Routes to educational success for low achievers

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate whether the institution attended or type of course taken in further education, by students who are classified as low achievers at age 16, influences the probability of their subsequent educational success.

Design/methodology/approach

To evaluate the probability of educational success of this subsample of young people, a probit model with sample selection is estimated, using the Youth Cohort Survey data for England and Wales and covering the period 1982 to 2004.

Findings

The results suggest that the best route to educational success for “lower achievers” is through further education colleges. There are further significant gains in the probability of educational success for young men who take vocational courses at the FE college. Furthermore, the students taking this route into post‐compulsory education are subsequently most likely to enter higher education; a result relevant to policy, since the aim of the Education Act (2008) is to increase the educational attainment of all young people up to the age of 18.

Originality/value

The paper provides an analysis of the educational decisions and outcomes of young people who were considered of low ability at age 16.

Citation

Lenton, P. (2013), "Routes to educational success for low achievers", Journal of Economic Studies, Vol. 40 No. 2, pp. 222-239. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443581311283682