance of their reports. The discussion spans four levels of academic awards including diploma, bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctoral degree and deals with matters of principle as well as the mass of written and other material which external examiners are faced with. Some strengths and weaknesses of the external examining system have been identified and finally a question is raised about its future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kant ( Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals. Hackett, Indianapolis, 1797) described honesty as 'a sacred command of reason' which should be obeyed at all times and at any cost. This study inquires into the practice of dishonesty, deception, and deceit by universities in the UK in the pursuit of quality indicators such as league table positions, Research Excellence Framework ( REF) scores, and student satisfaction survey results. Deception occurs when the metrics which inform these tables and surveys are manipulated to suggest an improvement in quality when, in fact, the raised scores are merely the result of clever strategic planning. Deceit occurs when these manipulated scores are deliberately and knowingly presented as real improvements in research and educational quality. It might be argued that, within the context of the artificial ivory tower world of academe, this is a game played by almost every academic in every higher education institution with no real losers and little wider consequence. However, this study suggests that some of the strategies employed by institutions to improve their scores without directly addressing the issue of quality can, in certain practice-based disciplines such as nursing, result in dire consequences for practitioners and service users. It concludes with a number of suggestions taken from personal experience to resolve the tension between the contractual demands placed on nurse academics by their employers and the moral and practical obligations of their professional body, most notably the use of subversion. The conclusion, contra Kant, is that the most effective strategy against dishonesty and deception is often more dishonesty and deception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Situational judgement tests (SJTs) have been widely adopted, internationally, into medical selection. It was hoped that such assessments could identify candidates likely to exhibit future professional behaviours. Understanding how performance on such tests may predict the risk of disciplinary action during medical school would provide evidence for the validity of such SJTs within student selection. It would also inform the implementation of such tests within student recruitment. Methods: This cohort study used data for 6910 medical students from 36 UK medical schools who sat the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) SJT in 2013. The relationship between SJT scores at application and the risk of subsequent disciplinary action during their studies was modelled. The incremental ability of the SJT scores to predict the risk of disciplinary action, above that already provided by UCAT cognitive test scores and secondary (high) school achievement, was also evaluated in 5535 of the students with information available on this latter metric. Results: Two hundred and ten (3.05%) of the students in the cohort experienced disciplinary action. The risk of disciplinary action reduced with increasing performance on the admissions SJT (odds ratio (OR) 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69 to 0.92, p = 0.002). This effect remained similar after adjusting for cognitive performance and prior academic attainment (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.92, p = 0.004). The overall estimated effect‐size was small (Cohen's d = 0.08) and no evidence of 'threshold' effects were observed for the SJT scores and risk of disciplinary action. Conclusions: Performance on admissions SJTs can, at least modestly, incrementally predict the risk of subsequent disciplinary action, supporting their use in this context. However, for this SJT and outcome, there did not seem a distinct threshold score above which the risk of disciplinary action disproportionately increased. This should be considered when using the scores within medical selection. Performance on an admissions Situational Judgment Test is reported to predict risk of formal disciplinary action in medical students with implications for how such tests should be used to improve medical professionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last 20 years have seen the development of sophisticated techniques for analysing individual data within a hierarchical context and the growing availability of good datasets to which these techniques can be applied. The modelling of pupil performance controlling for prior attainment has led to a type of analysis commonly titled 'value-added'. Concern for school factors which affect pupil progress has given rise to 'school effectiveness' research. This article outlines the history of these linked movements, mainly with reference to England and Wales, but developments in other countries are also outlined. It discusses some of the objections that have been raised, and comments on possible future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses art and design education in England, art and cultural education advocacy, and a 2014 report by the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD).

Examines the size and stability of gender, ethnic and socio-economic differences in British students' educational achievement over a nine-year period, including performance in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) at age 16. Factors concerning pupils' background that can be used to predict statistically increased risk of low attainment.

The article focuses on the study regarding teacher expectation or self-fulfilling prophecy effects in mixed-ability chemistry classes in a comprehensive school in Great Britain. Analysis of examination achievements indicate that neither reputation was justified in terms of academic achievement. The findings of the study suggest that academic achievements can be hindered unknowingly by the prejudices of a teacher even in a well-structured learning condition. In addition, the study found out that negative behavior can affect the views of teachers regarding the academic ability of a class.

