Abstract
ABSTRACTIn this paper, we identify patterns of subject and qualification choices made at age 14. Much of the previous research on ‘subject choice’ has focussed on the later stages of educational trajectories, particularly Higher Education. However, the choices made at early branching points can limit pupils’ subsequent options, potentially contributing to educational inequalities. This paper identifies the patterns of General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) subjects chosen by a cohort of young people born in 1989/1990. We make use of the Next Steps data (formerly the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE)) which is linked to the National Pupil Database. We develop an approach to measuring the academic selectivity of subjects and qualifications. We examine the roles of social class, parental education, income, gender and ethnicity in determining participation in these curriculum groupings. Using measures of prior attainment from age thirteen, we address the question of whether curriculum differentials simply reflect differences in prior attainment or whether they actually operate above and beyond existing inequalities. We find clear socio‐economic, gender, ethnic and school‐level differences in subjects studied which cannot be accounted for by prior attainment.
Highlights
The curriculum in England allows students to narrow their future choices at a relatively early age (Hodgson & Spours, 2008)
This paper identifies the patterns of General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) subjects chosen by a cohort of young people born in 1989/1990
We examine whether the predictors of the curriculum studied vary substantially across these four curriculum classifications: (1) Academically demanding subjects based on average prior attainment (2) English Baccalaureate (EBacc)-eligible subjects (3) Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects (4) Applied GCSEs
Summary
The curriculum in England allows students to narrow their future choices at a relatively early age (Hodgson & Spours, 2008). The combination of the proliferation General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) ‘equivalent’ qualifications with league tables of school performance under the New Labour government of 1997–2010 led to concerns regarding schools maximising their performance at the benchmark five AÖC level by entering students for ‘soft’ options, and avoiding more challenging subjects (Wolf, 2011). The question of whether the curriculum being offered to some young people has limited their future prospects is a vital one. Curriculum choice at 14–16 is relatively neglected in the research literature, despite its potential importance for future educational trajectories. Vocational (applied) GCSEs were introduced in 2002. The number and variety of GCSE courses offered has been
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