Understanding Educational Attainment Disparities Using Newly Linked Administrative Data and a Collaborative Theoretical Framework

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Eleven
  In Roundtable Session: Sociology of Education SIG Roundtables: Quantitative Approaches to Measuring Educational Outcomes and Equity (Table 6)

Abstract

Educational attainment outcomes are known to be affected by student- and school-level factors. This study contributes to the literature by analysing newly linked data of the 2011 household Census, School Leavers Survey (2010-2014) and School Census (2010-2014) in Northern Ireland, where there is a lack of in-depth analyses into attainment inequalities. Multilevel modelling and interactions were conducted to examine the associations between educational attainment, students’ socio-demographic profiles and school-level factors. The results indicated that grammar school attendance, parental qualifications and gender had the greatest influences on attainment. To understand this further, a collaborative theoretical framework of Bourdieu’s theory of practice and Tajfel and Turner’s social identity theory was developed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the presented educational attainment inequalities.

Authors

• Erin Early, Queen's University - Belfast
  Presenting Author

• Sarah Miller, Queen's University - Belfast
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laura Dunne, Queen's University - Belfast
  Non-Presenting Author