This project explores the relationship between education and civic values and behaviour among adults and teenagers in Britain, Ireland and other European countries. Education, social attitudes and social participation among adults in Britain A stable finding of research on civic participation is the correlation between overall educational attainment and various attributes that are relevant to democracy, such as propensity to
» Read moreAQMeN Research Briefing 11 – Why education matters for democracy – looks at the connection between an individual’s education and their likelihood of participating in democracy. Key points: Education is the basis of democracy. People need skills and knowledge to be able to take part in civic life and to debate big political issues with each other. There are now
» Read moreWe are pleased to share the presentations from ‘The Future of Education Data in Scotland’ event which took place on 13th June 2016 in collaboration with The Scottish Government Education Analysis Division. This one day seminar gave delegates an insight into the rich variety of education data sources available in Scotland and how this data is used by analysts and
» Read moreAbstract This paper examines the relative importance of upper secondary subject choice and attainment in explaining social inequalities in access to higher education (HE) in Scotland and Ireland. These two countries differ in the extent of curriculum differentiation, in the degree of standardisation in school examination and in HE entry criteria. In particular, in Scotland subject choice in upper secondary
» Read moreThis AQMeN impact case study draws on research from the Education and Social Stratification programme and highlights the impact of evidence around social inequalities in higher education and the labour market. Findings from this research have influenced the recommendations by the Scottish Government Commission on Widening Access, specifically around the role of school subject choice for reproducing inequalities. Read the
» Read more
There are two areas of focus for this project: 1. Gender inequalities in STEM fields of study This study examines how the institutional features of upper-secondary and higher education entry systems shape gender-specific choice of field of study. We adopt a cross-country approach by comparing the mediating role of upper secondary subject choice for gender segregation in higher education in
» Read more
Widening access to Higher Education continues to be highly topical in Scotland, as underlined by the establishment of the Scottish Government Commission on Widening Access in June 2015. As well as promoting equality of access to Higher Education, a key feature of the Widening Participation (WP) strategy is the focus on maximising student retention due to non-completion having adverse personal
» Read more
This project aimed to assess whether and to what extent social class differentials in entry to higher education and in occupational destinations are mediated by subject choices in secondary education. In Scotland and overall in the UK, students in upper secondary education are free to choose the type and number of subjects. At the same time, universities, in particular the
» Read more
This project focused on the link between different education systems and labour market pathways, taking into account historic trends and recent developments. The first study analysed the role of macro-level features of educational systems in the production of specific individual career patterns and labour market pathways in 13 European countries. It aimed to shed light on processes of cumulative (dis-)advantage
» Read more
This project aimed to assess whether there is an association between social class and retention, and, if so, whether this effect can be explained by the choice of field of study or choice of institution. Does the attendance at different higher education institutions and the study of different curricula affect the progression of people from different social groups? Is the
» Read more