Prior Learning of Undergraduates in UK Higher Education Institutions
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Prior learning of undergraduates in UK higher education institutions Carmen Vidal Rodeiro Tom Sutch Nadir Zanini Cambridge Assessment Research Report 20th June 2013 Author contact details: ARD Research Division Cambridge Assessment 1 Regent Street Cambridge CB2 1GG [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/ Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, a department of the University of Cambridge. Cambridge Assessment is a not-for-profit organisation. How to cite this publication: Vidal Rodeiro, C.L., Sutch, T. and Zanini, N. (2013). Prior learning of undergraduates in UK higher education institutions. Cambridge Assessment Research Report. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Assessment. 2 Contents Executive Summary ….…………….................…………….……………………………………………... 4 1. Introduction ……………………….................…………….……………………………………………... 8 2. Data and methods ….....…………………………………………………………………………………. 12 2.1 Data ...…..………………………………….................…………….………………………………... 12 2.2 Methodology …………………….………………….................…………….………………………. 15 3. Results: Progression to HE from different educational pathways …….…………………………… 18 3.1 University accepted applicants and their characteristics ………...............…………….……….. 18 3.2 Popularity of mainstream qualifications ….….………………….................…………….………. 24 3.3 Distribution of mainstream prior qualifications, and combinations of those, over HE institutions and subjects: descriptive analyses …….………………………………………………….. 50 3.4 Distribution of mainstream prior qualifications, and combinations of those, over HE institutions and subjects: statistical modelling …….………………………………………………… 64 4. Results: Progression to HE from A Levels ...…………..............…………….……………………… 75 4.1 Distribution of A Level students over HE institutions and subjects: descriptive analyses ..… 75 4.2 Destinations of A Level students: statistical modelling …….................…………….………… 82 5. Conclusions and discussion …………………………………………………………………………… 93 References …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 102 Appendix A: Subject areas at university ..……………………………………….................................... 106 Appendix B: University groups …………………………………………………………………………… 112 Appendix C: Data cleaning …………………………………………………………………………………. 116 Appendix D: Categorisation of A Level students .....…………………………………………………… 119 Appendix E: Students’ socio-demographic background and prior qualifications .……….……………. 122 Appendix F: Odds ratios for prior qualifications .……….………………………………………………… 126 3 Executive Summary Background In a climate of significant reform in education it is crucial to better understand how level 3 qualifications, both academic and vocational, are used by young people to reach their goals, in particular, to progress to higher education and employment. Students applying to study a course in a higher education institution have to make two choices: what subject to study and at which institution. These decisions are influenced by a range of factors, for example their personal interests, their socio-economic background and, particularly, their prior qualifications and performance. Aims of the study The main aim of this work was to provide quantitative evidence to understand how different types and combinations of qualifications are used by young people to gain access to higher education institutions (universities and colleges of higher education). Specifically, the research focused on the following issues: a) Investigating if students’ characteristics (e.g. prior educational institution, socio- economic status) were linked to different educational pathways and gave access to different types of institutions and subjects. b) Understanding the range of qualifications and combinations of qualifications held by learners aged 16–19 who progressed to different types of higher education institutions (e.g. mission groups) and to different subjects. c) Identifying the higher education destinations (both institutions and subjects) of learners holding different types of mainstream qualifications and of learners with a mixed economy of qualifications. Given that A Levels are the dominant route to university study, a particular aim of this study was to understand the relationship between subject choice and attainment at A Level and higher education destinations. Methodology The data used was an extract of the HESA student records covering all full-time, first year undergraduates aged 17–19, domiciled in England, studying at UK universities in the 2011/12 academic year (250175 students). The data consisted of the university subject and the HE mission group of the institution where each student was studying, along with information on prior qualifications and socio-demographic characteristics. Considering data on undergraduates enabled us to focus on university participation in terms of institution attended and subject chosen, conditional on being enrolled at university. The issues listed above were addressed in the first instance through descriptive analyses. Multilevel logistic regression was also used to give an assessment of the university groups 4 and courses in which students with particular prior qualifications were over or under represented, while controlling for other factors such as gender, prior educational institution and socio-economic status. In order to analyse the effect of A Level subject choice and attainment, students with at least three A Levels (72% of students in the dataset) were assigned one of seven categories based on their subject choices. This was used to carry out further descriptive analysis and multilevel logistic regression focusing on these students, for whom A Levels were the passport to higher education. The focus on a single qualification allowed levels of attainment to be included in the modelling. Findings Students’ characteristics The level of socio-economic deprivation of the area of residence and the type of prior institution students had attended were linked to the qualifications they had taken at level 3. This underlined the need to control for such factors in our regression models. More female than male students had followed academic and mixed programmes of study prior to entry to higher education, while male students were more likely to have taken vocational qualifications. Students from areas with high deprivation were more likely to hold vocational qualifications, while their counterparts in areas of low deprivation were more likely to have at least one A Level. The popularity of qualifications varied by the type of prior institution attended by students, with BTEC Diplomas and OCR National Extended Diplomas predominantly taken by students who had studied at FE colleges, while IB students had studied mainly in independent and selective schools. Progression to HE with different prior qualifications Students with more academic backgrounds were more likely to go to universities in the Russell and 1994 groups while those holding vocational qualifications were more likely to study in other types of universities (e.g. universities in the University Alliance or in the Million+ Group). Students with a mixture of qualifications prior to entry at university were less likely to study in a Russell Group or 1994 Group university than those who held only academic qualifications. AS and A Levels were the most popular qualifications held by undergraduates at higher education institutions. 86% of the students starting in 2011/12 held these qualifications, but the proportion with only A Levels was 28%. The highest percentages of students with A Levels, and other academic qualifications such as Pre-U, IB, Asset Languages or Free Standing Maths, were found in universities of the Russell Group or 1994 Group. Holding an Extended Project or Pre-U GPR qualification alongside AS/A Levels significantly increased the probability of a student attending a university in the Russell or 1994 Groups, whereas having an OCR National or a BTEC alongside A Levels increased the likelihood of attending universities in the Million+ Group and in the University Alliance. There was considerable variation across university subject areas in the proportion of students with A Levels. The highest percentages were in subject areas related to languages, ‘Historical and Philosophical Studies’, ‘Medicine and Dentistry’ and ‘Physical 5 Sciences’. Students holding Pre-U (principal subject) qualifications or an IB diploma were also more likely to study languages, ‘Historical and Philosophical Studies’, ‘Linguistics, Classics and related subjects’ and ‘Social Studies’, but less likely than average to study science subjects, with the exception of ‘Medicine and Dentistry’. Holding an Extended Project qualification alongside A Levels increased the probability of studying ‘Medicine and Dentistry’, ‘European Languages, Literature and related subjects’, ‘Historical and Philosophical studies’, ‘Linguistics, Classics and related subjects’, ‘Law’, ‘Physical Sciences’ and ‘Veterinary Sciences, Agriculture and related subjects’. BTECs were the second most popular qualification held by undergraduates at HE institutions. The highest percentages of students with BTEC qualifications were in universities of the Million+ Group and the University Alliance, while the lowest were in universities of the Russell Group. Students with other vocational qualifications (such as OCR Nationals and Double AS/A Levels) were also more likely