Ethnicity and Degree Attainment (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Gender and Ethnicity Attainment Gap Project
plymouth.ac.uk
In the context of a government target to achieve 50% participation in higher education in the UK (Labour Party manifesto, 2001), the success rates of different groups of students (particularly those designated as 'non-traditional' students) has come under considerable scrutiny. Of interest is not simply access to higher education, but the varied experience of different student groups, studying different subjects at different institutions. Investigation of 'the student experience' has included retention rates, academic achievement, progression into employment and opportunities for extra-curricular activities amongst different groups. In many areas the differences are stark: Research by Broecke & Nicholls (2008) reveals that students from ethnic minority backgrounds obtain poorer degree results than white students, even when controlling for prior attainment, age, gender and discipline. They also found that women were more likely to achieve better degree classifications than men, except when it came to attaining a first, where there was no statistically significant difference between the two sexes. A recent report by the Equality and Diversity team at the University of Plymouth indicated that attainment at this institution is following the trends reported nationally: White students are more likely to obtain a good degree (classified here as a first or 2:1) than black and minority ethnic (BME) students (Moon, 2008). In the case of gender, female students at the University of Plymouth are more likely to obtain good degrees when compared to their male counterparts, and this difference persists even in many science subjects where male students are generally more successful. The gender attainment gap at Plymouth was found to be greater than the national average, according to HESA data. In order to explore some of the possible reasons for these gaps, a small piece of research was undertaken to investigate the similarities and differences in social and academic experiences of different groups of students (white, BME home, BME overseas, male and female), and to elicit the views of selected teaching staff. This summary outlines the key findings from the project. (The full report, with details of the methodological approach is available at http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=34020) Key Findings: a) Motivation: Although the quantitative findings were inconclusive in this regard, the qualitative data suggest that BME students are more likely to be extrinsically motivated (by course reputation or future career), while white students are more likely to be intrinsically motivated (by interest in the subject, personal development etc.) This may mean that BME students are more likely to adopt surface approaches to learning as suggested by Ridley (2007). BME students also reported being more strongly influenced by family when choosing a degree programme and this might result in their
Understanding the gender and ethnicity attainment gap in UK higher education
Innovations in Education and Teaching International
In recent years the success rates of different groups of students in higher education (HE), have come under considerable scrutiny, with gender and ethnicity identified as key attributes predicting differential achievement of 'good degrees'. A review of previous studies highlights the need for research which looks beyond 'the deficit model' to explain the attainment gap.
Ethnic disparities in higher education
IZA Journal of Migration, 2013
Using unique administrative individual data, this paper examines ethnic differences in degree performance in Dutch colleges and universities. The paper estimates parametric duration models and accounts for unobserved heterogeneity to assess the sources of ethnic disparities. The analysis shows that ethnic minorities from nonwestern countries have a significantly lower degree performance and higher risk of dropping-out. Especially, Turkish, Moroccan and Caribbean students are less likely to graduate, and graduates among them need much more time to complete their study. There is no evidence that this disadvantage stems from poor parental socioeconomic position and the choice of study subject.
Using national data bases to examine minority student success in higher education
New Directions for Institutional Research, 1991
This chapter describes the use of national data bases to examine access and achievement of students from minority racial/ethnic groups in institutions of higher education. Two types of data bases are described and used. Student longitudinal data bases, built from baseline and follow-up surveys of the same representative samples of students, are directly applicable to research on postsecondary attrition and persistence. We explore the sources of longitudinal data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and present early results from research (in progress) applying Tinto's (1987) model of "institutional departure''-that is, student persistence-with traditional and nontraditional engineering majors and, specifically, American Indian and Alaskan Native students. The second type of data base, also from NCES, contains data from time-lag cross-sectional surveys of postsecondary institutions. An ongoing study demonstrates how data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the successor to the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), can be used to examine trends in institutional minority enrollment and graduation rates by constructing "equity scores" for enrollment and graduation across states and institutions. These are two principal examples of the racial/ethnic data for higher education collected by NCES since 1969 (National Center for Education Statistics, 1989). The NCES data bases can be used by institutional researchers to help institutional leaders, policymakers, faculty, and the public gain a better understanding of and be able to address more effectively the continuing
Ethnic disparities in degree performance
Using unique administrative individual data, this paper examines ethnic differences in degree performance in Dutch colleges and universities. The paper estimates parametric duration models and accounts for unobserved heterogeneity to assess the sources of ethnic disparities. The analysis shows that ethnic minorities from non-western countries have a significantly lower degree performance and higher risk of dropping-out. Especially, Turkish, Moroccan and Caribbean students are less likely to graduate, and graduates among them need much more time to complete their study. There is no evidence that this disadvantage stems from poor parental socioeconomic position and the choice of study subject.
1988
are presented to explain the process of adaptation that institutions experience when the achievement of underrepresented minorities becomes a high priority. The case studies included site visits, a questionnaire survey of 1986 graduates, and 108 open-ended interviews. Discussion of the following topics is included: quality and minority access; context for institutional adaptation ;state policy environment, the community setting, institutional characteristics); the peripheral position of minority students; how universities resolve access/quality tensions (indicators of stage of adaptation, administrative influences on adaptation); and the stages of adaptation framework. From this data emerges an explanatory framework for understanding the variables influencing minority persistence and graduation in majority institutions. Appended are (1) enrollment and graduation data and (2) enrollment and graduation indices for the 10 case study insti' itions. Contains 15 references. (SM)
Black and minority ethnic access to higher education: a reassessment
2014
the data. The Nuffield Foundation is an endowed charitable trust that aims to improve social well-being in the widest sense. It funds research and innovation in education and social policy and also works to build capacity in education, science and social science research. The Nuffield Foundation has funded this project, but the views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation. More information is available at www.nuffieldfoundation.org. While UCAS provided the data, it cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties. Errors and omissions are the responsibility of the authors. We are also extremely grateful to Professor Harvey Goldstein for his invaluable assistance with the statistical modelling reported here.