The construction of success and negotiation of minority identities : a mixed methods study of the experiences and outcomes of school leavers in Scotland
View/ Open
Date
26/06/2019Author
Metadata
Show full item recordAltmetrics Handle Statistics
Altmetrics DOI Statistics
Abstract
Each year in Scotland, around 50,000 young people complete their secondary
education and leave school. This period of educational transition is laden with risks
and opportunities; significant decisions are made and life chances established.
This thesis explores the divergent educational experiences and outcomes of
school leavers in Scotland using mixed methods and is situated within debates
about structural inequalities in the UK.
Inequalities in educational achievement appear to be associated with three key
drivers, socio-economic status, ethnicity and gender. Most recent research has
looked at these factors separately. This study examines ethnic and migrant
background alongside other axes of difference in order to gain a more accurate
picture of the educational transitions of school leavers in Scotland.
The findings draw on repeat interviews with school leavers (n=34) in two
contrasting secondary schools over a period of two years. In addition, a novel
linkage of two administrative datasets gives a large sample allowing the analysis
of national trends in the educational outcomes of school leavers between 2006-2016 (n=471,317) with detailed ethnic and social stratification. Together, these
data provide a powerful analytical tool to interrogate post-school destinations in
Scotland.
The analysis of quantitative and qualitative data reveal new insights on the
significant differences in post-school destinations and aspirations depending on
ethnic and socio-economic background. For example, White Polish and White
Other pupils are less likely to go to University than any other minority ethnic group,
even once socio-economic differences are taken into account. Yet the qualitative
fieldwork reveals high aspirations and attainment within these groups.
This research raises questions about the persistence of educational inequalities
and illustrates how this is underpinned by the ways in which educational success
is constructed and measured within neoliberal educational environments and how
minority identities are negotiated in the transition to adulthood.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.