Presentation to a conference of Somerset Head teachers about aspirations by Dr Sam Baars and Eleanor Bernardes of education and youth 'think and action-tank' LKMco
The aspiration myth: the relationship between geography, poverty and aspiration. Baars & Bernardes (LKMco)
1. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
The poverty of aspiration myth
Dr Sam Baars
Research Associate, LKMco
sam@lkmco.org
@sambaars
Eleanor Bernardes
Associate, LKMco
eleanor@lkmco.org
@Nor_edu
2. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
Prompts
• Aspirations in the context of the community of
your school
• Whose aspirations are important?
• Who plays a role in enabling young people to
fulfill their aspirations?
• What methods have you heard of/do you use to
raise aspirations and do they work?
3. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
4. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
1. Aspiration myths
2. The rural context
3. How should schools respond?
5. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
Aspirations: myths dispelled and truths clarified
1. Aspirations are not the same as expectations
2. There are no ‘high’ and ‘low’ aspirations
3. Aspirations are not stable over time
4. Different aspirations are revealed in different contexts
5. Aspirations don’t just relate to jobs and education
6. The link between aspirations and attainment flows both ways
7. Aspirations are not ‘lower’ in deprived areas or workless households
8. Geographical differences go beyond deprivation
6. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
1. Aspirations are not the same as expectations
7. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
2. There are no ‘high’ and ‘low’ aspirations
“Yeh, I like, I enjoy doing stuff like that…
It's not just about the money is it? You
want to do something you enjoy. Don't
want to go to a job that you don't enjoy,
do you? Cos if you're stuck with a job
you don't enjoy for the rest of your life
you're going to be miserable aren't
you?”
“My mum struggles to
even survive. And I don't
want that life for my
kids.”
8. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
3. Aspirations are not stable over time
9. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
4. Different aspirations are revealed in different
contexts
• Different aspirations are ‘revealed’ and
‘concealed’ in different contexts
• To teachers
• To parents
• To friends
• Aspirations are ‘performative’
– Adapted for different
audiences
10. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
5. Aspirations don’t just relate to jobs and
education
Educational aspirations
• Get good grades
• Go to university
Occupational aspirations
• Get a well-paid job
• Work in a certain sector
Broader life aspirations
• Have a satisfying career
• Have a ‘good life’
Achievement of educational
aspirations not sufficient for
achieving broader life
aspirations
11. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
6. The link between aspirations and attainment
flows both ways
Aspirations
help motivate
young people
to do well at
school
Success at
school can
help to
nurture
aspirations
12. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
7. Aspirations are not ‘lower’ in deprived areas…
13. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
…or workless households
1"
1.7"
2.19"
0"
0.5"
1"
1.5"
2"
2.5"
Neither"parent"has"a"professional,"
managerial"or"technical"occupa; on"
At"least"one"parent"has"a"professional,"
managerial"or"technical"occupa; on"
Parents"have"never"worked"
14. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
8. Geographical differences go beyond
deprivation
Taunton London
15. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
The rural context
16. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
Problem
• Pupils’
a ainment is low
Cause
• Pupils’
aspira ons are
low
Ac on
• Raise pupils’
aspira ons
Outcome
• Pupils’
a ainment is
increased
Problem
• Pupils’ a ainment is low and
they can not achieve their
(high) aspira ons
Cause
• Pupils do not know how to
achieve their aspira ons
• Pupils lose faith in their ability
to achieve their aspira ons
because their a ainment is
low
Ac on
• Focus on interven ons that
help pupils understand how to
achieve their aspira ons and
which raise their a ainment.
Outcome
• Pupils know what they need
to do to achieve their
aspira ons and their
a ainment increases
Model A Model B
17. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
87%
21% 20%
58%
37%
45%
41%
76%
17%
15%
43%
31%
45%
34%
32%
6%
4%
12% 12%
18%
14%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Parent Older brother or sister Other family members Friends Careers adviser/
teacher
Other teachers Connexions Personal
Adviser
Proporonofyoungpeoplemenoningthissourceintheirresponse
Source: LSYPE Wave 3 (2006)
Sources of IAG and their influence on Year 11 pupils' decisions to stay in FTE
Spoke to them about staying on in FTE Told them they should stay on in FTE Influenced their decision to stay on in FTE
18. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
Three layers to addressing the aspiration myths:
1. A school’s curriculum offer needs to provide all
learners with the potential to achieve their
aspirations (academic/vocational/enrichment/etc)
2. High quality academic learning and intervention to
provide all learners with the potential to achieve the
necessary attainment
3. High quality and impartial careers education
information, advice and guidance (CEIAG)
19. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
Whose aspirations?
