Gillian Hampden-Thompson

Family policy, family structure, and children's educational achievement.

This study explored the interface between policy, the family, and educational outcomes. More specifically, this research examined how the association between single motherhood and childrens literacy achievement is affected by a countrys family policy environment. Using data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and national level comparative policy data, the results from the 2-level hierarchical linear models indicate that in those countries that have policies that favor low-income single-parent families, the literacy gap decreases in size between students who reside in single-mother households and their counterparts who reside in two-parent families.

Are two better than one? A comparative study of achievement gaps and family structure

Using data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the size of the literacy achievement gap between 15‐year‐old students from two‐parent and those from single‐mother households were compared across 18 industrialized nations. This study found that cross‐national differences exist in the association between single motherhood and literacy achievement. The research findings also indicate that economic deprivation and parental involvement moderate the association between family structure and student literacy achievement.

Schools That Make a Difference to Post-Compulsory Uptake of Physical Science Subjects: Some comparative case studies in England

This paper presents the findings of the qualitative component of a combined methods research study that explores a range of individual and school factors that influence the uptake of chemistry and physics in post-compulsory study in England. The first phase involves using the National Pupil Database to provide a sampling frame to identify four matched pairs of high-uptake and low-uptake schools by salient school factors. Case studies of these eight schools indicate that students employ selection strategies related to their career aspirations, their sense of identity and tactics, and their prior experience. The school factors influencing subject choice relate to school management, student support and guidance, and student empowerment. The most notable differences between students in high-uptake and low-uptake schools are that students in high-uptake schools appear to make a proactive choice in relation to career aspirations, rather than a reactive choice on the basis of past experience. Schools with a high uptake offer a diverse science curriculum in the final two years of compulsory study, set higher examination entry requirements for further study and, crucially, provide a range of opportunities for students to interact with the world of work and to gain knowledge and experience of science-related careers.

A cross-national analysis of parental involvement and student literacy

Using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), we examine the association between parental involvement and student literacy in 21 countries. We consider how the nature of the association between parental involvement and student literacy varies in direction and magnitude across national borders and across multiple dimensions of parental involvement and measures of literacy. Across the 21 countries, we observe that, in general, increased social and cultural communication with parents is associated with higher levels of student literacy, although the association is most consistent in the area of reading literacy. Specifically, for students residing in eight countries (Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom), there are consistent reading literacy benefits when their parents engage in various forms of social and cultural communication. Consistently across all 21 countries, students have significantly lower literacy scores the more frequently parents assist with homework. This finding provides robust cross-national support for the reactive hypothesis.

Cultural capital: what does it offer students? A cross-national analysis

This study continues the refinement of the cultural capital concept, addressing gaps in existing scholarship by analyzing data from two major international datasets: the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS). Using these datasets, the relationship between student participation in culturally enriching activities and the possession of cultural resources and student academic outcomes across nine western industrialized countries is examined. This study focuses on European and North American countries that share a Western cultural history. Caution is warranted in generalizing the literature or results summarized below to countries that have not been shaped by a similar cultural history due to this sampling limitation. This study provides a basis on which to measure the extent to which the effect of cultural capital differs across national borders, even those that share common cultural histories. - See more at: http://www.childtrends.org/?publications=cultural-capital-what-does-it-offer-students-a-cross-national-analysis#sthash.6uH1fBwV.dpuf

School–family relationships, school satisfaction and the academic achievement of young people

Abstract Families’ perceptions of, and interactions with, schools and teachers can play an essential role in young people’s educational outcomes. According to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, young people grow within multiple nested systems of influence interacting with each other. Thus, their development is affected by persons, processes, and institutions at all levels, from their family, to the school they attend, to society. This study examined the role of school–family relationships, parents’ school satisfaction, and their associations with educational achievement. Drawing upon data from over 10,000 students from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, the results of the multivariate analysis indicated that while positive school–family relationships are a predictor of achievement, this association is mediated by the degree of parents’ satisfaction with their child’s school. We concluded that the combination of strong school–family relationships and high levels of school satisfaction provides a boost for young people’s academic success. Therefore, school policies and practices that enhance relationships with families and improve levels of parent satisfaction can result in rewards for all young people including those from poor backgrounds.

Young People’s Community Engagement: What Does Research-Based and Other Literature Tell us About Young People’s Perspectives and the Impact of Schools’ Contributions?

Abstract This narrative synthesis based on a literature review undertaken for the project ‘Creating Citizenship Communities’ (funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation) includes discussion, principally, about what research evidence tells us about young people’s definitions of community, of types of engagement by different groups of young people, actions by schools and what they might do in the future to promote engagement. Community is seen as a highly significant and contested area. Young people are viewed negatively by adults but are in some contexts already positively engaged in communities. There seem to be gaps in the literature about what young people understand about community. There is, broadly, some consensus about how to promote engagement.

Post-16 physics and chemistry uptake: combining large-scale secondary analysis with in-depth qualitative methods

Quantitative secondary analysis of large-scale data can be combined with in-depth qualitative methods. In this paper, we discuss the role of this combined methods approach in examining the uptake of physics and chemistry in post compulsory schooling for students in England. The secondary data analysis of the National Pupil Database (NPD) served three distinct purposes in the design of this study. These included (1) determining the number of students in England who went on to take physics and chemistry post 16, (2) examining associations between school-level factors and physics and chemistry uptake, and (3) using the secondary data analysis to construct a sampling frame for the selection of the case study schools. Findings from the analysis of the NPD are presented along with a discussion of the limitations and advantages of using large-scale secondary data analysis in a combined methods study.

Teachers' Views on Students' Experiences of Community Involvement and Citizenship Education.

Based upon the findings of a national survey of school coordinators and leaders on citizenship and community cohesion, this research indicates that teachers perceive their students to feel a sense of belonging to multiple communities, each with their own required actions for effective participation. There appears to be wide variation in the characteristics of students’ engagement in community activities depending on their individual needs and circumstances. While there is convincing evidence of schools successfully implementing strategies to equip students with a conceptual understanding of their roles as citizens, the research also identifies a need to develop students’ practical skills and self-efficacy to interact with their immediate and wider communities. In order to support students to participate most effectively in their communities, there is a need for schools to provide tailored support to those groups of students who may otherwise be least likely to participate in community activities.

Diversity, difference, and communities in English secondary schools

This paper discusses secondary school pupils’ understandings and experiences of diversity and communities in England. It draws on qualitative data from a field study conducted in 8 schools as part of a larger project funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. The larger project, which included a review of literature, analysis of Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LYPSE) data and a national survey of school staff, aimed to explore current thinking and practice about citizenship and community cohesion. For this article field notes, and 16 audio-recorded focus group discussions with year 10 and year 11 students were analysed thematically, through multi-disciplinary team dialogue, informed by literature on diversity, community cohesion, belonging and citizenship education. Despite some variation in responses across schools, the results clearly demonstrate that student discourses of diversity grapple with notions of sameness and assimilation. We argue that citizenship education practice must be informed by robust research that addresses boundary notions and practices of identity and citizenship.