The International Observatory on Academic Achievement - Documentary search

File number :
CS-ISC-16e

Bibliographic reference :
 Demack, S., Drew, D., & Grimsley, M. (2000). Minding the Gap: Ethnic, Gender and Social Class Differences in Attainment at 16, 1988-95. Race, ethnicity and education, 3(2), 117-143.

Abstract :

Study Description
This longitudinal study carried out in the United Kingdom from 1988 to 1995 looks into ethnicity, social class and gender differences observed in attained educational levels at age 16 for five student cohorts. Data came from the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales. The study sample comprised 80,000 students.

Ethnicity, Social Origin and Gender
Although this article focuses on the equality of access issue by looking into the composition of school populations at different types of schools, the central issue is equality of results, namely differences in academic achievement in function of the three above-mentioned variables.

The period studied was one of important changes in the education system, which translated into the establishment of policies aimed at improving education standards. While there was overall improvement in academic achievement rates, study results suggest that this improvement was not the same for all groups.

Results are interesting on several accounts. Generally speaking, they reveal an under-representation of certain ethnic groups and less privileged social classes. Moreover, the achievement gap among the different groups appears to have widened between 1988 and 1995.

More specifically, two groups were shown to have different achievement rates, namely high achievement rate (white, Indian and Chinese students) and low achievement rate (black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi students). The achievement gap between male and female students was the same across all ethnic groups, with a higher achievement rate reported for female students at the end of this study.

Relative Contribution of the Three Variables
The results also make it possible to put the relative contribution of the three studied variables into perspective. Ethnic-based differences appear more important than those related to gender, while the most important differences appear related to social class. A gap among social classes is noticeable for students of both genders and in all ethnic groups, which does not necessarily diminish the importance of differences related to ethnicity. In fact, ethnic groups with the lowest achievement rate were also those with the largest number of underprivileged social groups.

This study questions the pertinence of establishing education policies focused on schools attaining high achievement standards, as this approach does not seem to foster the mitigation of educational inequalities.

For more details on this subject, see files CS-ISC-05 and CS-ISC-10.

Links :
This journal is also available in electronic format.

Key Words :
Ethnic Origin, Social Class, Gender, Equality of Access, Equality of Results, Educational Policies, School Environment, Longitudinal Study, Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales

Monitored Countries :
United Kingdom