Teachers' beliefs in inclusive education can be influential toward the success of inclusive practices and also students' successes and failures within the classroom. Having a clear understanding and high expectations toward students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) is important if these students are to reach their potential. This study examined 276 British primary and secondary teachers' perceptions toward inclusive education for all, and their causal attributions toward students with and without SpLD. The results show that teachers who believe that inclusive education is an effective way to teach all students, provide greater positive feedback, feel less frustrated, and hold lower expectations for future failure, in comparison to their colleagues with more negative inclusive educational beliefs. Teachers need to believe that inclusive education is an effective way to teach all students, and that they, as teachers are capable of managing this. However, they need to be provided with relevant systemic support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased availability and development of immersive technologies have given students growing opportunities to engage in different educational subjects. However, there is a lack of empirical research exploring the educational influence of using Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) in science classrooms. To address this gap, this study developed a series of IVR‐based science lessons for middle‐school students and further examined these lessons' effects on learning performance. Our quasi‐experimental approach employed a pretest and posttest to measure academic achievement and questionnaires to measure engagement and technology acceptance. A total of 90 sixth‐grade students from two classes were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group engaged with the science lessons using Head‐Mounted Displays, whereas the control group learned the same material through traditional teaching methods. The results revealed that the experimental group obtained significantly higher academic achievement and engagement scores (cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social) than the control group. Moreover, the experimental group had a high level of technology acceptance for IVR usage in classrooms. Our study provides empirical evidence for IVR's use in science education. Furthermore, it also sheds light on how to develop and implement an IVR‐based classroom for formal educational purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two best predictors of children's educational achievement available from birth are parents' socioeconomic status (SES) and, recently, children's inherited DNA differences that can be aggregated in genome‐wide polygenic scores (GPS). Here, we chart for the first time the developmental interplay between these two predictors of educational achievement at ages 7, 11, 14 and 16 in a sample of almost 5,000 UK school children. We show that the prediction of educational achievement from both GPS and SES increases steadily throughout the school years. Using latent growth curve models, we find that GPS and SES not only predict educational achievement in the first grade but they also account for systematic changes in achievement across the school years. At the end of compulsory education at age 16, GPS and SES, respectively, predict 14% and 23% of the variance of educational achievement. Analyses of the extremes of GPS and SES highlight their influence and interplay: In children who have high GPS and come from high SES families, 77% go to university, whereas 21% of children with low GPS and from low SES backgrounds attend university. We find that the associations of GPS and SES with educational achievement are primarily additive, suggesting that their joint influence is particularly dramatic for children at the extreme ends of the distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study builds on links between academic social identification and learning behaviours and extends these models by also considering the level of compatibility between the student identity and the pre‐existing self‐concept. This is a crucial extension, in the context of broadening access to higher education and fostering belonging and learning in nontraditional students. Further, where previous work focused on learning behaviours that enhance performance (often learning approaches), we also consider performance‐undermining behaviours (self‐handicapping and procrastination). These effects are explored in survey responses from an undergraduate student sample (N = 121) from UK and broader European samples. Participants were predominantly female (69%) and native English speakers (87%). Three models of the relationships between these variables were tested using Mplus. Results indicate that performance‐undermining behaviours are predicted by identity incompatibility, but not identification level; deep learning approaches are predicted by identification level, but not identity incompatibility. This provides first evidence that identity incompatibility is not just a moderator of the identification‐learning relationships but, in fact, a separate identity process for consideration. We also present initial evidence for a mediation model, where in the identity variables are related to procrastination and self‐handicapping via learning approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the process by which children attending mainstream UK primary schools can achieve social inclusion. It presents the findings from a systematic literature review, followed by empirical research, exploring the concept of social inclusion with particular regard to the experiences of pupils identified with SEND. The article draws upon research conducted for the author's doctoral study, which explored management of the role of Teaching Assistants on the social inclusion of pupils identified with SEND in mainstream primary schools. Reviewing relevant literature has informed the presentation of two researcher‐ devised models, tentatively depicting the process of social inclusion for pupils identified with SEND in mainstream primary communities, as 'fuzzy generalizations', to inform future research. Firstly, an 'ideal' model of social inclusion is presented, highlighting the likely process by which pupils may achieve the end goal of social inclusion: participation. Secondly, a 'current' model of social inclusion is presented, which draws upon the empirical research conducted in three mainstream primary contexts for the author's doctoral study. The two models highlight the frequent disparity between the 'ideal' goal of social inclusion and the current outcome of the process of social inclusion for many pupils identified with SEND in mainstream primary contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Differential performance in postgraduate examinations between home medical graduates and those who qualified outside their country of practice is well recognised. This difference is especially marked in the practical component of the UK Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) examination. The potential causes of such disparities are not well understood. Methods: Data were available for 1874 international medical graduates who applied for general practice (GP) specialty training in the UK in 2008–2012. The primary outcome was performance in the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) OSCE component of the MRCGP. The main predictors were performance on a situational judgement test (SJT) and clinical problem‐solving test (CPST), a test of applied clinical knowledge, used in the selection for GP training. Data relating to demographic characteristics and English language fluency were also available. To better understand the relationship between the predictors, the selection measures and the outcome, a series of univariable and multivariable models were developed and tested, concluding with a structural equation model to explore causality. Results: The CSA rating was more strongly predicted by SJT scores (standardised beta, 0.26) than by performance on the CPST (standardised beta, 0.17). There was a relationship between English language fluency and CSA score that was mainly mediated via SJT performance. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that performance on an SJT predicts performance in a high‐fidelity clinical simulation (the CSA) in international medical graduates. Although the constructs tested by SJTs are debated, and are likely to vary across settings, culturally appropriate knowledge of interpersonal competence is likely to be evaluated. Improving the confidence of doctors in this area through targeted educational interventions, rather than focusing on increased clinical knowledge, is likely to be more effective at reducing disparities observed in postgraduate examination performance. Thus, there are important implications for the design of specialty selection and licensing assessments globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]