Disengagement from education among 14-16 year olds

Disengagement from education

among 14-16 year olds

Andy Ross

DCSF Research Conference 2010

Aims

• To provide a typology of disengaged/engaged young people identifying the different ways in which disengagement can be manifest

• To describe them in terms of their further attitudes to school, staff, learning, their future, and what motivates them in terms of education and beyond

• Explore whether young people transition between these different types over time (years 9 – 11)

• Explore factors that might explain when and why some young people disengage

Background

• Previous research has illustrated the importance of distinguishing between different ‘types’ of disengaged young people (Steedman & Stoney, 2004; Callanan et. al. 2009)

• Previous quantitative research has begun to ‘build a picture’ of disengaged young people (McIntosh & Houghton, 2005)

• Going beyond narrow definitions of disengagement• Disengagement as a multidimensional concept

consisting of motivations, attitudes and behaviour (Morris & Pullen, 2007)

A statistical method suitable forcapturing disengagement • Latent Class Analysis (LCA)• Enables us to capture multidimensional constructs

such as disengagement• Explores structure within a set of measures to identify

underlying types or classes of individuals • For example… we might find a type that dislikes school,

may also skip the odd class, but otherwise remain committed to long-term education

• Limitations: Does not capture all heterogeneity; limited by availability of measures

Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE)• Comprehensive cohort study focusing on transitions

through education to employment• Funded by Department for Children, Schools and

Families to evaluate impact of policy• Data from multiple sources (young person; main and

second parents; linked in NPD data)• 15,770 pupils sampled at Wave 1, 11,449 at Wave 4

(weighted for attrition)• Ethnic minority boost (n = 1000); Deprived schools over

sampled by 1.5

Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE)

Wave Year School Year Age

1 2004 Year 9 13/14

2 2005 Year 10 14/15

3 2006 Year 11 15/16

4 2007 Year 12 (or equivalent)

16/17

5 2008 Year 13(or equivalent)

17/18

6 2009 “Year 14” (or equivalent)

18/19

Motivations• Plans following year 11

(Continue with fulltime education; Job with training; job no training; Something else)

• Likelihood of applying to do a degree at university(Very likely; Fairly likely; Not very likely; Not at all likely)

Behaviour• Truancy

(None; Odd day or lesson; Particular lessons; Several days or weeks at a time)

Attitudes to School

Feelings about school (10 item scale) I am happy when I am at school School is a waste of time for me School work is worth doing Most of the time I don't want to go to school On the whole I like being at school I work as hard as I can in school In a lesson, I often count the minutes till it ends I am bored in lessons The work I do in lessons is a waste of time The work I do in lessons is interesting to me

Results

• Best fitting solution identified the same four groups in each year:EngagedDisengaged from School not EducationEngaged with School not Higher EducationDisengaged

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

Probability

Very likelyFairly likely

Not very likelyNot at all likely

FT EducationJob with training

Job no trainingSomething else

NoneOdd day or lessonParticular lessons

Several days/weeks

Very positiveQuite positiveQuite negativeVery negative

Aspirations for Year 12

Likely to apply to University

Level of Truancy

Attitudes to school

‘Engaged’(Y9: 40%; Y10: 33%; Y11: 34%)

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

Probability






Several days/weeks




Level of Truancy

Attitudes to school

‘Disengaged from school not education’ (Y9: 23%; Y10: 26%; Y11: 24%)

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

Probability






Several days/weeks




Level of Truancy

Attitudes to school

‘Engaged with school not H.E.’ (Y9: 25%; Y10: 22%; Y11: 22%)

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

Probability






Several days/weeks




Level of Truancy

Attitudes to school

‘Disengaged’(Y9: 12%; Y10: 19%; Y11: 20%)

Attainment at Key Stage 4

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Engaged Disengaged fromschool not education

Engaged with schoolnot Higher Education

Disengaged

Per

cen

t

Achieved level 2 Achieved level 1Base: Year 11

Destinations in year 12

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Engaged with Schoolnot Higher Education

Disengaged

Per

cen

t

FT education Apprenticeship/Work with training Work without training NEETBase: Year 11