Objectively:
• Why is the teacher so worried?
• Why hasn’t the student applied to university?
Subjectively:
• What would you have done in the student’s
position?
• What would you have done in the teacher’s
position?
20. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
Three main groups of decision making theories:
• Trait and factor
• Relational
• Post-rational (planned happenstance)
21. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
Via Janet Colledge - @CareersDefender
22. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
Via Janet Colledge - @CareersDefender
23. “Society should ensure that all children and young people receive the support they need in order to make a fulfilling transition to adulthood”
linfo@lkmco.org - +44(0)7793 370459 - @LKMco – www.lkmco.org.uk
Dr Sam Baars
Research Associate, LKMco
sam@lkmco.org
@sambaars
Eleanor Bernardes
Associate, LKMco
eleanor@lkmco.org
@Nor_edu
Editor's Notes
Aspirations are not the same as expectations
Aspirations are future-oriented desires; expectations are future-oriented beliefs
Cabinet Office 2008: “there is a difference between what people hope to achieve and what they expect to achieve”
[Data from 2010 Millennium Cohort Study]
All the boys from the construction hub wanted to go into construction work. In terms of the the occupational hierarchy, and the degree of individual agency, these might be seen as ‘low’ aspirations
But their motivations for pursuing these aspirations were, in fact, highly aspirational
Escaping material hardship of their family background
Pursuing something they enjoy and are skilled at
Aspirations are always relative to context: this is why it’s impossible to talk of them being straightforwardly ‘high’ or ‘low’
Aspirations are volatile from one day to the next. Even within the same 5-minute exercise…
Even within the course of 15mins, aspirations can shift and adjust
Aspirations are being constantly ‘negotiated’
Different aspirations are ‘revealed’ and ‘concealed’ in different contexts (i.e. to teachers, parents, friends) (Hart 2013)
Aspirations are ‘performative’ (St Clair and Benjamin 2011)
Rose and Baird (2013)
Educational and career aspirations are distinct from more general aspirations around life satisfaction
Educational outcomes (the achievement of educational aspirations) are not sufficient to achieve these broader outcomes, although they may play a role
There’s evidence that young people value the support of their educational institutions most in relation to personal issues/wellbeing, rather than their educational outcomes
So, when it comes to supporting young people’s aspirations, we need to think beyond narrow support for their occupational aspirations
(Gutman and Akerman 2008)
There are statistically significant differences, but in real terms this difference is negligible
Strictly speaking, there’s a slightly lower propensity to have ‘high’ aspirations, but no evidence of ‘low’ aspirations in these areas (same goes for educational aspirations, where the difference is even smaller)
No ‘poverty of aspirations’, even in the most deprived areas
Deprivation is not significant when controlling for individual and household level factors
As Prof Rob Macdonald (Teesside University) argues, there is limited evidence of a ‘culture of worklessness’
Young people don’t simply ‘reproduce’ what they see around them
In fact, the largest variation in aspirations is in terms of geography
But not simply deprivation
When it comes to area-based differences in aspirations and educational outcomes, the differences between different types of area are much larger than those between more and less deprived areas
OAC is an alternative way of classifying areas, based on Census characteristics of their residents
Biggest difference, in terms of both aspirations and educational outcomes, is between mixed, inner urban deprived areas [PINK/ORANGE] and predominantly white British, outer urban deprived areas [BLUE/YELLOW]
Young people in the inner city are up to 5 times as likely to have aspirations for high skill jobs (even when controlling for parental SES, attitudes to school, ethnicity, gender)
And inner city kids also outperform outer urban kids by almost 1.5 grades in every GCSE they sit
Data suggests this isn’t just down to ‘family background’/parental aspirations, culture and behaviours: we need to focus on the contextual conditions that cause these differences
If area-level differences in outcomes aren’t due to deprivation, what are they due to?
Compared to London, the rural Somerset context is favourable in relation to material deprivation
However, it is unfavourable in relation to labour market conditions/’opportunity structures’
N.B. the more urban parts of Somerset are closer to London in relation to their labour market conditions, but more like rural Somerset in terms of their deprivation (‘best of both worlds’ to some extent)