Search Results

The desire to widen participation in formal post-compulsory education and training is a policy agenda common to most developed countries, and political attention in the UK has largely focused on young (potential) students aged 16-21. Given that some minority ethnic groups have higher rates of participation in the UK at both age 16 and 18 than both the majority white cohort and some other minorities, identifying potential determinants could lead to a method of increasing participation for all. The overall aim of this review, therefore, was to determine the factors that drive high post-16 participation of many minority ethnic groups. There were 23 studies included for in-depth analysis. These examined relationships and/or statistical analyses with regard to the factors that could be instrumental in determining young people’s views about post-16 participation by considering a variety of variables. Differences between ethnic groups are largely explained by differences in cultural attitudes towards education in general and higher education in particular. Minority ethnic groups with high participation tend to have a high cultural awareness of the value of extending young people’s education.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

Continuing professional development (CPD) aims to improve outcomes for the children and young people with whom educational and welfare professionals work. There is no clear evidence that CPD in education improves student academic outcomes. CPD is delivered in a variety of settings by different kinds of 'trainers' or educators for differing lengths of time and differing intensity. There are many methods of delivery such as coaching sessions, feedback based on observations or videotapes of classroom practice, and feedback and reflection workshops. This review looked at the effects of CPD approaches for education and welfare practitioners (preschool teachers, pedagogues, school teachers, social workers, psychologists, police officers) on educational, social, crime and justice outcomes for children and young people; and - as secondary outcomes - any effects on the professional practice of practitioners in these fields. The review summarises evidence from 51 moderate-quality studies, including 48 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and three quasiexperiments.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

This report presents a series of linked reviews undertaken by the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC). The reviews are: (1) an expert review; (2) a scoping review; (3) a systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs); and (4) a systematic review of controlled trials (CTs). The reviews have been designed to address the current lack of systematic reviews of all the randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and other controlled trials (CTs) in the area of adult literacy and numeracy. The expert review complements the scoping review and the two systematic reviews. The latter three reviews sought to identify which factors in teaching adult literacy and numeracy caused learners to make progress in learning. Few clear pedagogical recommendations resulted. As a result, the expert review investigates a broader range of evidence: (1) those based on randomised and other controlled trials; (2) those based on correlational evidence; and (3) those based on researchers' and other experts' judgements. It is designed to assess whether any rigorous evaluations have been undertaken of interventions that could be implemented and to inform the research agenda for future RCTs or CTs that may be used to evaluate interventions in adult literacy and numeracy. The overview of all the experimental research in the fields of adult literacy and numeracy since 1980 identified only six studies out of a total of 36 trials demonstrating a statistically significant positive outcome for the intervention. There is some evidence that adult literacy and numeracy programs are effective although this finding may be 'undermined by the presence of substantial publication bias'. Because of the dearth of efforts to subject common adult literacy or numeracy programs to rigorous evaluation, it is difficult to formulate recommendations as to the kind of adult education, in terms of policy and practice, that should be encouraged. In contrast, however, the review does provide a strong direction for educational researchers. It is suggested that, because of the present inadequate evidence base, rigorously designed RCTs are urgently required. Show less

In this report, commissioned by the Sutton Trust, [the authors] provide an up-to-date synthesis of the international evidence from rigorous research designs on the effectiveness of university access strategies and approaches for disadvantaged students. The rigorous designs included in this report are high quality systematic review designs and meta-analyses, and experimental and quasi-experimental designs: randomised controlled trials (RCTs), regression discontinuity designs (RDDs) and other quasi-experimental designs, such as cohort studies and controlled trials.

[The authors] found evidence of effectiveness for a number of university access strategies and approaches. In particular, [the authors] found evidence of effectiveness for 'black box' widening participation programmes and specific interventions (e.g., financial incentives and advice; academic mentoring). The interventions were delivered in school-based and university-based settings. The robust research which tested out these strategies used systematic review, meta-analysis, experimental, regression discontinuity and other quasi-experimental designs and was undertaken mainly in the United States (US), where the context and sample populations in the topic area of university access are different from those in the United Kingdom (UK). The design and conduct of this research was of generally high quality. In addition, [the authors] found a limited number of university access strategies developed in the UK with limited evidence of their promise from studies using weaker experimental designs. [The authors] found no UK-based evaluations of university access strategies and approaches using randomised experimental designs.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