Attitudes to curriculum‘Likes subject a lot’

0

10

20

30

40

50

60


Engaged with Schoolnot Higher Education

Disengaged

Per

cen

t

Maths English Science Information, Communication & TechnologyBase: Year 9

Wants a job…‘Matters a lot’

0

20

40

60

80

100



Disengaged

Per

cen

t

that pays well that offers promotion where I am my own bossBase: Year 9

Attitudes to learning‘Strongly agree’

0

20

40

60

80



Disengaged

Per

cen

t

Working hard at school now will help me get on later in lifeDoing well at school means a lot to meEven if I do well at school, I'll have a hard time getting the right kind of job

Base: Year 10

Transitions between years 9 and 10

Year 9Engaged

Disengaged from

School not Education

Engaged with School not Higher Education

Disengaged

Engaged 82.4 13.6 4.0 0.1

Disengaged from School not Education

0.0 87.9 0.0 12.1

Engaged with school not Higher Education

2.7 1.2 81.6 14.5

Disengaged 0.0 1.5 0.6 97.8

Year 10

Transitions between years 10 and 11

Year 10Engaged

Disengaged from


Engaged with School not Higher Education

Disengaged

Engaged 98.0 0.0 1.9 0.1

Disengaged from School not Education

2.0 92.3 0.0 5.7

Engaged with school not Higher Education

3.7 0.0 96.0 0.3

Disengaged 0.0 1.6 0.0 98.4

Year 11

Transitions (summary)

• Most young people already engaged or disengaged by the time they are in year 9 and remain so through to year 11

• Transitions mainly occur between year 9 and 10, the point at which Key Stage 4 beginsIncrease in volume and significance of workFriendship groups split up

• Change is in the direction of disengagement, with little evidence of reengagement

Young people at greatest risk… Disengaged from


(DSNE)

Engaged with School not Higher

Education (ESNHE)

Disengaged

Gender

More male

More male

Ethnicity Black Caribbean

Mixed Race

White

White

NS-SEC Never worked/ Long-

term unemployed

Routine or Manual

Never worked/ Long- term unemployed

Intermediate

Never worked/ Long- term unemployed

Routine or Manual

Intermediate

Mother’s education Lower

Lower

Family Type Single parent

Step family

Step family

Single Parent

Single parent

Step family

Factors that matterParental factors

• Parental aspirations were key (*): Disengaged & ESNHE

• Attending parent - teacher evenings: Disengaged• Recognising the importance of continuing

education beyond age 16: ESNHE & Disengaged• Effectiveness of the relationship with the school:

Disengaged & DSNE

Factors that matterHomework

• How often parents ensure that homework is completed:Parents of young people who were ESNHE more likely to

monitor homeworkParents of Disengaged young people were less likely to

monitor homework

• ESNHE also more likely to get support at home• How many teachers monitor homework:

Disengaged, less so ESNHE & DSNE

Factors that matterTeachers

• Young people’s relationships with their teachers: Disengaged & DSNE, less so ESNHENegative factors more important: Feeling treated

unfairly or blamed for any troublePositive factors less important: Taking an interest

in the young person’s work or praising them• Perceiving teachers as being in control also

important for predicting Disengaged and DSNE

Factors that matterYoung Person’s experience

• Aspiration of peers: Disengaged, ESNHE, also DSNE• Contact with Educational or Social Services, or a visit

from the Police: Disengaged, less so ESNHE & DSNE• Bullied in the last 12 months: DSNE or Disengaged• Has a disability that affects schooling: ESNHE or

Disengaged

Factors that matterSchools

• Pupil to teacher ratio: ESNHE and DSNE more likely to attend schools with a greater ratio of pupils to teachers

• School size (number of pupils): ESNHE more likely to attend smaller schools

• School level of Truancy: Disengaged especially but also ESNHE more likely to attend schools with higher rates of truancy

Contact details

Andy Ross

[email protected]

Tel: 020 7549 7101

• Ross, A. (2009) Disengagement from education among 14-16 year olds, DCSF

Documents

Disengagement from education among 14-16 year olds