Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Publication
    Are disparities in the educational performance of children from different family backgrounds associated with level of country development?
    Disparities in the educational performance of children of different family backgrounds is of interest to researchers, alongside the related issue of the trajectories of these disparities. Are gaps between more and less socially advantaged children widening or narrowing? The analysis in this paper examines data derived from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to make comparisons in the mathematics and reading performance of representative samples of fifteen-year olds in 64 different countries in 2015. Specifically, the performance of children of highly educated versus moderately educated parents were compared, as were the children of fathers in high status occupations versus low/medium status occupations. United Nations data on country development, and OECD data on average country spending on children’s education were included in the assessment. Analysis indicated that the gap between children of less well-educated parents or of fathers in lower status occupations and those children whose parents were better educated, or whose fathers were in higher status occupations, were significantly greater in countries that were more developed. This was despite the evidence that more developed countries spend more per pupil in education.
      130
  • Publication
    Achievement in national scholastic examinations and its link with measured cognitive ability among a representative Irish sample
    The paper examines the relationship between cognitive ability at approximately seventeen years of age and academic achievement in a nationwide set of examinations taken prior to this time. The sample comprised 6,216 children who participated in wave 3 of the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) longitudinal study. Other variables assessed included gender, personality measures, household income, parental educational achievement, and school attributes. Up to ten variables made a statistically significant contribution in explaining achievement, but cognitive ability was by far the most important, followed by gender. Entering a cognitive ability measure taken in wave 2 of the longitudinal survey (four years previously) instead of wave 3 produced an almost identical outcome in a multiple regression. While boys outperformed girls on the cognitive measure, girls outperformed boys, with a small effect size, in educational achievement; this might be explained by girls’ higher scores on the dimension, ‘conscientiousness’. Household income was only modestly associated with educational achievement.
      401
  • Publication
    Affluence versus Equality? A critique of Wilkinson and Pickett’s book ‘The Spirit Level’
    The Spirit Level made strong claims that in developed countries, income growth was no longer important and the focus should turn to income differentials within society. Putting affluence before parity and solidarity led to the rise of widespread anxiety, insecurity and social dysfunction. In this paper, six problems are identified with the argument made in the Spirit Level: 1. There is no conflict between wealth and equality. In fact they tend to be highly correlated (i.e. wealthy societies are far more egalitarian than poorer societies); 2. Correlational data are relied upon to imply causal direction; 3. The focus on income inequality ignores the role of savings and state services; 4. There is no evidence that people are systematically stigmatised by buying ‘second-class’ goods; 5. Investment in ‘luxuries’ in wealthy countries have unforeseen consequences in raising living standards in poorer countries, e.g. the mobile phone; 6. The status of women is far more highly associated with a country’s wealth than its level of inequality.
      3815
  • Publication
    Psychological, economic and academic predictors of the intention to leave school early among a sample of Irish students
    (Combat Poverty Agency, 2009-12) ;
    Early school-leaving exerts substantial costs on the individual and society. The literature indicates that quitting school early is predicted by an enmeshed group of indicators including academic and behavioural difficulties in school, deprived economic background and disengagement with the educational process. The beliefs and background of a main sample of 1,311 Junior Certificate students and a sub-sample of 188 fifth year students were assessed. Data were gathered on Intention to leave school early, constructs of the Theory of Planned Behaviour around Leaving Certificate completion, students’ academic attainment, cognitive ability, willingness to defer gratification, along with socio-demographic data. Modelling indicated that positive attitudes about the potential of the Leaving Certificate, and parents, and teachers perceived to be strongly pro-school completion are key to the intention to stay on. Performing well intellectually is a contributing factor. Economic deprivation does not exert a direct influence on intention, but it strongly shapes intellectual performance.
      827