Widening participation (WP) in higher education (HE) is an increasingly important policy issue, with interventions to increase participation from minority ethnic, low-income and other under-represented groups undertaken in HE sectors in many countries. In the UK there is a large amount of WP activity but a lack of robust evidence of its effectiveness. This article presents a systematic review in the topic area of WP in HE. We included studies of systematic review, randomised controlled trial (RCT) and quasi-experimental (QE) designs, and assessed evidence of the effectiveness of university access strategies and approaches in relation to the participation of disadvantaged students at university. We searched for, quality appraised and synthesised the international evidence, that is, evidence published in any country, in the English language. The findings from four systematic reviews and 12 experimental studies (four RCTs, four [regression discontinuity designs] RDDs and four QEDs) are presented as narrative syntheses in a series of thematic sub-topics. We found some evidence of effectiveness for a number of university access interventions. 'Black box' WP programmes (those with multiple elements in a single programme) and financial incentives were found to be effective. However, much of the evidence had design limitations and the majority were conducted in the US. The article concludes with research recommendations in relation to UK interventions, including suggested designs for future quasi-experimental evaluation.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

There is widespread international concern that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and some ethnic minorities are less likely to continue education or training after compulsory schooling, or are less likely to follow the highest-status and prestigious routes. Based on work done in the UK, this paper presents the results of a systematic review of evidence from 1996 to 2011. The review identified only 14 intervention studies with a robust evaluation, intended to encourage participation and retention in post-compulsory education for disadvantaged ethnic minority groups. Of these, the most promising approaches were the use of extrinsic motivation for behaviour and attendance (payment by results), and the close personal engagement of adult mentors. Both were tried in the USA, and so the paper concludes that they should be adapted for contexts elsewhere, including the UK, and tested carefully. Given limitations of funding for research, other approaches should not receive priority.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

One of the key professional concerns for staff working in higher and, to some extent, further education is to be involved in scholarly publishing. Within that concern, as a direct result of recent research assessment exercises, is the question of 'what counts as a high status journal'? The question is a vitally important one for lecturers and researchers who are striving to achieve highly in research ratings. Yet it has not been the subject of either wide debate or extensive empirical work. In an attempt to provoke discussion on this issue, this article reports and discusses a recent survey of professors in both the UK and USA which aimed to elicit their views on the criteria for eminence and high status and also asked them to name journals that come into this category. Although the responses show that there is some degree of consensus, large differences exist between the views of individual respondents. In addition, a large number of journals are named as being of 'high status'. Important differences between perceptions in the UK and USA are also highlighted. The aim of the paper is to open up a debate on journals and their status in a way which might be valuable for personal and institutional development in the future.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The aim of the article is to identify those factors that drive the high participation in immediate post-16 and higher education of some minority ethnic groups in the UK. What could we learn from these examples to encourage higher aspirations more generally? The article reports a summary of a formal and systematic review of 1678 studies dated 1997 to 2007, from which 23 emerge as relevant, of at least medium weight in terms of evidence, and meeting other inclusion criteria. These studies suggest a number of factors that can influence aspirations, but which either apply to all ethnic groups, such as family background, or whose role is unclear, such as prior aspiration. Perhaps the major factors identified that are open to change within education are teacher expectations, experience at school, and peer influence. The article ends by summarising some possible implications for policy, practice and future studies.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The quality of the professional development (PD) of education and welfare professionals working with children and young people is of key importance to policymakers and practitioners in these fields. In order to inform education and welfare professionals about the nature and effectiveness of a diversity of approaches to continuing professional development, a systematic review (SR) of the international literature has been undertaken. In Denmark, there is an increasing acknowledgement of the value of working with evidence-informed approaches and methods. Therefore, the results of this SR are of utmost relevance for the Danish context. The two research questions were: What are the effects of continuing professional development approaches for education and welfare practitioners on: educational and social outcomes for children and young people; and outcomes for practitioners? What empirical evidence is there on the external validity of specific PD approaches across cultures, across professions/service-deliverer types, across organisations and across service-receiver types?

Edited excerpt from publication. Show less

Background: Youth comprise 40 per cent of the world's unemployed, a status associated with adverse wellbeing and social, health, and economic costs. This systematic review and meta-analysis review synthesises the literature on the effectiveness of interventions targeting young people not in employment, education, or training (NEET). Methods: Randomised and quasi-randomised trials with a concurrent or counterfactual control group and baseline equivalence are included. Cochrane collaboration tools are used to assess quality, and a narrative synthesis was undertaken. The primary outcome is employment; secondary outcomes were health, earnings, welfare receipt, and education.

Results: Eighteen trials are included (nine experimental and nine quasi-experimental), sample sizes range from 32 to 54,923. Interventions include social skills, vocational, or educational classroom-based training, counselling or one-to-one support, internships, placements, on-the-job or occupational training, financial incentives, case management, and individual support. Meta-analysis of three high-quality trials demonstrates a four per cent (CI 0.0-0.7) difference between intervention and control groups on employment. Evidence for other outcomes lacks consistency; however, more intensive programmes increase employment and wages over the longer term. Conclusions: There is some evidence that intensive multi-component interventions effectively decrease unemployment amongst NEETs. The quality of current evidence is limited, leaving policy makers under-served when designing and implementing new programmes, and a vulnerable population neglected.

Published abstract. Show less