The aspiration myth: the relationship between geography, poverty and aspiration. Baars & Bernardes (LKMco)
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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
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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)